by D. C. Gambel
His hostility made me stagger back. Shane had shown nothing but kindness to me thus far. I wasn’t sure I could blame him. If our roles were reversed and I was seeking out Cam, I would do everything in my power to be with him.
Seeing me recoil, Shane eyed me. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he spoke with an obvious air.
“Because you need me?” Shane had just shown me a different side. I was curious how deep that side ran.
“Because I need you,” he confirmed with a sigh. His eyes darkened.
“And what happens when you don’t need me?”
He smirked, his brow quirked up. “Are you asking if I’ll kill you?” When I didn’t respond he shook his head. “I can’t kill you without risking killing myself. You’re my counterpart.”
“Your counterpart? What does that even mean?” I demanded throwing my hands up in the air.
He grinned wickedly at me. “Surely you’ve figured it out by now. There’s a balance that must be maintained.”
“So you’re the evil to my good?”
He shrugged. “Or you’re the evil to my good.”
“I didn’t go around killing innocent people.” Carelessly, I threw the words at him without thought. I remembered him claiming the people he killed weren’t innocent, but had they truly deserved what he’d done? Who was he to decide they were beyond redemption?
“No? So you’ve never killed an innocent person?” My mouth closed with a snap. I could almost feel my teeth buckle under the pressure as my lips formed a hard line refusing to rise to the bait he’d thrown to me. He knew I had. My silence had said as much when he asked about killing a loved one earlier. “And you assume the people I killed were innocent, but do you truly know? No, you don’t so maybe I’m not the evil one here. Maybe you’re fellow horsemen are evil and you’ve been following them blindly.”
Before I could stop, I pondered what he said. Could I really be the evil counterpart? Didn’t the ones that were truly evil think they were doing what was right? I shook my head. I wasn’t going to let that thought taint my mind. I had a mission. I needed to make this man who claimed to be my counterpart believe that I was truly on his side to get him to stop with the killings, not only to get suspicion off of me, but to save the lives of those he planned on murdering.
“Tell me what I’d need to do to help.”
His mouth tugged up in the corner. “It’s a spell we’d cast together. It’s as simple as that. Once done, I’d have no more need for you and you’d be free to go.”
“This is the only way to stop you from killing?”
“The only way,” he stated.
I nodded reluctantly. Something about agreeing to this, even if I had no intention of following through felt wrong. Was it the false intent? I felt like I was selling my soul by agreeing.
“You agree?” he asked. I nodded again. “Shake on it,” he demanded with a low growl. I didn’t understand why men insisted on shaking on it. Like the clasp of hands was binding. Internally shrugging, I reached out to place my palm against his.
“Evie!” Someone shouted. I turned to see who it was when Shane palm collided with mine. Electricity zinged up my arm starting where we were connected blasting me away. I slammed into the brick building feeling something crack before I fell to the ground. My vision blurred. The sound of scuffling reached me in my dazed state then familiar hands whispered across my face. “What did you do?” Cam asked.
“I couldn’t let him kill anymore people.”
Floating off the ground was the last thing I remember before giving over to the darkness.
“It’s a minor concussion,” Doctor Sanchez explained. “With her accelerated healing she’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t sustain another blow like that.”
“And the burns?” Cam asked.
“Superficial. She’ll be fine Cam.”
He exhaled a heavy breath. “Ty will walk you out. I hope it’s not offensive that once he does he’ll rescind your invitation.”
“Not at all. With the way things are going in the vampire community, I’d hate for someone, like Maya, to use my influence against you. Rescind away. If you have any other concerns feel free to call.”
The door clicked shut before the mattress shifted under Cam’s weight. “I know you’re awake, Evie.”
I allowed my lashes to flutter open. Cam’s sullen expression filled my vision.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
Before I had a chance to speak, our bedroom door opened. Ty peeked in.
“How is she?”
Cam’s face morphed until his expression was unreadable. “Like you care.” His hostility towards Ty shocked me.
Tyler exhaled heavily. “Cam…”
Cam rolled out of the bed in one quick move. “Don’t Ty. You and Derek locked her up. Even after Charlie explained what was happening you still didn’t believe Evie was innocent.”
Hearing his words stung. Not just from the acidic tone he spewed at Ty, but the truth they were laced with. I visibly winced knowing that they still hadn’t believed I was innocent.
“It wasn’t that we didn’t believe. I just…I didn’t know what to believe. A guy with Evie’s exact powers seemed far fetched.”
“And now? Are you going to lock her up again?”
Ty glanced at me over Cam’s shoulder. I did nothing more than blink at him waiting for the judgment he’d cast. “No. We’ll discuss everything once Evie’s feeling better.”
“Excellent,” Cam hissed. His gaze bore into Ty until the horseman of Pestilence turned and left. Cam quickly locked the door before strutting back to the bed crawling in beside me.
“If you’re wanting to play gynecologist, I’m really not up for it,” I muttered drowsily.
With a wicked grin, his hand found my hip. “I’m sure I could persuade you if that was my goal, but no. I really just want some time alone with you. Derek will probably be along shortly.” His thumb stroked the skin just under my shirt. It wasn’t sexual just a need to touch me. “Why didn’t you tell me, Evie? Did you think I wouldn’t believe you?”
“Would you?” I asked even though his belief wasn’t what I had doubted. I quickly regretted my response. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why. Something inside me told me not to. I felt like I was battling an internal war against what I thought was the right decision and my morals. I wanted to tell you. I did,” I pressed when I saw his narrow gaze. “I just couldn’t get the words to come out.” I tried to shift then groaned when I felt the ache in my side. “Please tell me I didn’t crack a rib? If I did I’m so killing Chad.”
“Chad?”
“The Thor demon.”
“Not cracked just bruised. Why are you planning on killing the Thor demon? Not that I disapprove, just curious.”
I glared at Cam briefly wondering if he was teasing, but the look on his face said he was genuinely serious. “He blasted me when I shook Shane’s hand.”
Exhaling deeply, Cam worried his lip.
“What?” I asked knowing he wanted to say something.
“Evie, the Thor demon didn’t hit you. It’s what happens when you make a dishonest deal with a demon. It was a repercussion.”
“What?” I gasped for a whole different reason. “No, I made a deal with Shane, he’s human.” Confused, I thought back remembering the conversation in Charlie’s apartment. After seeing Shane fight, I had been suspicious of his origins, but I distinctly remembered asking him if he was in fact a demon and demons can’t lie. But what had his response been exactly?
“Potions can enhance our abilities allowing humans to move like demons.” That wasn’t exactly a denial.
Seeing the realization pass over my face, Cam simply shook his head almost in pity. “What did you promise him?” When I continued to simply stare at him he tried again. “What was the deal you made?”
I sighed. For a moment I feared that he wouldn’t understand, but deep down I knew better. Cam had believed me even when I’d begun to doubt myself
even as the evidence stacked up against me. “To go to hell and help him pull someone back from the third circle.”
“Evie…” Cam groaned. Rolling onto his back, he draped his arm over his eyes shielding his sight.
“It was the only way to stop him from killing people,” I admitted crawling over him until I was able to see his covered face.
He lifted his arm meeting my gaze. “Was that part of the bargain?”
I thought back on what was said. There hadn’t been an exact exchange of the details, but I was ninety percent sure that my agreement was dependent on the killings ending. I explain that to Cam.
“As shitty as it is, I hope he renigs and kills someone.”
“Cam!” I gasped.
“I know it sounds cold, but you just made an open ended deal with a demon. You better hope there’s a loophole to get you out of it or otherwise we’ll all be returning to hell.”
“We’ll?” I wondered.
Rolling on his side to face me, Cam cupped my jaw with his palm. “There is nothing that would keep me from joining you. I love you, Evie. If you go to hell then I go with you. There’s nothing here for me without you anyways.”
“Don’t say that, Cam.”
“It’s true. I want to be wherever you are.”
“Even if it’s in hell?” I teased quirking my eyebrow up.
“Wherever,” he stated firmly before brushing his lips against mine. They felt cool against mine. I savored the feel of them. It’d only been a few days since I last kissed him. I hadn’t realized how addicted I had become to his kisses.
“Don’t you ever try to lock me away from you again,” he demanded. His voice was dominate. It was an order that he expected obeyed. Normally I would bristle under such a command, but seeing the pain in his indigo eyes I nodded my compliance. “Good. Now when you’re up for it we have some work things to discuss.”
“Work things?”
“During your stint in the slammer,” I rolled my eyes at his tease, “the vampires looked to be taking up Asher’s old mantle.”
“Meaning?”
“They’re kidnaping humans and not for all those unsavory issues that Asher was involved with, but something much worse.”
“What could be worse?”
“We think they’re building a vampire army.”
Chapter 8
I found some solace at the dining room table, with the guys, having dinner like everything was normal. It was even more comforting to learn that Derek’s brother, Christian, had returned home. I did my best to shrug off the tension radiating in the room, most of which was pouring off of Cam. I was still somewhat upset with the guys over not trusting me. In fact, I was slightly smug that I’d been right all along. It seemed that Cam was hurt enough for the both of us that I did my best to hide my agitation. Not only had the others not trusted me, but had assumed Cam’s prospective was bias. In all the years they had known each other it was the first time they’d doubted Cam’s commitment.
We sat silent for the most part. There was an occasional question followed by a clipped response.
“So…” I tried breaking the tension. “Vampires building an army. Are we sure?”
“No,” Derek stated in yet another amongst the dozen short responses as he stabbed aimlessly at his food.
“We have a plan,” Ty muttered. Cam quickly shot the fellow horseman a glare.
“You don’t agree?” I asked Cam wondering if his reaction was nothing more than a grudged reaction.
“They want us to infiltrate the Red Room.”
The Red Room was a bar that had been owned by Asher before I staked him. The guys had been aware of its existence before I came along but it wasn’t until Asher took me there that they discovered it’s location. It was the hub of most of the vampire exploits from drugs to human trafficking. Cam had rightfully been nervous about my voyage there and had activated the tracking app on my phone before following me.
“You can’t be serious?” I gasped understanding Cam’s disinclination.
The state of the bar since Asher’s demise was unknown to me, but if the vampires taking up his mantle were anything like their former master, not only was the venture dangerous for us, but we could risk starting a war that we weren’t equipped to handle.
“Maya’s second Lieutenant is the new owner,” Ty explained. “Not quite the highest ranking person closest to her, but that could work in our favor.”
“How so?” I wondered curiously. Ty wasn’t the type to make rash decisions. He’d have plotted out every contingency and weighed them to determine if it was worth the risk. Problem was his determination to get the job done sometimes outweighed his self-preservation and made the danger appear less dire than what it was. It was one of the reasons why everything was a majority vote. Diplomacy saved us from ourselves.
Instead of Ty it was Cam who answered not bothering to hide his hostile tone. “It means we most likely won’t have to worry about the higher ups. Maya is putting the responsibility on her Lieutenant. It means she’s trusts they can handle any situation that arises.”
“So it’s just the lower level vamps we’d have to worry about?” I asked making sure that I understood correctly because the animosity floating around the room was clouding my perception.
“Theoretically,” Cam glowered. “This has to be a majority vote and right now we’re sitting fifty-fifty. So…” he began but I cut him off.
“Unless Ty or Derek are against this, I think we’re seventy-five in favor.”
Cam shot a glare at me. A few months ago I might have shied away from it, but now I was familiar with him and there wasn’t any look he could give me that would affect my resolve, at least out of the bedroom and only where duty wasn’t a concern. “You can’t be serious, Evie. A moment ago you were just as shocked as I was.”
Letting out a long breath, I tired to go for a calming voice in hope that the conversation didn’t turn into a fight. Cam was on edge as it was and it wouldn’t take much for him to misplace his hostility onto me. “Yes, but that was before you explained the situation. As you said it’s just the lower ranking vampires.”
Cam’s hand slammed onto the table making me jolt and the dishes clatter against themselves. “They could recognize you, Evie!” he yelled as if his louder tone would make me perceive and absorb his words better. “That wouldn’t bode well. You’re gifts don’t work on them.”
I refrained from rolling my eyes because the only thing it would accomplish was to anger him further. “Cam,” I sighed gently. “You can’t treat me differently because…”
“Because I’m fucking you?” He spat with narrowed eyes.
“I was going to say because you’re my boyfriend, but yeah fucking works too.” I struggled to hide the growing bitterness in my words. This was a sore spot for me and he knew it. It wasn’t the first time I’d brought up the fact I was treated differently. It was a man’s world and I didn’t have the proper equipment.
“Guys,” Derek groaned. “Can we stop talking about fucking? It’s been a few months since anyone else beside you two has gotten laid. No need to rub salt in a wound.”
“Few months?” Tyler snorted. “You wish. As I recall it was before Evie moved in for you unless you got some action when you went home?”
Derek smirked. “A gentleman never kisses and tells.”
The three of us chuckled. Even Cam’s lips tugged up in the corner but his frown quickly returned. He didn’t say anything else. He knew there was no way to convince me I was wrong. If it were one of the guys whose gift didn’t work on the vampires, he’d be all about finding a solution, but not for me. It was both heartwarming and infuriating.
An hour later found me standing in the bedroom I shared with Cam. I smirked staring at the closet that now housed all of my clothes from the other room. Seeing them mingling with Cam’s tugged on my heart in a way I hadn’t anticipated. Living with someone, in a real relationship, was never something I thought I would have. It was a dream com
e true.
“I moved it over while you were living downstairs,” Cam whispered against my neck as his hands snaked around my waist.
I spun in his arms wrapping mine around his neck. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “I figured it’d be several months before you moved it over, the way things have been.”
“I know. I’d have gotten to it.” He quirked his brow at me making me smirk. “Eventually,” I added.
He nodded smugly tugging me closer. “I just wanted to have you here completely. I don’t want to have to wonder where you’re sleeping.”
I frowned. “What about when I’m angry with you.”
“I think you found a solution to that.” He feigned rubbing his jaw like it actual hurt. “You did land a good punch that night.”
I smirked remembering battling it out in the barn and what came afterwards. “The make up sex was pretty good.”
His blue eyes glinted wickedly. “Angry sex would be better.” His fingers slipped under my shirt skimming across the skin on my lower back.
“It would?” I breathed. “But we’d have to be angry to have it.”
“Or just one of us.” He muttered moving his hands higher taking my shirt with them. “I’m pretty pissed over you agreeing to go to the Red Room.”
“Oh?”
“Oh,” he growled lifting me by the back of my thighs. Tossing me onto the bed I gasped when he body covered mine. His lips were firm and warm tasting a bit like chocolate from the cookie he had after dinner. His fingers fumbled with my jeans making me wish the layers between us were gone. I reached for his belt but he pulled back. “No. We go at my pace. Hands above your head.” When I did nothing other than stare at him he repeated himself. “Hands. Above. Your. Head.” Reluctantly I did as he demanded. Cam yanked my shirt over my head. Using it, he bond my hands together and then to the headboard. I gave them a tug, but I was secure. I didn’t think about how he’d mastered that skill, instead I got lost in Cam kissing his way down my body. His tongue lapsed at my belly button making me groan. “I love the taste of your skin, Evie.” His breath whispered over my skin causing goosebumps in its wake. “But I love the flavor of your arousal more.” He tugged at my jeans yanking them down my hips taking my panties with them.