Several years prior Neeman had helped Sherman track down his escaped breeding slave. The female had bolted just before her due date and Neeman had found both mother and child dead twenty miles away in a wooded area. The mother had strangled the child with its cord and then killed herself with a knife. It had devastated Sherman.
Neeman wracked his brain, trying to piece together what Selene was doing in Chicago. What was it that she wasn’t telling him?
She’d been sent by the fae to do something but who knew what. The scars on her stomach were a testimony to how far the fae would go to get what they wanted. Or to get rid of what they perceived to be a threat.
Neeman bolted upright. What they perceived as a threat. Mason.
Selene was his sister and the only one close to equal in power. The only one he trusted enough to let in and let get close. But Selene loved Mason. She wouldn’t really do something to him, would she? With her, there was no telling.
Neeman rushed out of his room and down to the landing. He made his way to Danika’s room and banged on the door. There was no answer.
“Mason? Danika?” He banged again.
The door next to Danika’s opened and William stepped out.
“They aren’t here,” said William.
“Where are they?”
“They went to the office for the evening. They should be back soon.”
“I need to speak to Mason.”
William’s brows knit together. “Is something wrong?”
Neeman snorted. “When is something not wrong anymore?”
William nodded. “Too true. Is there anything I can help with?”
“No.” He needed to calm down. He had no real proof. He could be totally wrong. “It can wait, I guess.”
“Will you walk with me a minute? I need to head to the barracks and I want to ask your opinion of Evan.”
Neeman didn’t want to talk about Evan. He wanted to figure out what the hell was going on with Selene.
Maybe talking with William would help him clear his head. His obsession with Selene was becoming unbearable.
“What about her?”
“Well, I was thinking that you might be able to give her something to do.”
They headed into the kitchen and William stopped by the refrigerator to grab a bottle of Savor. He handed one to Neeman as well.
“Honestly, William, I’ve had enough of babysitting the brats for one century.”
He chuckled. “I understand, it’s just...” He looked at his bottle and turned it over in his hands. “I know how she feels. It wasn’t so long ago that I was in an enclave trying to survive, cursing the Vampires for what they’d done to all of us. I understand why she wants to fight, to kick back against those who she sees as having destroyed the world. I just don’t want to see her life wasted by sitting around in a solitary room and rotting.” William opened his bottle and took a drink.
“Then free her.”
William covered his mouth as he almost spit out his Savor. He swallowed and then coughed several times. “Excuse me?”
Neeman shrugged. “Let her go. She isn’t doing anyone any good here and she doesn’t want to be here. With the game changes Danika has made pertaining to humans, you are correct. There is nothing else to do with her. But if you let her go... Then she’s not your problem.”
William stared at Neeman and said nothing for a minute. The expression on his face was one Neeman had seen many times. Letting her go wasn’t something he was prepared to do.
“Well,” said Neeman. “I guess you could always take her for yourself.”
“What?”
“Take her as your own slave. Or minion I guess is what they are now.”
“I...I...I couldn’t. I’m still a fledgling.”
“No one cares about that and I’m sure there are more than a few Vampires who would be happy you did. Besides, it’s obvious you care for her and if you want to ensure she doesn’t end up somewhere that is going to get her beat, turned, or worse, then I suggest you do something about it. Because no one else will.”
William chewed the inside of his cheek.
For the first time in his life, he wished he could turn Selene and make her bend to his will. The thought made him curse himself. What was he turning into to? How could he even consider doing that to another person? The thing he hated most about himself.
“Something to think about.” Neeman drained his bottle of Savor and put it in the trash. “I should check on my men and go patrol, if there’s nothing else going on tonight.”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
Neeman headed for the back door. “Sherman hasn’t checked in has he? We haven’t heard any more about the kings or the meeting with the High Council?”
“Not yet. I’m sure we will before dawn though.”
* * * *
Neeman checked on his men. They were pent up and ready for a fight. Being so close to the humans for such a long time wasn’t helping. He rounded up those of his men who were left and broke them into groups, sending them out to patrol for demons.
The human tracking trainees were told to stay with the other humans. There was no reason to waste any more lives out there.
Neeman took Riley and together they headed to see what remained of their previous home. The complex had mostly caved in, leaving a giant hole where their compound had been.
“Looks like we won’t be going down there any time soon,” said Riley.
“Looks like. Come on. Let’s check out the other side of the warehouse.” They walked around the exterior of the crumbling building and entered on the north side. They crawled over debris and came to a section that still stood. A yellow glint caught Neeman’s eye.
“No way,” said Riley.
Neeman shook his head in disbelief. His baby sat in the corner. The yellow paint had only been slightly smattered with dust.
“You are one lucky SOB, boss.”
Neeman had to agree. “There’s no way to get her out.”
“If we took out a section of that wall we could.”
“That would take some finagling. Not something the two of us could do. She’ll have to wait till things settle down. Come on, let’s see if we can get the weapons.”
Riley nodded.
Reluctantly, Neeman backed away from his car and hopped over downed shelves to the spot where they stored the heavy weaponry. Smashed crates of weapons were strewn between cinder blocks and crushed shelving units.
Neeman and Riley gathered what they could and piled them in the SUV. It wasn’t even close to what they’d need if there was a real fight, but it was a start. He’d been smart enough to make sure their weapons weren’t all stored in one place, but the largest cache had been at the compound.
After getting in the SUV, they started north to patrol. Barely anyone lived north of the pier anymore. It was too far for the vamps to get to their jobs and all of the society members preferred to be close to their own kind.
They spent the rest of the night patrolling the area, and then Neeman and Riley went back to Coven House. They’d spoken very little on their ride and despite his best efforts Neeman had checked his phone a dozen times just to see if Selene had called.
She hadn’t.
He played and replayed their time together on top of the L. The feelings he’d shared. It was possible he’d scared her off, but still something nagged at him that she was pushing him away on purpose. A thought hit him and made his gut clench. Maybe it was because she knew she wouldn’t be staying. Maybe she had to return to the fae plane after she did whatever she’d been sent to do. Possibly because they had her mother.
He needed to talk to Mason. If she wouldn’t talk to him, maybe she’d talk to Mason and tell him the truth.
They pulled up to Coven House about an hour before dawn. William stood outside the entrance waiting for them.
“We have a problem,” he said, approaching Neeman.
“Su
rprise, surprise.” Neeman slammed his door.
“I was approached by a couple of the trackers. They want to feed.”
Neeman shrugged. “And?”
“Well, it would be up to you of course, but I suggested maybe they should go out to feed. Most of the humans here are spoken for.”
“What did Danika say?”
“I haven’t talked to her yet, because I didn’t know what you usually do for blood.”
What Neeman usually did and what his trackers did were two different things.
“A couple of them have girls in town they can go to. The others will need to be fed. There’s a service I can call, but it’s too late now. They’ll have to wait till tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to Danika about letting them go,” said William. “And there’s one other thing. I overheard the trackers mention they want a service for their dead brethren.”
Neeman rubbed his forehead. He’d been so wound up with Selene, that he hadn’t even thought about his fallen men.
“There should be. I’ll make arrangements with Doc to have their bodies readied for the service.”
William nodded.
“We’ll hold the burial tomorrow at the pier where the rest of our trackers are buried, if Danika hasn’t heard anything yet about the High Council.”
“I don’t know. She and Mason should be back shortly.”
“There isn’t much time. I should tell the trackers to head out if they are going to, otherwise they’ll need to wait till tomorrow to feed.”
Neeman made for the group of trackers standing by the garage. His group seemed to be shrinking every day. And if they couldn’t get the demon problem under control, soon, they’d all be gone. For the first time in decades, he thought about the fact his life could actually come to an end.
Chapter 22
Selene spent most of the second day tossing and turning in the hotel bed while Sherman slept in the other room. The blackout curtains and roll-down steel window covers were enough that not a peep of light shown through. Even so, her dream had left her shaken.
The feelings she’d been fighting before were now something she could no longer deny. The dream had proven it. She cared about Neeman. A lot. More than she should. More than she had for another man in her long life. Keeping him safe from Lorcan was no longer something she could be wishy-washy about. It was what she would do, no matter the cost. After all, wasn’t that what Mason had told her he’d do for Danika?
She ran her fingers over her collarbone where the runes sat silently awaiting the opportunity to awaken.
“He loves us. Loves us both.”
He’d proven he wanted to be with her. No matter what. He knew what she was and who she was and he hadn’t run. He’d tried to bring her closer, to let her in, to care for her. Maybe when it was all over they could be together. When she’d done what Lorcan wanted her to… Probably not. Neeman was loyal and, more likely than not, when he realized what she was doing, he’d want nothing to do with her. The thought made nausea grip her and she rolled over in bed. She’d just have to cross that bridge when she got to it.
* * * *
Around two in the afternoon, she took her phone from her purse. The battery was low so she plugged it in like Neeman had told her to. She moved from screen to screen and landed on his phone number.
Her finger hovered over the call button and minutes ticked by as she contemplated whether or not she should phone him. The desire to hear his voice and know he was safe from Lorcan threatened to overwhelm her. Finally as her phone dimmed she pushed the button, bringing it back to life.
The phone rang and her heart galloped.
“Don’t be stupid.”
After the third ring, she hung up. What had she been planning to say?
Her phone buzzed, making her jump. She looked down to see Neeman’s name spread across the screen of her phone. Dang.
She pushed the on button. “Hello?”
“You called?”
Just the sound of his voice was like a cool wave of water over her fevered mind.
“How did you know?”
“Your name popped up on my phone when it rang.”
“I didn’t know phones could do that.”
“So, did you need something?”
He didn’t sound mad, but his tone wasn’t inviting either. She swallowed, wanting to tell him she missed him. To tell him she was sorry and she wished she hadn’t told him she didn’t care.
“Don’t go soft now.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, searching for something to say.
“Hello?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I just wanted to check to make sure the phone still worked. You know, in case I have a problem. I didn’t think you’d be awake. Did I wake you?”
“I’m usually not awake, but I’m preparing for a memorial service for my fallen trackers from the attack.”
“Oh. I’m sorry about that.”
“Sorry about the attack?”
“Well, yes. And I’m sorry for your fallen comrades.” She wanted to keep him on the phone. It was selfish to take him away from what he needed to be doing, but she’d been cooped up in the room for so long… “Were you able to retrieve all of the bodies?”
“There are still a couple unaccounted for.”
“Well, I know one is in the hallway by the elevator on the floor I stayed on. He died before I could help.”
He was silent for a moment. “Thank you. When we’re able to get down there and start digging things out, we’ll take a look.”
Why was this hard?
“Are you going to rebuild?”
“Probably not there. I went by and it’s pretty much demolished,” he said.
“I’m sorry.”
He snapped his gum. “You keep saying that.”
“Well, I feel bad. The demons were there because of me and Mason.”
“When are you coming back?”
His question caught her off guard. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Selene, I know you’re trying to push me away but you need help. What happens if your other self gets out of control? Who are you going to get chi from, Sherman?”
“Is that what you’re afraid of? That I’m going to sleep with someone else?”
He sighed and his voice somber. “No. I’m afraid for you. When they find out what you are—”
“I lived in this world for a very, very long time before Vampires came out of the closet and started ruling things. I’ve had interactions with your kind before. I think I can handle myself.”
“You’re right. You have my number if you need anything.”
Her heart sank. This wasn’t how she wanted it. She didn’t want to leave it like this with him.
“Why did you let me leave?” she blurted.
“Excuse me?”
“You let me go. You didn’t say anything to Sherman about marking me. He said it’s significant. Yet, you didn’t try to stop me.”
“I did try. Look, Selene, I’m not sure what you want from me. You made it clear you had no feelings for me. I’m not the kind of guy who goes chasing after a woman who doesn’t want him. If you wanted to stay, I assumed you’d stay.”
She swallowed. “You’re right. I’ll let you go so you can get back to your planning.”
“Selene—”
“I don’t want to wake Sherman.”
“Wait—”
“I’ll see you, Neeman.” She hung up fast enough that she didn’t have to hear him backpedal. He was right of course. It had been her choice to leave. She dropped the phone and threw her hands over her face. She had to keep it together.
“And you need to remember why we left,” her inner demon said.
It was strange to hear her demon refer to them as “we”. They’d never been “we” before, but everything had changed, and not just between the two of them. She’d changed.
&n
bsp; Neeman had opened her up and now she couldn’t figure out how to stuff all her feelings and emotions back behind the walls she’d built around herself for years. She needed to keep it together. At least until her mission was finished. Then she could deal with everything else.
* * * *
Selene drifted in and out of sleep for most of the remaining afternoon. By seven, Sherman arose and took a shower. She sat in the bed, unsure of what she was supposed to do and still weighted down by her conversation with Neeman. Sherman had guessed she wasn’t human, but he’d called her an angel. That was something she wasn’t even close to being, but she let him believe it nonetheless.
“I need to get my messages and make a few calls and then I’ll need to meet with the other kings again and see if the High Council has arrived. Why don’t you shower and I’ll have some clothes brought up for you to choose from?”
She’d obtained more clothing since she’d been back than even she’d thought possible. Sad thing was, she kept losing it all.
“I can do that.”
“Wonderful.” He smiled and closed the double doors, leaving her to herself.
The shutters opened for the evening and she got out of bed and opened the blackout curtains revealing the city. It was a cornucopia of life. There were several tall buildings standing black and vacant against the skyline, but many other smaller buildings were lit up and bustling with vamps working. She looked north and wondered where Neeman was and what he was doing at that moment. Was he thinking about her?
“Stop being stupid. You made a choice. Now suck it up, princess.”
“Shut up,” she whispered. Turning from the window, she walked to the bathroom. Her gut told her it wouldn’t be long now. Whatever Lorcan had planned, it would happen soon. If only she could find a way out of the mission.
* * * *
Neeman worked on his remarks for the funerals, but couldn’t concentrate. All night he’d hoped she’d call and now that she had, he wished she hadn’t. She was so exasperating he couldn’t think of anything else but her. She’d pushed him away and what? Expected him to chase her? How messed up was that?
Truth be told, he wished he had stood up to Sherman. Told him she was his and he wasn’t letting her go. But he’d been a coward, afraid of his own feelings. And now it was too late.
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