by Ayer, T. G.
I nodded. "Yeah. They certainly have contributed to my troubles."
"And where does Logan fit in?"
I shrugged. "Maybe he doesn't."
"Does he know he might not fit, and why?"
I shook my head. "He's struggling with his own issues. The last thing I want is for him to be bothered by my problems."
Mom laughed. "Really? This is how you think relationships work?" She sounded annoyed. "You finally accept that you are an alpha, that you can handle responsibility, and then you go and do something like this?"
Like what? "What? What did I just do?"
"You're finding reasons to bail on your relationship." Grams sounded as unimpressed as Mom. "Is there another man?"
I thought of Justin, but I hadn't given him much thought since Greer's funeral. I shook my head. "Nope. Nobody else."
"You sure?" asked Mom, her dark eyes piercing.
"What do you know?" I asked, finally suspicious.
"Justin came to see your father."
She had to be kidding. "And that was enough for you to think he was in the picture?"
"It was when he came to ask for your hand in marriage."
"For Ailuros' sake, Mom," I snapped, losing all patience. "That was premature of him. One conversation weeks ago and suddenly he pops the question? And to Dad not me?"
"When did you talk?"
"Greer's funeral."
Grams shook her head. "That boy certainly has bad timing,"
Mom smiled. "I know you had feelings for him."
"A teenage crush, Mom." I said, and stopped short. "How did you know about it?"
Mom opened her mouth, then closed it, her eyes flicking to Grams.
"Should have known," I grumbled, glaring at Grams. "What else did you tell her?"
Grams lifted her chin. "Whatever she needed to know."
I turned to Mom. "Do you have any idea how lucky you are to have a mother-in-law like her?" I jabbed a thumb in Grams' direction.
The two women shared a warm smile, but neither said a word. They didn't need to. Amid all the frustration and worry they shared a moment of happiness and I was there to witness it.
"So, can you get Dad to tell Justin to back off?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Already done."
"Huh?"
"When I heard, I told your father what I thought."
I laughed. "I'm guessing Justin was stupid enough to say I had no knowledge of his offer."
Mom nodded.
Idiot. "He has zero skills."
Mom nodded. "So you're sure you aren't interested in him."
I gave a swift jerk of my head. "I'm sure." I stared off into nothing for a moment, thinking about the kiss, thinking about the years I'd spent head-over-heels for him. "Another place, another time. Maybe. If Logan wasn't in the picture. Sadly, I only have eyes for one guy."
"Hah. I knew it," said Mom, pointing her finger at me. "Then what's all this about leaving him?"
The same things she'd walked away from Dad over, I supposed.
"I just want to protect him from all this drama. And . . . if I stay with him I can't be alpha. Then, if my people need me, I won't be able to help them."
"So you'd sacrifice your relationship for the possibility of your people needing you."
I groaned. "Mom you're making my head hurt."
She chuckled. "There is only one way to sort this out."
"What's that?"
"By ensuring the high council doesn't win. Our future is integration, even if it means just integration within the paranormal community for now."
Mom leaned forward. "We've been inter-marrying for centuries. It's always been accepted, even if it hasn't been publicly acknowledged or encouraged. When I happened along it was accepted and people just lived with it. With paranormals, the genes aren't watered down. They're amplified by each other."
Amplified genes. "Is that why I have both walker ability and tracking power?"
Mom nodded. "Omega managed to do some in-depth studies into gene-sharing. I guess the facility had its benefits."
I gritted my teeth. "Don't even joke about it." Just the thought of what Mom had been through in that facility made my heart hurt. "I still can't understand how Uncle Niko allowed it to happen."
"He didn't just allow it," Mom said "He performed any procedure himself. Said he didn't trust the other scientists, that they'd likely hurt me in the process. And he always made me comfortable. Sedated me if something was going to cause pain, never left me badly hurt."
"Stop it." I glared at her. "I can't believe you're making excuses for him." Even now she wasn't sharing exactly what had happened.
"I'm just being honest, Kai," Mom said. "Perhaps he had no choice. Perhaps he had to do it, so he treated me well. Whatever he did, he never caused me pain or discomfort. And he always seemed sorry."
"Seemed."
My tone was hard, and even when I realized that Grams was sitting across from us listening to us talk about her son, I didn't apologize for my attitude.
He might have been my Uncle, but he'd hurt us all. And even though Mom's words had struck me deeply--was there a possibility that Uncle Niko had done those awful deeds under duress?--I wasn't ready to give him a pass.
"I know it upsets you to talk about him, honey."
"I heard what he said about me," I said softly. "When they captured me, drugged me. He stood at my bedside and spoke about me to Greer so impartially, as if having an alpha in his clutches was a strategic benefit to his research, never mind that the alpha happened to be his own flesh and blood."
"He spoke to Greer?"
"Yes, they were the only two people in the room."
Mom and Grams exchanged a long look. "Then," Mom said, "have you considered that his comments to Greer would have been an act?"
I didn't understand. "Why would he have been acting?"
"Because Greer was aligned with Brand and maybe even Widd'en?" Mom spoke softly, kindly, as if she knew that reminding me of my sister's relationship with Brand, a notorious drug-peddler and walker of questionable sanity who believed himself free to feed on humans, would hurt.
And that Greer's loyalty to the Wraith Lord would still be a raw wound. Widd'en had been intent on taking over the human world, and I'd spent my time killing wraiths who'd been taking over innocent humans. Little had I known that I'd merely been putting out brush fires, and that the firestarter himself had gotten my sister and uncle under his control.
"You want me to consider that Uncle Niko was being manipulated the entire time?"
"Maybe not the whole time. In the beginning maybe he was the instigator. But I suspect things got quickly out of hand."
I remained silent, absorbing her theory. It was odd having my inner confusion turned into words, and by Mom of all people.
Then Grams broke the silence. "Forget the past for now. Let's talk about the present. Where have you been?"
Reality check. "You're not going to like it."
"Do tell," said Mom and they both leaned forward.
I told them about promises and massacres--both bloody--and of mind-melds and assassinations--both sickening. And when I finally finished, I waited.
"What the hell were you thinking?" demanded Mom, her face pale.
Grams made no comment and I knew why.
I faced Mom. "I needed to save Greer. The seal was the only way because she'd stolen yours."
Mom shifted her gaze from my face to Grams. "That reminds me. I still have to deal with you for giving Kai my seal in the first place."
I bristled. "It's not Grams's fault, Mom."
"Grams can defend herself thank you very much," said Grams, a pleasant smile on her face. She seemed totally unaffected and not in the least bit guilty. She definitely didn't need my help in her defense.
Mom ignored both of us. "And a blood promise? Do you even know how serious that is?"
"I do now," I said drily. "I have to kill someone. And the fact that he's someone I want to kill d
efinitely makes this the easiest blood promise to fulfill."
Mom sat back, troubled, her forehead creased, her skin pale, and I waited for the explosion.
"So what do you need from me, Kai?"
My eyes snapped to Gram's face across the coffee table. "What do you mean?" I was very aware of Mom, so still beside me.
Grams smiled serenely. "You clearly need information before you can take the next step. I'm assuming you have your young man already probing Omega for information."
I nodded, unable to resist her smile. My young man indeed. "So you want to do some probing of your own?" I asked.
"It wouldn't hurt. I personally haven't heard anything but we usually don't know things that don't pertain to us directly, or when they're classified."
"I think knowing about the existence of a man who kills paranormals a dozen at a time affects all of us directly, classified or not. I'd think there'd be a worldwide warning issued so we're all on the lookout for the danger."
Grams shrugged. "I can't even begin to assume what Omega would want to do about such a situation. They have their protocols. We have ours. And right now we need to know what's going on."
"Won't you be endangering your position?" I asked, suddenly afraid for Grams. "What if someone catches you?"
"There isn't a damn thing stopping me from looking for information except where I need a high level security clearance. I have a few ways of getting around security."
"Grams, you devious devil you." I grinned and Mom did too. She'd sat there so long without saying a word, but if she could still manage to crack a smile then maybe she wasn't too pissed off with me.
Grams nodded then shifted forward on the couch, patted her knees, and shoved to her feet. "There's no time like the present," she said, striding to the coat-rack to grab her bag. "I'll be back soon."
"Can't you access the mainframe from here?" asked Mom. "Going in in person may get you in more trouble if it sets off any alarms."
"Actually, being here would be worse," I said slowly. "It would be more compromising since both you and I are here."
"Good point," they said together.
"Have you returned to Sentinel yet?" I asked Mom.
She gave a small shake of her head. "Not yet. They've insisted I take some time to recuperate. I'm meant to head in for debriefing and testing next week."
"Perhaps you should start tomorrow?" suggested Grams. "I'm beginning to think it would be best to have more of us on the inside."
Her pointed look at me was sharp enough to draw blood. "What? You want me to come on board now? Won't that look suspicious?" I still hadn't told them about the Elite Corps offer.
Grams shrugged again. "No more suspicious than not joining all this while makes you look."
"What's suspicious about me refusing to join?" I asked. "My relationship with Logan?"
Mom put her hand on my forearm. "Your associations will always be judged, honey. If you decide to join Sentinel now, getting inside with the purpose of infiltration is no better reason."
"In that case there's no better time to join Omega," I said softly.
They both stared at me in silence. For once I'd managed to shut the both of them up with one sentence.
Always a first time for everything.
CHAPTER 18
I'D BEEN TO LOGAN'S HOTEL only a few times in the last couple weeks, purely because I didn't like hanging around in a place owned by Omega.
I'd been surprised that Omega provided so well for their out-of-town agents, even going so far as to offer private living arrangements. Of course, where Logan and Jess were concerned, it seemed that they were now permanently attached to the Chicago branch.
Nobody had even hinted that they would be transferred yet, so the current assumption was they were in for the long haul.
Now, with my mind focused on the death of an innocent, I needed to be around Logan more than anything. Just being with him always had the side-effect of making me feel safe, even if it was for one night. And if he wasn't home, just being in his space might lend me some calm.
Omega had taken over an entire floor in the once grand and beautiful Blackstone Renaissance hotel. Its split-leveled lobby and dark paneled pillars still lent an air of majesty to the place despite the slightly aged air.
The city had taken over the property when its last owners had fled to greener pastures, and now, the place barely saw a visiting tycoon let alone a president.
Tracking across the white marble floor, I admired the contrast of the little black squares, paying little attention as the scowling concierge gave me a curt nod. If he smiled, I'd never know considering his mustache was long enough to cover his mouth.
Upstairs, I entered the silent hotel room and left my bag and jacket on the floor beside the door. If he wasn't home they would give him advanced warning of someone in his space. I'd rather let him know I was here than risk having him fry me to a crisp thinking I was an intruder.
I headed past the dark doorway to the bathroom on my right, to the bedroom and caught a glimpse of Logan's sleeping form. He was sprawled on the bed, sheets tangled around his body. He hadn't heard me enter. Granted, I was panther-quiet but he looked to be so deep in his dreams that any noise I'd made on entering would have gone unheard.
He struggled, shifting from side to side, his face scrunched up, frustration and sorrow furrowing deep into his brow. His skin was covered in a light sheen of perspiration and I could feel the heat rolling off him from where I stood so many feet away.
I kept still, watching, unsure if I should disturb him, or stay as far away as possible. Being barbecued didn't appeal to me.
I deliberated for a few seconds then decided to run a bath. The sound of water would wake him in a less dramatic fashion.
Or at least I hoped it would.
I turned on my heel and headed to the bathroom door.
"Hey, beautiful." His voice drifted toward me, a sleepy croak that made me smile.
Relieved, I turned back and headed to his side. "Hey. You were dreaming again."
He shifted over, making space for me to sit. "Yeah. More and more each day."
I sank onto the mattress beside him. "Late night?"
He nodded, rubbing his hand across his face. "Yeah. Got back from Japan five hours ago." He sighed deeply. "Onmoraki demons are the darnedest creatures to banish."
The mere name of the demon made me shudder. "Crap. I disturbed you."
When I began to move away he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me gently over his body so I landed on the other side of the mattress. "You are welcome to disturb me anytime. Not even a half human, half bird demon can keep me from you."
"Mhhm," I murmured as he nuzzled my neck. "Good to know."
Laughter rumbled through his chest and the sound vibrated against my ear as I cuddled close.
We stayed like that for a while, with Logan tracing his fingers across the top of my neck. Right then, lying within his arms, I couldn't imagine being anywhere without him. How had I even considered leaving him out of my future? The High Council be damned.
"What's bothering you?" he murmured.
"My problems are the least of your worries." I lifted my head. The strain of the dream was still painted across his features. "You were dreaming again."
He smiled. "I'm always dreaming."
"The same girl?" I pressed, knowing he'd be reluctant to respond. He always was because he always put everyone else before himself. This time it was all about him and I refused to let him hide.
"Yeah."
"Did you speak to Jess?"
"Not yet." He cleared his throat.
I sighed. "I really wish we could find something concrete to go on."
"Me too."
He sounded sincere but I knew him well enough by now not to take what he said at face value.
Had he spoken to Jess, but just didn't want to worry me with what she'd told him? The Titan had already provided me with a couple of major revelations but I wondered if she'd
even share them with Logan should he rustle up the nerve to ask her.
Jess had admitted she was here to look after him because he was special. But did that have anything to do with these dreams? I intended to find out. Sometimes men were so pigheaded they needed female guidance, gentle or not, to get their act together.
"How did it go with Kira?" he asked as he turned on his side and propped his head on his hand.
"One of Kira's daughters was killed not too long ago. She wants me to find and kill the SOB."
Logan scowled. "Nice. What happened?"
"I saw it for myself. A large room, a pool table, a bunch of paranormal kids all gathered and killed by someone who wasn't a paranormal using a power that seemed to be ethereal. Add to the mix the strange fact that the killers face was blurred and unrecognizable and you have a more than terrifying case."
Logan's face whitened and he shoved up into a sitting position. "There was a pool table?"
"Yes." I asked getting to my knees. "What about it?"
He rubbed his hand over his face. "Couple days ago I attended a scene. The place was a mess, like a hurricane had erupted within the room. Splintered wood lying around. I figure it was the remains of a pool table."
He'd walked the murder scene. "Did you see the bodies?"
He nodded and then took a huge breath. "I didn't get the memo that that one of the kids was Kira's."
"Not just one of Kira's."
"What do you mean?" he asked, his dark eyes hooded now.
"She was Kira's daughter. Flesh-and-blood child."
"Shit."
"Yeah."
"That's bad."
"Yeah."
"Makes sense now why she'd call in her marker."
"Yeah."
"Having vocabulary issues?" he grinned, despite his tension.
"Yeah." I sank to the bed again. "I'm done already and I haven't even started."
"Tell me what you need and I'll help you."
I narrowed my eyes. "You mean tell Omega?"
"I work for Omega but who knows how much longer that will last. Either way, if you don't want me to talk about it, I won't."
I nodded. "Okay." His word was enough for me. "The guy was professional. Calculated. Organized. It looked like he'd been with them long enough to be familiar to them, to not look like a threat. He took them by surprise. They never knew what hit them."