by Myers, AJ
“Why can’t you discuss it with her here, Skipper?” Nathan asked. There was nothing overtly disrespectful about the question, but there was an unmistakable edge to his voice.
“Because the matter to be attended to is in my office,” Skippy told him, actually rolling his eyes. I smiled. I was starting to wear off on him already.
“It’s okay, Nathan,” I told him, smiling and patting his thigh reassuringly. “He’s not going to hurt me. Skippy and I are friends now. Right, Skippy?”
“We are, indeed,” he said, smiling down at me tenderly. “Now, we have much to do and very little time in which to get it done. If you all will excuse us, Ember and I can settle this matter and we can begin to work out a strategy to face our enemies.”
He held out his hand to help me up and I didn’t hesitate. I can’t deny that I was curious about what he was up to. I smiled when he placed my hand in the crook of his arm and covered it with his own, waiting for the obligatory growl from my mate. It never came.
Oddly enough, seeing Skippy touch me didn’t seem to be making Nathan mad. Seeing Zan touch me, or Blake, didn’t seem to piss him off, either. In fact, it only made Nathan mad when Tyler touched me. The smile melted off my face when I realized why that was. If I’d had any doubts that Kim was wrong about me and Tyler, they died right there.
Tyler was in love with me. Nathan knew it. Skippy knew it. Even Zan had said it, in a roundabout way, the day I met him. He’d said Tyler was so wrapped up in my energy that he couldn’t see straight.
Was I the only one who hadn’t been able to see it?
“You are very quiet,” Skippy said softly when we stepped out of the elevator on the first level.
“Truth hurts,” I told him miserably, shrugging.
“Yes, that it does,” he sighed, patting my hand where it rested in the crook of his elbow. “But answer me this, my sweet. Is it really so terrible to be loved, Ember? Do you not care for your angel, as well?”
“Well, yeah, but not that way.”
“I don’t believe that is true,” he said, shaking his head slowly. “I believe that you do not wish to love him and you are, therefore, resisting it. But perhaps there is a compromise to be found. Having loved one who could not return that love, I can tell you that sometimes even the love of a friend can be enough. There is one person out there for us all, Ember. I truly believe that. Until your angel finds the one that is meant for him and him alone, I fear nothing you do will turn his affections from you. He is very fortunate that it is you. I feel confident that you would never toy with his affections. You will protect his heart, even if he is too foolish to do it himself.”
His footsteps slowed and I looked up to find we had reached his office. I had been so busy feeling sorry for Tyler—and, I admit it, for myself—that I’d forgotten all about the reason I was, once again, all alone with Skippy. He gave me a look of deep regret before he threw the door open, and I knew whatever was waiting for me wasn’t going to be pleasant.
Squaring my shoulders, I walked into the room after him and came to a quick stop just inside the door.
“Dad?”
Had it really only been a few months since I’d seen him? It seemed more like years as I stared at him. Maybe I had expected him to look different because I did, but he looked exactly the same. His dark curls still had the same peppering of gray. His broad shoulders were still as strong and proud as I remembered. There looked like there were a few more stress lines around his deep blue eyes, the eyes he had passed on to me, but I couldn’t be sure.
He held a glass of what smelled like bourbon in his hand and he was swirling it idly, causing the ice to clink against the side of the glass. There was a gentle smile on his lips when he looked up at me, but I frowned. He seemed perfectly at ease, like he had been there before.
Often.
“Hello, baby girl,” he said, putting down the drink in his hand and standing up. He turned and gave Skippy a long look and then nodded, as if something had been agreed between them. “Thank you for taking care of her until I could arrive, but I’ll take it from here, Skipper.”
Chapter 31: And the World of Weird Just Keeps Getting Weirder
“Don’t you dare, Skippy!” I snapped. I grabbed his arm when he started to leave anyway, my eyes darting between them so fast I was starting to get dizzy. “You two know each other?”
If Skippy thought he was going to escape and get out of explaining, he was out of his mind. My father met my glare without any trouble, but Skippy seemed to have found something very fascinating about his feet. He wouldn’t meet my eyes at all, and I had a feeling the Bad Karma Fairy was about to strike again.
Really, what had I done to make her hate me so much?
“Maybe you should sit down,” my father said, gesturing toward the chair he had just vacated and walking around the desk to take the chair Skippy usually occupied. Skippy’s eyes narrowed a little, but he didn’t say anything. When I continued to stand there, a wary look on my face, my father just sighed. “You always were stubborn.”
“Yeah? I wonder who I got that from,” I growled.
“From me, I suppose,” he said with a soft laugh.
“I believe this is a conversation better held in private,” Skippy muttered. “I think I’ll just step out.”
“Touch that door, and you’re going to find out firsthand why I’m not afraid of you, Skippy,” I said, giving him a withering look. When he stopped again, looking extremely uncomfortable, I turned back to my father. “Now, which one of you wants to tell me what the hell is going on here?”
They both clammed up like their lips had been super glued shut. I didn’t even try to keep them from seeing how mad I was getting. My father watched my eyes start to glow with fascination. He didn’t seem afraid or shocked. In fact, he looked kind of like he’d been expecting it.
I couldn’t help but remember the unsurprised look on his face the night I had revealed that Grams and I were blood witches. I had really been looking forward to shocking him to get back at my mother for hiding what I was from me, but he had looked mildly curious, at best. Seeing him sitting there, staring at his quasi-demon daughter with fascination rather than fear, I decided my dad wasn’t as uninformed as he’d pretended to be for so long.
“Andrew,” Skippy said, his voice sharp, when the tension in the room became suffocating. “I believe this just became your show.”
“Did you know that witch hunters use vampires to help them find witches?” my father asked conversationally, leaning back in his chair and watching me. When he saw my surprised look, he gave me a bitter smile. “They have been known to use a great number of supernatural beings, in fact, even fallen angels when they can find them. But I have never, ever, seen them use another witch…until now.”
Well, that explained a lot. A witch would have been able to find me at Murphy’s pond and at Nathan’s. A vampire would be able to sense me, feel the power that surrounded me, because they’re so sensitive to their surroundings. Of course, they would have to be close to me to do it…
When I realized what my father was actually telling me, I felt sick. Someone had betrayed me. Someone I trusted had been helping Hamilton all along.
“My friends wouldn’t do that to me,” I told him, wondering why my voice sounded so weak. “They wouldn’t!”
“Someone has,” my father said, giving me a sympathetic look. “Someone who knows you well has been giving them everything they need to destroy you.”
I walked over and collapsed into the chair I had refused before. I dropped my head into my hands as my world crashed down around my head. It wasn’t true. I wouldn’t believe it. Kim, Blake, and Tyler were totally loyal. I knew that as well as I knew that I would never betray them. Nathan was my soul mate. He loved me. He would never do anything to hurt me.
What about Zan? Ainsley? a traitorous voice whispered in the back of my mind. They showed up at the same time as the hunters. Just a thought...
“Stop this!” Skippy sna
rled, walking over to lay a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I will not stand here and watch as you destroy her faith in the people around her. Tell her what you know or get out!”
“You’re right,” Dad said softly, sitting back in his chair and studying me closely. “I just wanted her to finally see that you can’t blindly trust other people with your life. And that is exactly what my daughter has been doing since the moment she laid eyes on her one true love. Isn’t that right, Ember?”
“Leave Nathan out of this!” I hissed, lifting my head to give him a disgusted look. Seriously, he was entering territory that was better left alone. “Nathan has shown me more love in the last couple of months than I received from you or my mother in eighteen years. Very bad things happen when I lose my temper these days, Dad. Don’t push me.”
Just then there was a soft tap on the door. With a growl of irritation, Skippy stomped over and threw it open, looking ready to tear in to whoever was on the other side. I was surprised to see Damien standing there, looking less than impressed by the unhappy expression on Skippy’s face.
“What is it, Damien?” Skippy snapped. “I believe I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed.”
“Then you’re about to get really pissed, boss,” Damien said with a grim smile. “I’m afraid there’s a problem with—”
His eyes flickered to me, then my father, and I noticed he looked rabidly curious. Nodding to me in greeting, he turned back to Skippy.
“—our plan,” he finished.
“Very well,” Skippy sighed.
He was trying to sound harassed, but the relief in his eyes said Damien was about to get a huge raise. Then, I realized what he’d done. It was the same ploy as the Blind Date SOS Kim and I had used repeatedly over the years. I hadn’t let him escape when he wanted to, so he had gotten poor Damien to come save him. I didn’t know whether to admire him or strangle him.
“So sorry, my dear,” Skippy said, already stepping into the hall. “I will return shortly.”
He was gone before I could say anything to stop him. As the door closed behind him with what seemed like a very final click, I considered running after him. The man across from me was my father, and I was terrified to be alone with him. Maybe that was because I had the feeling my dear old dad knew what he was talking about, and I really didn’t think finding out how he knew was going to be very nice.
“So, what are you?” I asked, pinning my father with the coldest look I could manage. “Not a vampire, obviously, or I would be able to sense it. There isn’t any kind of power around you, either, so I know you’re not a witch. What does that leave us with, Dad?”
“Ah, that is the question, isn’t it?” He reached across the desk and picked up his drink and drained it in one long swallow. I watched the display, trying not to lose my temper.
“Are you planning on answering me sometime today?” I finally demanded when he simply sat there, staring down into his empty glass. “In case you didn’t know, I have a couple of hunters to kill and a traitor to find before they get everyone I love killed. I’m only going to ask you this one more time and then I’m going to start pulling out the crayons. What. Are. You?”
“I’m a member of the Guild.” He glanced up at me and, seeing that I didn’t understand, he cleared his throat and straightened up, leaning toward me slightly. “We watch and record, nothing more. I was recruited when I was nineteen because of my particular…talents. Talents, it would appear, that I passed on to you.”
“What kind of talents?” I gave him a narrow-eyed glare. “And what exactly is it that you’re watching, Dad? Birds?”
“You, and others like you,” he murmured, getting up and pulling the curtains back.
He stared out at the snow for several long minutes, apparently giving me time to accept what he was telling me. That was going to take a lot more than a few minutes. Maybe if I’d had several months to get used to the idea, I would have been able to not hate him. A few minutes, though? Not happening.
“We live in Moonlight for a reason, Ember,” he said softly, still staring out the window. From the faraway look in his eyes, I didn’t think he was seeing the snow anymore. “There is a higher concentration of power in this area than anywhere else in the world. It’s why so many powerful beings are drawn here. It is my job to keep track of those beings, people like Nathan and Valene and my old friend, Skipper.”
“And what do you do with that information, Dad?” I asked scathingly. “How long have you been selling out my friends? Did you sell me out, too, or am I your little secret?”
He turned toward me, his expression stricken and his eyes looking suspiciously misty. I didn’t care. I wanted him to answer my question. Had I been sold out by my own father, my own flesh and blood? Did some secret organization have fresh info on me even as I sat there, glaring at a man I realized I had never known?
“It’s not like that, Ember!” he cried, reaching toward me when I jumped to my feet. “It’s not at all what you think! We record the lives of the amazing people we encounter and then they’re stored in the vaults, safe from the prying eyes of those who would hurt you.”
“Oh, baby girl,” he whispered, the fear that flared in his eyes reaching me even through my anger, “there are so many people who would kill to get their hands on you, to control you and make you do what they wanted.”
I pressed my fingers to my temples, taking deep breaths to control the flood of anger and betrayal I could feel beating at me. My whole life I had hidden what I was from the man across from me. I had hidden my fear and my frustration and self-doubt behind a cheerful smile so he wouldn’t know what a freak I was. And the whole time he had been keeping reports on me. On me and everyone I knew.
“What do you know about my friends?” I asked.
He flinched and clamped his mouth shut, but I wasn’t having that. Leaning across the desk between us, I slammed my hands down and repeated my question in a voice so cold that even I wanted to shiver hearing it. Dad never stood a chance.
“Kim is a Class B witch, though she is moving up quickly,” he said, watching me warily. I won’t lie, he had good reason to be afraid of me. I was hanging on to my control by a thread…and it was fraying pretty damn fast. “She has an unheard of control over her power and has since she was very small and critically injured Valene while throwing a temper tantrum. She’s known as one of the most powerful witches of her age, even as young as she is. Her brother, Riley, is a Class C witch, but only because he chooses not to apply himself. Should he ever decide to stop playing Romeo and put in the work, he’ll surpass even Kim in power, becoming the only Class A male witch in the country.”
“Blake is of mixed blood,” he continued, really getting into his dissertation on my friends as I sank back into my chair. “His mother is a psychic, not a witch, but his father is one of the few known true Elementals left in the area. Blake’s specialty is air, but he has been known to control all four of the basic elements, though he tends to shy away from fire. In the ranks of the Guild, it is believed that you are the reason for that. According to one of our telepaths, he sees you every time he conjures it and he somehow channels your fear. As close as the two of you are, it’s not surprising.”
To him, maybe, but it was a huge surprise to me. I had infected my friend with my fear. I had cut Blake off from part of his power because he loved me so much. Seriously, I was starting to think I was a disease.
“There are only four Class A blood witches in the area, and Valene is one of them.” He actually flinched when my eyes fell on him again, glowing brightly, and then turned to stare out the window again. “Well, I suppose I should say there are five now with Shea here for an extended visit. Though, in my opinion, Shea should have a classification all her own. Your grandmother is considered royalty by most because of her amazing abilities. Bandraoithe from all over the world defer to her expertise. She is a force to be reckoned with on a good day. At a time like this, she is one of the most dangerous women alive.”
&
nbsp; Grams? Dangerous? I laughed before I could stop myself. Sure, Grams had a temper and I knew she had some serious power, but dangerous? Maybe it was just because she was my Grams and she had always been so gentle with me, but I just couldn’t reconcile the woman I knew with the Witch Queen my father had just described.
“Nathan is more than four centuries old. He was turned by one of the darkest vampires in history,” Dad continued, earning him another glare from me as my laughter died in my throat. “Mikhail Ivanov has killed more people than the plague. He is the most ruthless vampire to be recorded in more than a millennium. And his methods are… Well, let me just say that getting on his bad side is extremely hazardous to your health.”
I already knew that. Mikhail had turned Nathan after slaughtering his entire family in a rage after Nathan’s father killed his mate. It was a memory that still tormented Nathan, one that I didn’t think he would ever be able to recover from. Even the love I could give him wouldn’t erase that horror from his mind or his heart.
“Zander is one of three young men turned by a vampire named Blaire Dubois five centuries ago because she was bored with her current lover and couldn’t decide between them. He is the only one who survived his time with her. She killed the other two in a rage one night after she lost at cards.”
Oh, wow. It was only as I was hearing Zan’s story from my father that I realized he’d skipped over being turned when he was telling me about his long, fun-filled life. He had ‘survived his time’ with his maker. I felt a chill go down my spine as I tried to picture the monster who’d turned him. You had to be one cold bitch to murder people just because you lost a card game. I suddenly had a lot more respect for my smart-mouthed friend.
“Your new friend, Ainsley, is the daughter of Jeremiah Hamilton,” Dad continued, dragging my mind from Zan and the skank who’d turned him. Honestly, that was a good thing. I’d grown fond of Zan and I tended to be overprotective of the people I cared about. “When her brother, Trey Hamilton, discovered after his father’s death that she and her twin were witches—Class B, like Kim, as far as we can tell—he burned Kinsley at the stake. Ainsley managed to escape, though the reports are a bit confused as to how she accomplished such a feat right under the nose of Hamilton and all his men.”