by Deanna Chase
Tal exited and came around the car to help me out of my seat.
I let him, craving his calming touch. He was definitely putting some of his healing energy into it, otherwise I never would have made it.
Dammit! I hated that I was reacting this way. I’d been through way worse. Why was I ready to break down right there in the parking lot? I climbed out of the car and wasn’t surprised to see Link had shifted into wolf mode. Of course he had with the way I’d reacted. He pressed his body against my leg, his way of lending me his strength. I smiled down at him. “Thanks, boy.”
“Let’s go,” I said to Talisen, and then with my shoulders back, I led the way into the building. I strode past security without being asked to step through the magical neutralizer. Because I’d been subjected to testing for the past three months, it had been imperative that I have full use of my powers. The guards still hadn’t gotten the memo that testing had ended, and I wasn’t going to be the one to tell them. The neutralizer was just this side of torture. Being without my magical gifts was bad enough, but having them zapped felt like being sent through a faery-sized microwave.
Link and Tal weren’t so lucky. Link came out of the neutralizer in his Shih Tzu form, his hair standing on end as if he’d been electrocuted. Tal fared better, but he still had that dazed look everyone gets when their magic is sucked from them.
I held my hand out to him and led the way to the director’s office.
Her receptionist gave us an impatient look and hurried us to the door. “She’s been waiting.”
Well, God forbid we make the director wait more than an hour or so.
“She’s been riding my ass for the past two hours,” her receptionist said, apparently reading my thoughts.
“We’ve had an eventful day,” Tal said by way of explanation and then strode inside.
He wasn’t kidding. It was late, eight or so in the evening. Frankly I was surprised the receptionist was still there. Director Halston must’ve made her stay late.
“You’re trying my patience,” the gray-haired fae said from behind her desk. She stood, her small five-foot frame taking up more space than should be possible.
Tal said nothing. I shrugged.
“Sit.” She pulled out two folders. One was marked Transfer, the other Assignment.
I bit my lip as the foreboding I’d felt earlier slammed back into me. Transfer. My first thought was that I’d be split from Phoebe again. My second was that Tal would be transferred back to New Orleans and the pressure on my chest eased. I glanced at him, noting his eyes were glued to the folder that Halston had just slid in front of him. Transfer.
She held on to the other one. “I assume you don’t mind that Rhoswen is here for this conversation. She’ll learn about it either way.”
“It’s fine,” Tal said stiffly.
“Good. Your contract has been transferred to the Cryrique. You’ll serve out your term working for Allcot while supplying the Arcane with your superhuman elixir, only you’ll be more of a contractor for us now. Your permanent service to us is now terminated.”
“What?” I stood, unable to keep still.
“Sit down, Rhoswen. You are here out of courtesy only. If you cannot control yourself, I will have to ask you to wait outside.” Her piercing gaze all but burned a hole in my head.
My wings twitched out of sheer frustration, but I forced them down and sat on the edge of my chair, studying Tal.
His jaw was clenched as he read the orders in front of him. When he finally looked up at Halston, his eyes were green fire. “You sold me to a vampire organization?”
Her expression was one of cool nonchalance. “It’s nothing personal. Your cover was blown with Asher’s circle in California. You can’t go back there. Hunter has left word that if you do, they’ll kill you the first opportunity they get. You were seen boarding the plane with Rhoswen.” She cut her gaze to me and gave me a look that said she’d deal with me later. Turning back to Tal, she added, “They know you have ties to Cryrique. We don’t have a use for you now. This way not only did we trim the budget but we made a tidy sum to help us cover some special projects. You turned out to be more useful than we thought.”
“So you’ve forced me to work with him for the next four years.” Tal’s voice was laced with a dangerous edge.
“Please, Mr. Kavanagh. Do not take me for a fool. I already know you’re working with Allcot. This just frees up your time and mine.” She waved a hand. “Now, please be so kind as to wait outside while I discuss business with Ms. Rhoswen.”
Tal stood, his arm muscles bulging with tension. “You just tied me to him. Put me in a contract I can’t negotiate. This is unacceptable.”
Her eyebrows rose in mild curiosity. “Did you not understand the contract you signed with us? That truly is unfortunate. I’d thought you were more intelligent than that. Pity. Maybe you should hire an attorney next time before you sign over your soul for someone else.”
Her gaze darted back to me, making it clear whatever choice he’d made was because of me.
Tal didn’t glance in my direction, but his eye did twitch. She’d hit the nail on the head, and he was more than pissed she’d dared call him out on it. Without speaking, he scooped up the folder and stormed out.
Would he wait for me? Or take off to confront Allcot right away? There was no doubt he’d be questioning David’s father. Jeez. What the hell had he been thinking? Did David know? Hard to say. If so, I bet he wasn’t any happier about it than Tal was.
“Rhoswen,” the director said, eyeing me.
“Yes?” I stayed perfectly still, trying not to let on how nervous I was. New orders given to me and not to Phoebe was disconcerting. Phoebe was the muscle behind our duo, the one with all the training. The director never gave me information she could give Phoebe.
“I have a task for you.”
“So I see.” I nodded at the folder.
She slid it along the table. “You’re to investigate the background of the fae you took out at the burlesque club the other night.”
I was in the processes of flipping open the folder but glanced up before I could read the directive. “What? Why? Isn’t he here?”
“Yes. We have him in custody, but he’s disoriented and not talking. Your partner is investigating the vampire, Lady Victoria. Meanwhile, we need you to bring us everything you know about the fae shifter.”
So, the director had lied to Allcot about the fae escaping. No surprise there. I sat back, ignoring the folder. “You do know I’m not trained in this sort of thing? Right? All I do is back Phoebe up. I didn’t even go to the academy.” I’d been hired specifically because I could sense vampires and could help keep fellow agents out of danger. I didn’t have tracking skills or magical spells that neutralized predators like Phoebe did.
“Don’t be so modest, Rhoswen. I’m privy to the research you’ve conducted on your plants for your shop and those magical treats you spend so much time making. We’re shorthanded here and need someone to take on this project. Since he and Victoria both have ties to Asher’s sect, we believe you’re the best person for the job.”
I narrowed my eyes. It was highly unusual for her to put me on any path that involved Asher or his people. They liked to exploit my gifts too much. Or had they decided it wasn’t such a loss if Asher did kill me? They didn’t exactly want me turning any more vamps. It wasn’t a question I was willing to ask, though. I was happy to be useful. Grabbing the paperwork, I stood.
“One more thing,” Halston added. “I expect you to work with Laveaux on this.”
I froze, startled. The Void rarely worked with the Cryrique vampires. Neither side trusted the other. “Why?”
She gave me a flat stare. “Because Laveaux has information he’s keeping from me but he’ll tell you. I expect a report on my desk in forty-eight hours.”
Of course she did. “I’ll do my best.” Then I bent down and scooped up Link, who’d fallen asleep at my feet, and strode gracefully out of the office, de
termined to keep my cool. “Laveaux,” I mumbled under my breath. “Just fucking perfect.”
Chapter 20
“Head to Allcot’s place,” I said to Tal as soon as we climbed back into the Jeep.
“Was already planning on it.” He caught my eye. “But want to tell me what’s got you so worked up?”
I stroked my hand down Link’s back, trying to keep my temper under control. It wasn’t working, though. “I have orders to specifically work with David to track down information on the fae who poisoned Harrison and the others.”
“You’re kidding?” He stepped on the gas and took a right down St. Charles.
“Nope.”
“Well, this is awkward,” he said with a wry smile. “You, me, Laveaux, and Allcot. Happy foursome.”
“Ugh.” I pressed my hand to my forehead. I had to tell David about Tal and me. And soon.
Tal sighed. “I’m sorry.”
I turned in my seat, studying him. “Why?”
“Because I know this is hard for you. Laveaux still thinks he has a chance, and now you’re forced to work with him. It’s a shit situation. The last thing I want to do is make it worse. But I won’t lie. It’s going to be real hard watching you work closely with him. I’ll do my best to not turn into a world-class ass again.”
I glanced out the window, barely noticing the lights of the passing cars. Then I turned and gave him a ghost of a smile. “That means a lot. Thanks.” Reaching across the Jeep, I placed my hand on his knee. “Do something for me?”
“Anything.”
“Remember that no matter what happens, I chose you?”
He cleared his throat and covered my hand with his own. “I will, but don’t think that won’t stop me from losing my shit on a regular basis.”
I pulled my hand away, my body suddenly stiff. “About David? Because there’s no reason for that. And—”
He put a hand up to stop me and swerved to the side of the road. After putting the Jeep in park, he turned to me. “Not David. Not anymore, anyway. Do you realize I’d do anything I could to give you a normal life? One free of Allcot, the Void, and people like Asher? I’d gas up this car and drive to the middle of nowhere, USA, right now if I thought it would help.”
I huffed out a breath. “But it won’t. And you know I’d never leave my family.”
“Of course you wouldn’t. The thing is, I had this vision of us living in the redwoods, you running your bakery and me a holistic-health center. Two point five children and a couple of dogs. The pair of us growing old together.”
My heart squeezed. The picture he was painting was too much. I wanted it too. Ached for it.
“The thing is, I know now that’s not the life you were meant to live. At least not right now,” he continued, his voice hoarse with emotion. “You have gifts that are unparalleled. People who crave power are always going to be trying to get to you. Our time apart made me realize that no matter the path, all I want in this world is to be by your side.” He reached over and gently wiped the tears leaking from my eyes. “You know the vision I had today?”
I nodded, mute, unable to even respond to what he’d just said.
“It was of you, me, and Link,” he said softly. “We were living here in New Orleans and we were working side by side. Not just at your shop or in the lab, but also on patrols with Phoebe and missions for the Void.”
“That sounds… lovely,” I choked out and smiled at him. Joy filled all the empty places inside me. He wanted to be my partner, not my protector, unlike everyone else in my life.
He let out a low, ironic chuckle. “It was almost possible. Before I was sold to Allcot.”
The euphoria of finding out he saw me as an equal disappeared as anger took over, sending ripples of white-hot fury through my veins. Sold. To Allcot. All because of budget concerns and because Halston saw no use for him outside of his superhuman drug, which he was still obligated to supply them. I hated the Void almost as much as I hated Asher. Though surprisingly, I had trouble finding fault with Allcot. He was shady as hell, but at least he was up front about it.
“Dammit, Tal. I don’t know what to do about that. Maybe we can work out some sort of deal with Allcot.”
He gave me a dubious look. “You know just as well as I do that isn’t going to happen. He bought my contract. There’s no getting out of it.”
I bit the side of my cheek. I couldn’t argue with that. But Allcot would deal if I could find something he wanted badly enough. Now that he’d already turned daywalker, I had no idea what that would be. He was rich enough to buy practically anything he wanted already. “We’ll just have to look for an opening or wait it out. If there’s anything I’ve learned this year it’s that nothing is permanent.”
The frustration drained from his face as his expression went soft with emotion. “Some things are.” He took my hand and placed it over his heart. “What I feel for you is real and always has been. That won’t change.”
Tears stung my eyes again, but I didn’t let them fall. Instead, I leaned over and pressed my lips to his, wordlessly showing him that I was his once and for all. All I needed to do was tell David. I’d do it tonight. Right after I got some answers.
***
Tal was two blocks from Allcot’s mansion when my phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Phoebe: Need you now. Backstreet Tavern.
“Turn around,” I told Talisen.
He did what I asked without comment.
I texted back. Be there in ten.
Phoebe: Hurry. Vampires were spotted. Need your senses.
Me: Be there in five.
“Step on it,” I told Tal.
Tal glanced at me but sped up, ignoring the posted speed limit.
“Phoebe’s on a job and needs backup.”
“No problem.”
Link jumped up, standing on all fours. I lifted him and put him in the back seat just in case he shifted right there in the car. The Void’s neutralizer would’ve worn off by now. Link bounced back faster than fae and witches did. Tal was probably still under the influence. That worried me a little, but there was nothing to do about it.
I directed Tal until he pulled up in front of the uptown college bar. Link and I scrambled out, Link in wolf form. “Meet us inside?” I said to Tal.
He nodded. “Be careful.”
“Always.” I slammed the door shut and cast the Jeep a fleeting glance as Tal darted around the corner looking for parking. A tingle of pleasure warmed me with the knowledge that he trusted me to handle myself. There was no way in hell David would’ve let me go anywhere near the club without him had we been together. Maybe that had been the problem from the start. We’d never been on equal footing.
A group of coeds, dressed in skintight camisoles, barely there skirts, and heels so high their ankles wobbled, stumbled out of the front door. They each held Styrofoam cups, no doubt full of daiquiris, clutched in their hands.
It was the perfect hunting ground for hungry vamps. I stifled a shudder and slipped into the open-air bar. The only problem was I didn’t sense any vamps anywhere. Was I even in the right place? I whipped my phone out and checked Phoebe’s message. Yeah. Right place. I tapped out a quick text.
Me: I’m here. Where are you?
Phoebe: At the bar. All the way to the right.
I glanced up, searching, but the crowd was too thick. “Let’s go, Link.”
He was on full alert, his scruff raised on the back of his neck. He sensed something, but he hadn’t spotted it yet. I stayed close to his hindquarters and followed him. The crowd parted easily for us. Faeries weren’t exactly a dime a dozen in New Orleans. Neither were wolves. It was a good thing we weren’t trying to be inconspicuous.
If I hadn’t seen Phoebe in a hundred different disguises over the years, I might not have recognized her. But there she was, leaning over the bar and wearing a dirty-blond wig, skintight black leggings, knee-high boots, and a purple sequined tank top. Not exactly a wallflower, but she blended well
enough with the crowd. And her boots had thick heels, perfect for kicking ass.
I glided up to the bar and ordered an Abita Amber.
“Beer?” Phoebe asked by way of greeting.
“It’s been a long-ass day. Cut me some slack.”
The bartender pulled the tap, filling a plastic cup until the head ran over.
“Feel anything?” she asked as she leaned against the bar, scanning the crowd.
“Nope.” I sipped at the beer, reveling in the crisp freshness. “Dang, that’s good.”
She stared at me. “I can’t believe you’re drinking right now.”
I supposed it wasn’t the best decision. But holy crow, I needed it after the day I’d had. Link paced in front of us, creating a barrier between us and the crowd.
“Link, sit!” Phoebe commanded.
He immediately dropped his rear and cocked his head, listening.
I set my beer down, watching him. “He senses something.”
Phoebe nodded. “But you don’t?”
I shook my head, catching sight of Tal as he walked into the bar. His gaze landed on me instantly. It was as if he sensed where I was. My insides turned to jelly just looking at him.
Phoebe let out a low whistle. “Golden boy is back, I see.”
“Yeah.” The word came out sounding shy.
She laughed. “Good. I assume that means Laveaux is kicked to the curb?”
I gave her a dirty look.
“Well? You can’t date both of them, and judging by the look on both your faces, elf boy is in and vamp boy is way out.”
I rolled my eyes. “Do you have to be so flippant about it?”
“Ha! I knew it. Finally.” She wiggled her fingers at Tal. “Hey tall, blond, and sexy.”
“Phoebs,” he said with a nod and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
It felt so odd to be hanging out in a bar with my two most favorite people as if Tal weren’t indentured to Allcot and Phoebe and I weren’t on a vampire hunt. But we were, and even though all of us acted as if we didn’t have a care in the world, it was just that, an act. Despite my wings and the wolf at our feet, the crowd had ceased paying attention to us. We were just a few more patrons out for a good time. How wrong they were.