by C. M. Owens
“The fuck, Dice?”
He tosses a phone to the bed, and I glance down at the screen beside me.
“Thad sent me over with this, since he was worried you’d kill him or repay this favor.”
Rolling my eyes, I read the message.
KANE: Morgana is making a move. I can’t leave Alyssa. Take Zee and a few others with you. Make sure no one stands alone. They’re at the south border of Pine Shore setting up traps. I just got an anonymous tip.
“What if it’s a bullshit tip?” I ask, still keeping Leah’s naked and trussed up body hidden from his view.
“Then it’s a bullshit tip we’ll have checked out. Come on, fang boy. I waited until the finale. You’re welcome.”
He shuts the door, and I curse while pulling out of the soft, wet, fucking perfect heaven.
Leah winces like she already misses the contact, and I debate telling my friends to fuck off. But I know I can’t.
I pick up the phone and dial Kane, hoping to get more details as I retrieve my clothes and put them back on. My eyes land on Leah, who is still gagged and tied up, and my dick stirs in my pants as I watch her struggle with the silk scarves.
When her eyes find mine, she narrows them threateningly on me, but I just smirk.
Kane answers, and I walk back over to the bed, slowly letting my hand find her smooth skin.
“What’s up with this tip?” I ask him.
“I think it was from Slade.”
My hand immediately stills over my girl’s body, and I turn all my attention to the phone. “The hell?”
“Slade is a sadistic enigma, but he’s been helpful in the past. Gage traced the call back to a place where Ella said she saw him. Don’t even get me fucking started on Ella going to see him behind our backs. I can’t do that conversation right now.”
He takes a deep, calming breath, then he resumes.
“Anyway, we were attacked earlier by several types of fey. Drackus and I managed to kill several and the rest retreated. I don’t think they knew about Alyssa. Amy, Sierra, Deke, and Amy’s night stalker are tracking them now, trying to catch them before the trail runs cold. I think it was a diversion technique.”
My eyes flick back to Leah, and I tug the bindings with one hand, freeing her wrists so that she can get up and ungag herself.
“Glad Drackus is with you.”
Kane blows out a breath. “Me too. He’s the one who caught the ambush before it happened. They were going to set fire to the house to kill the entrance spell. That paranoid son of a bitch finally came in handy. So did Shaylan, his sick demon on a leash.”
Leah ducks out of the room, and I watch her naked ass until it’s out of sight. I’m forced to bring myself back to the situation at hand when Kane groans.
“Are you listening?”
“Yeah. Sorry. I’ll go with them to check out the tip. Make sure Alyssa stays out of sight. You’ll need somewhere else to hideout since they know where you are now.”
Kane curses. “We have to leave Pine Shore, which means I won’t be able to be there for you in a blink when you need me. Dray is coming with us, because he’s having to heal Alyssa at least twice a week. The baby is draining her too much. Which means—”
“Which means Ella times fifteen. Got it. If Ella could get her powers under control, she could level Morgana, her minions and Slade with one big push of energy.”
“If she attempted it right now, she’d probably be lost to her dark side permanently, so don’t tell her she’s strong enough to do that. She’d sacrifice herself. She likes the darkness, Zee. She really, really likes it, and I’m worried what will happen if she succumbs to it.”
I can’t even think about it. “She loves us more than the darkness. Don’t worry. I’ll call you when we check out the lead. Do we take Morgana out if it’s legit?”
“Yes. She’s just a witch. Level her fucking ass. Thad and Roslyn are going. Ella too. Don’t let Ella lose it. I trust you to watch after her.”
I nod like he can fucking see me, then roll my eyes at my own self. “I’ll watch her. I’m leaving Leah behind.”
“I’m going,” Leah argues, fully dressed and standing in the doorway as she glares at me.
“Sounds like she’s going,” Kane says, and I can feel his shit-eating grin.
Groaning, I stand up, and I end the phone call before pushing Thad’s phone in my pocket.
“It’s going to be dangerous.”
“I’ve got mad skills.”
My eyebrows go up, and she grins.
“Trust me, Zee. Instinct takes over.”
That doesn’t scare me at all…
“I know who the bad guys are when instinct takes over,” she adds, as though she’s reading my thoughts.
“Okay… But you’re staying glued to my fucking side. If it gets too dangerous, I’m having Roslyn send your ass away.”
Her lips twitch, and she slowly walks over to me. “Aye, Captain,” she says in a pirate voice that has me rolling my eyes.
This is a terrible idea.
Just as we’re about to walk out, my phone—not Thad’s phone—buzzes with an incoming message.
Unknown: Don’t go. It’s a trap. Slade wants Leah dead. -K
The number isn’t familiar, and my hand squeezes the phone so tightly that it turns to broken pieces with one snap.
“What?” Leah asks, leaning against me as she looks up.
“Looks like Kya still has your back,” I sigh. “Unless you made more friends in Slade’s camp.”
She shakes her head, seeming confused.
“Let’s get back to the others. I’m not going to let you out of my sight for a while.”
Chapter 18
LEAH
“So where are you going?” I ask her, still confused by her surprise visit, and stunned by her even bigger surprise announcement.
“Nowhere in particular. I just need to go away for a while,” Aunt Masie says, hugging me as she drags her suitcase out of my apartment.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” I point out, noticing how exhausted she seems.
“One day, Leah, you may find out this world isn’t as small as we think it is,” she says sadly. “Right now, I have to go face something I’ve avoided for many, many years.”
“That’s… creepy. What’s going on?”
“I’ll be joining Victor on the road. As badly as I don’t want to, I can’t fight it anymore.”
“What the hell does that mean? What do they do on the road? Other than hunt all the damn time. Seriously, how many deer and rabbits can they possibly shoot?”
She snickers softly while nodding. “You’d be surprised.” Sighing hard, she looks up at the sky. “You’re all grown up, healthy, sane, happy… I’ve used you as a reason to stay out of it for as long as I can.”
“Why do I feel like you’re not telling me something?”
“Because I’m not telling you something,” she states flatly. “But it’s silly nonsense you don’t need to worry about. If it was something serious, you’d know. Besides, I could use the exercise I’ll get on the road.”
She pats her waist dramatically, acting like she’s not tone and fit. There’s not an ounce of fat on her and she knows it. If anything, she looks like she’s been working out for years instead of just keeping house.
“How long will you be gone?” I ask her.
She cups my chin, looking at me with genuine love and affection. “I don’t know. But if you need me, I can promise I’ll know and I’ll be coming for you. You can call me any time if it’s important.”
She hugs me, and I hold her to me, inhaling her scent of comfort and promise. I’d forgotten how easy it was to miss her.
“Don’t call unless you really need me,” she says in a rasp, strained whisper. “There won’t be much time for chitchat for a while.”
Confused, I tilt my head as she looks at me with sad eyes.
“Why do I feel like this is goodbye or something?”
She runs her hand down my cheek again as unshed tears waver on her eyelids, but she doesn’t let them fall. “Never goodbye, my girl. Never.”
She turns and walks toward the curb where the old Chevy pickup is waiting for her. I can’t see the face of the driver, but I can see the hands. There’s a familiar ring on the hand gripping the steering wheel.
Victor.
I’ve never understood their relationship. Friends? Enemies? Lovers? Siblings? And they’re both so damn secretive that it’s always been impossible to tell.
Aunt Masie loads her stuff into the back of the truck, then she turns back to me. She comes back, hugging me one last time, and she whispers in my ear.
“Remember, Leah, never trust anyone.”
It’s a daunting promise to make, because I want to trust people. So I don’t say anything as she walks away, giving me a brittle smile before loading up with the coldest man I’ve ever known.
If Aunt Masie knew exactly how cruel he was, she wouldn’t be loading up with him right now.
But he’d hurt her if I told. So I’ll carry the secret to my grave.
Zee nibbles on my neck, forcing me to wake up. The sun is raining down in the bedroom, making it impossible to sleep in.
“I think my aunt knew what I was,” I say softly, trying to piece together things. Maybe I’m just making the memories something they’re not.
“It’s possible,” he murmurs against my neck.
I grab my purse from beside the bed, and he holds onto me loosely as I dig out a picture. “What’s this?” he asks as he takes it.
“My aunt. My only family.”
He smiles as he runs his finger over me in the picture, but then his eyes narrow as he focuses on the distant background.
“What about him?” He points to Victor in the shadows. I never even noticed him photobombing.
“That’s Victor. He was friends with my aunt. They did a lot of big hunts—deer mostly. My aunt owns a lot of land in various states, and he would stop in while passing from one location to another. He often brought along groups who wanted guaranteed game.”
He kisses my arm. “Was he ever mean to you?”
My brow furrows. “Why would you ask that?”
“Because you said you were treated like shit when you were younger.”
It’s cute how pissed he looks just saying those words. No one has ever gotten truly upset on my behalf. They got upset with how I handled things, but not truly upset for me. Other than my aunt, but even she often seemed detached.
“No,” I lie… Well, it’s not really a lie. He only ever hit me once, and it surprised me more than it hurt.
If I told Zee that, there’s no doubt he’d track him down and rip his throat out, so I decide to stick with the lie. Because… I mean he’d rip his throat out very literally.
“The kids at school were brutal, but not Victor. He was just brusque and always unnerving. He wasn’t around all the time. In fact, his visits were long but sporadic, so it’s not like I grew up with him or anything.”
He kisses my shoulder before setting the picture down on the table.
“You had redder hair there,” he notes.
I nod. “It started darkening a while back.” My eyes flick to his blue tips. They’re constantly changing colors, and I really love that.
“What about you? Your family?”
He looks down like he doesn’t want to talk about it, but he surprises me when he answers.
“My sister is the only one still alive. My parents died a few years back. I kept up with them, but it’s better they thought I died than to know the truth. They couldn’t handle it.”
“You don’t know that—”
“I do know that,” he says, smiling sadly at me. “I told them. I went back to them.”
My brow wrinkles, and he runs his thumb over my confused forehead.
“Kane taught me control, and I went back, hoping to ease their hearts with the comfort of knowing I was alive. But… My father actually passed out, and my mother went into hysterics when I showed her what I was. She tried to fucking stake me.”
He rolls his eyes like it’s ridiculous or funny, but I can see the pain he’s hiding. It breaks my heart for him.
“My sister shot me five times.” He almost says the words so quietly that I don’t hear them. “Good thing I’m bulletproof. Or, well, normal bullets don’t hurt me, anyway.”
He takes a breath as though he realizes he’s rambling, and I slide my fingers together with his, locking them together.
“They called me a demon. Said the devil was in me. Thought I was an evil spirit that had invaded their son… It was bad. My mother was on the verge of a heart attack when Dray showed up. He wiped their memories and healed my father, who actually had a heart attack instead of merely passing out. He almost died, Leah. Just seeing what I’d become almost killed him.”
My heart breaks a little more, and his arms wrap around me as he lets go of my hand, settling his head on my chest.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper softly.
“It’s not your fault. It’s not their fault either. They’re human. Their instinct is to fear me. Some romanticize the notion of what we are, but when we become a reality, fear always rules. Survival of the deadliest. It is what it is. At least I don’t have to live wondering ‘what if’ all the time. I know. Since then, I watched from a distance when I could. I keep tabs on things. I went to the funerals, but only stood in the shadows like a creeper. I’ve accepted my life now, Leah. It’s not a bad life. It’s just not the one I planned or the one I wanted.”
I continue running my fingers through his hair, thinking over his words. Zee has had control stripped from him ever since he was plunged into this world. First his sire, then Gage’s brother, now… Now I test his control every day because fate can’t seem to leave me alone.
“Was meeting me a good or bad thing?” I whisper.
He tenses, but it’s only for a second. “Ask me that question when I figure out how to deal with the sire calling.”
I’m not sure if I want to smile or frown at that answer. He’s great at the whole mystery thing.
“Do you think you can reach your aunt? It’d be wise to find out if she was anointed or not.”
Back to business.
“I tried calling her, but she didn’t answer. I haven’t spoken to her in two years.”
“She could be hunting our kind.”
“No. Never. She’s not a killer.”
But the word hunting drops an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Is it possible it wasn’t just wild game they were going after? Again, I feel like I’m forcing dots to connect, taking coincidences and turning them into a conspiracy theory.
Zee kisses my jaw, moving from my neck to it and back and forth again.
“We can talk about this later,” he tells me, distracting me with his incredible mouth.
He continues kissing leisure trails across my neck and chest, and my fingers go to his hair. He immediately grabs my wrist and pins my hand down so I can’t keep touching him.
It’s been almost two weeks since Slade tried to set us up, and Zee has held true to his promise of not letting me out of his sight. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to touch him at all anymore, and he’s struggling more and more to not make me his in the permanent sort of way.
My life is complicated. Very freaking complicated. And weird.
This past month has felt like a year because of all the bizarre and crazy things that have transpired.
“I really wish I could touch you,” I whisper, finding it hard to breathe when he starts working those lips lower.
“We both currently want things we can’t have. Be glad drinking your blood helps give me some control,” he answers, still kissing trails along my skin.
I want to kiss trails on him, touch him, run my fingers down those contoured lines of perfection, and grip his shoulders when he takes me. Or other parts of his body…
We can barely even kiss anymore, b
ecause it seems to drive him into a frenzy.
I’m not sure if I should be flattered or disturbed.
Someone knocks on the door, and Zee covers me up with the sheet, shielding my bare body from sight.
“Yeah.”
The door opens, and Chaz steps in. His eye is bruised, but barely. He’s gone a lot these days, but Zee says it’s common for him to disappear for hours at a time. I’m assuming that has to do with his feeding.
“What happened to you?” Zee asks, motioning toward the eye.
Chaz touches it then shrugs. “Cheap shot. No worries. We’ve got a problem right now though.”
“Don’t we always?” Zee asks dryly, sitting up better in the bed so that the sheet falls to his waist.
I really want my mouth on his body, damn it.
“This is bad, Zee. The anointed group with bullets just massacred everyone in your club. Humans too.”
Zee shoots out of bed and grabs a pair of jeans, stabbing his legs into them.”
“And someone is just now telling me?” he growls, pulling a shirt on with the same jerky motions.
“Roslyn just found out. She and Thad were out and she smelled the blood in the air. Her nose is so much fucking better than any of ours. Immortal blood calls to her, anyway. But it’s a damn slaughter house. They left you a note. They even wrote it in blood.”
Chaz holds up his phone, but I can’t see the screen. Zee pales when he sees it, then curses before grabbing a leather jacket from the closet.
“Stay here,” he tells me, pointing at me like that makes it more of a command.
“No. I’m coming—”
“He’s serious,” Chaz says as Zee disappears from the room. “Stay. Trust us. Unless you want your long lost family finding you and turning you into our enemy for good, then you need to stay.”
I pull the sheet up, feeling confused. I don’t know what’s going on, but I stay put like I’ve been commanded to freaking do. Ella walks in as Chaz leaves, and she hands me a bottle of water.
“I’m going with them. Seriously, Leah, please stay put. The last thing we need right now is for them to get their hands on you.”