by L. J. Red
There was a flicker of fear in May’s belly. Did people think that? That she was distracting Neal? She knew it looked strange, her staying in his cabin. She was the only vassal not bunking together with the others. But had the vampires noticed it as well? She huffed. Why couldn’t everyone just mind their own business? May was so sick of people sticking their noses in—Isabella included. She didn’t understand this vampire’s game, but she was done. She needed to leave, she needed to get away from this conversation before she said something rude. “I… I have to go,” May said. “I have so much work to do.”
“Oh, of course,” Isabella said, “you go on, we’ll catch up some other time.”
May walked back to the main Conclave building, trying to shake off her unease. When she turned to look over her shoulder, Isabella had disappeared. The space between the cabins was dark and empty and May felt, a strange, unsettled shiver of fear.
Chapter 18
“We need to get to the bottom of this human attack,” Finlay said, his calm attitude so similar to Aaron’s that for a moment Neal expected to see the other vampire standing there. Neal paced up and down Finlay’s cabin, trying to work off some of his energy. He wanted to be with May. He could sense her, had been feeling little flashes of unease, of longing coming down the bond from her all night. He rolled his shoulders, trying to displace some tension. He needed to be present, in the moment. Finlay was right. The HUNT attack spelled trouble for more than just the Shadows. The hunters were out to get all vampires.
He faced Finlay, forcing himself to focus. The man had the same calm intensity that Aaron had, which must be why Aaron had chosen Finlay to be his second. Neal couldn’t imagine what Finlay was going through, with Aaron still in a coma from which he might never wake. The control that Finlay must have to not tear through Roman like Talon and Neal had both attempted to do was staggering. Neal ran a hand through his hair. “We’re not going to have much luck,” he said. “We don’t know how he found his way here, and there was no chance to question him.” He glared at Finlay, daring him to protest Neal’s bloody display of violence. May had been in danger and there had only been one path open to him, destroy the threat.
But Finlay only nodded. “You made the right decision, and I understand there was a vassal in danger? One of your vassals brought with you from Chicago?”
“Yes,” Neal said shortly.
“Well then,” Finlay said with finality. Clearly, Finlay too took seriously the role a Bloodline had in protecting its vassals. It was a shame that his opinion was not held by all vampires across the world. Neal had seen too many vassals abused by the vampires that held power over them.
“You know it was Roman,” Neal said quietly.
Finlay sighed, “We have no proof to tie him to it. I’ve had my own men watching him since we arrived.” He glanced at Neal. “Oh yes, many of the Elders are disgusted with what Kai did, and Roman’s attempts to weasel out of his responsibility have been noted. It certainly looks suspicious, but betray his own people to hunters?” Finlay frowned. “I can’t believe any vampire would do such a thing.”
Neal shook his head. “Trust me, I’ve seen vampires do worse.”
Finlay sighed and was silent a moment. “This hunter, he was acting alone? Your people found no tracks, no sign of his passage?”
“No.”
Finlay considered this, his brow furrowed, then his eyes suddenly widened. “Could it be that he didn’t track us, didn’t come from the outside.” He caught Neal’s gaze. “Could he have been here, lying in wait?”
Neal stared at him, a cold trickle down his back. “You mean, like a spy? infiltrating the vassals?” Neal was stunned. He walked away from Finlay towards the window and looked out at the people moving around the Conclave, so many people, so many unfamiliar vassals. It was possible. “Our vassals are loyal,” Neal said, thinking of May. There was no way he would have missed disloyalty in his own ranks.
“Ours as well,” Finlay said, joining him, a note of defensiveness in his voice. “But the other Bloodlines… It might not have been intentional, the hunters could have crept in with recent hires, like sleeper agents biding their time.” He paused. “There is a way we could determine whether any of the vassals here at the Conclave have been turned or replaced by spies,” Finlay said. “However, it will not go down well with the rest of the Conclave, and I am reluctant to press at tempers already tightened to a fever pitch.”
“You mean truth-seeking,” Neal said, realizing what Finlay was aiming at. “Searching their minds under interrogation.” He considered it. “No Bloodline will let an outsider question their vassals, not with the risk of their own secrets being spilled.”
“No,” Finlay said, shaking his head angrily, “Always this damn secrecy. I fear our race will never learn to trust each other.”
Neal straightened, turning to Finlay. “You have my permission to speak with our vassals,” he said, ignoring the way Finlay’s eyes widened in shock. “Maybe seeing us do it will encourage the other Bloodlines to offer as well.”
Finlay nodded seriously. “I appreciate your trust,” he said, “I shall mention it in the evening’s meeting,” he said, then he paused. “I will speak only to the heads of the Bloodlines; I don’t want to add to the suspicions already running around the place. Some of the younger vampires,” he sighed. “I do not trust them with this knowledge.”
Neal snarled at the thought of some unknown vampire threatening May. “Yes,” he said, “we should keep it quiet.”
“I shall see you there, then,” Finlay said, clapping him on the shoulder briefly, “and,” he caught Neal’s eye, “you will restrain yourself around Roman.”
Neal nodded silently, not trusting himself to say more. Yeah, he wouldn’t touch Roman at the Conclave. But soon Roman was going to fuck up, and when he did, Neal would be there to bring him to justice. The old-fashioned way.
Finlay left and Neal decided to do a final check of the perimeter. He prowled through the shadows, noting the tension among the vampires, the way the humans clustered in groups. He hated the thought of May being brushed by this fear, this suspicion. He clenched his hand into a tight fist, his nails cutting into his palm. He would not allow her to be harmed. Not a single beautiful brown hair on her head would be touched. His memories of earlier today drifted through his mind, the taste of her skin and the feel of her rocking against him, and he groaned, willing down his stiffening shaft. Not now, but later tonight, he would show her exactly how he felt about her.
Chapter 19
May took a deep lungful of clean, cold air. Three nights had passed since the explosive night between her and Neal, and she was walking on clouds. The bond was humming softly between them, still new, still fragile, but growing stronger every day. Even the talk about her had died down. Or at least, no one had said anything to her face in a little while. She hoped that meant they weren’t just talking behind her back.
The wind whistled through the trees, and May raised her head to watch the tips of the pines wave in the wind. It was beautiful out here; she hadn’t really taken a moment to appreciate it. The sky was clear and the stars were spread above her as they had been on the first night. So different from the light-polluted sky over Chicago. Snow covered the ground in thick, undulating waves, and the dark pines leaned in, like tall old men, leaning towards the lodge for warmth. She grinned. Okay, maybe that was a bit too fanciful—still, it was peaceful out here, or at least, she imagined it was, without all the vampires and the humans, and the uneasy tension lying between them.
At least the Conclave was fully underway now, maybe everyone would be too busy to stir up trouble. The meetings were expected to stretch deep into the night and possibly beyond the dawn into the morning as the Elders dug into the main business of the Conclave, hearing reports from Bloodlines all over the world and deciding on the future of the vampire race.
May grinned up at the night sky. She was a part of something out here. In some small way, she was part of this momen
tous gathering. May laughed at herself. Honestly, the vampire Elders didn’t care about one little vassal. She shook her head, ready to head inside, but before she could take more than one step, there was a rustle of displaced wind, and she spun around, her eyes widening in shock. Roman stood in the center of the path.
“So here she is,” he said, “the little vassal that the Shadow is so distracted by.”
May flinched back. Roman’s thin, pale hair drifted lank and listless to his shoulders. His skin was stretched over his spare, skeletal face, cheekbones standing out at jagged angles. The irises of his large, pale eyes were so washed out that they were almost colorless. But the intensity in them was unmistakable; terrifying, violent, and full of hatred. May stepped back at the force of it.
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
“Come now,” he said, “don’t be coy with me. It’s obvious that he is obsessed with you. He can barely take his eyes off you. He dogs your every step. It’s a wonder he ever gets any work done protecting the Conclave. He’d clearly rather be…” Romans eyes trailed suggestively over May’s body and he twisted his lips into a leer.
“How dare you?” May said, shock and disgust tightening her skin. “What Neal and I are to each other is none of your business.”
Roman laughed, an ugly jagged sound. “Oh, but it is my business,” he said, “everything the Shadows do is my business.” He stepped closer, and May shuddered at the cold coming off of him. “I should thank you,” Roman said, “you’re making it so much easier for me to prove the Shadows are distracted and unfocused, ruled by human emotions. Lucian allowed himself to get distracted by that little upstart cop in Chicago, and now Neal is all tangled up with his lust for you. It won’t take much urging for the Circle to listen to my concerns regarding the Shadows now.”
“No,” May whispered, “you’re wrong. He knows his duty. He would place the Shadows before anything else.”
Roman laughed. “Oh yes? Well, we shall see about that,” he said, “after all, I am not the only one to have noticed his reaction to you. There has been talk, and I am only too happy to fan the flames.” His eyes changed as he looked her over again, now lingering on her curves in a way that made May feel like his cold, bony fingers were trailing uncomfortably over her skin. “Of course, it could simply be that you are looking for a vampire to spend your nights with. Perhaps it’s not the Shadow. Perhaps anyone will do.”
He pinched a strand of her hair and twisted it around one of his long bony fingers. May flinched back in disgust, her scalp hurting as she ripped her hair from his grip. “Don’t touch me.”
“Oh, come now,” Roman said. “There is no one to see. I won’t tell your Shadow if you don’t, and he’s not here right now, is he? In fact, I happen to know that he’s shut up with that superior asshole from Bloodline Clarity,” he snarled. “He won’t be here for a long time. We could have a little fun, you and I.”
“Don’t you dare,” May said. “I’ll scream.”
Roman lunged forward and pressed his hand over her mouth. “No,” he said, “I don’t think you will. I have half a mind to take what I want from you. The Shadows have been frustrating my plans long enough. Maybe I’ll take that frustration out on you.” May trembled, fear rising within her. There was no one out here, oh, why had she come out alone? She struggled, trying to bite down on his hand, but his grip was far too strong. Roman grinned down at her, his face like a skull, and moved even closer.
Before he could do anything else, there was a rush of displaced air, and Roman was thrown back from her onto the snowy ground. Rune stood between them breathing heavily, his broad muscled back blocking her view of Roman.
“Get out of here,” he growled at Roman, “before Neal tears you limb from limb.” Roman’s eyes, full of ugly anger, slid to May, where she was huddled behind Rune. “Don’t even look at her,” Rune said, moving to cover her more fully. “Neal is already on his way,” Rune said, and Roman finally turned and disappeared into the night.
Rune turned to May. “Thank you,” she gasped.
He nodded. “Neal really is on his way. He must have felt your fear through your soulmate bond.”
May stared up at him in surprise, time seeming to stand still. Soulmate bond? What did he mean? Could that be what she felt? The connection tying her to Neal? But before she could ask, Rune was speaking again, concern in his eyes. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” May said hesitantly, straightening up and brushing herself down. “He didn’t, he didn’t have a chance to hurt me, he just scared me.”
Rune took a step closer to her, looking around protectively. “He wouldn’t dare try anything. He just wanted to scare you. He knows that Neal would not stop until he was dust on the ground if he touched you. That’s why I knew I had to intervene,” he said, catching her eyes. “If Neal had been here, he would have killed Roman, and that would have put the Shadows in an impossible position. A death at the Conclave, by one of the Shadows no less…” he trailed off.
May stared up at him. Oh God, he was right. Neal was acting without restraint because of her, and Roman had just proven he would use that. He would twist and needle at Neal’s protectiveness over May until Neal snapped. She felt cold, colder than when Roman had been here talking to her. If she didn’t do something, she would be the reason that Neal lost his control. She couldn’t bear the thought of that.
“I’m glad Neal has found the other half of his soul,” Rune said. His hard, expressionless face thawing very slightly as he looked down at her. “I can’t imagine what it must be like, but you cannot forget, he is a Shadow warrior and he has a duty to his Bloodline and to the vampire race.”
May swallowed roughly. She had no idea how to respond to Rune’s mention of soulmates, but one thing she was sure about. She would not force Neal to choose between herself and his duty. She knew which had to come first. “I know,” she hastened to reassure Rune.
“I’m not sure that you do,” Rune said, and the look in his eyes was tinged with quiet concern. “I hope for both of your sakes that you are able to find a way through this, but I fear the situation with Roman and Bloodline Radiance is more dangerous than it seems. Neal may seem unbreakable, but… he was hurt once, long ago, by loss,” Rune said. “He does not speak of it, but I was there with him. I saw some of it happen. I never want to see my friend hurt again.”
He was talking about Italy May realized. Neal had said Rune accompanied Neal on the assignment, and he must have known about the woman Neal fell in love with and her untimely end in the fire. “I’m not going to hurt him,” she said. “I would never do that,” she promised.
Rune nodded and looked up. May followed his eyes to where Neal was quickly approaching.
“Don’t tell him,” May said.
Rune snapped his gaze back to her.
“I know what happened after the hunter attacked the cabin. Neal can’t go after Roman again, you said he would kill him. It would cost the Shadows everything, cost Neal everything. Please, Rune,” she said looking up at him. “Don’t tell him.”
“Very well,” Rune said, but it was obvious the admission cost him. “I will leave you then,” he said and melted into the shadows.
Neal crossed the ground between them quickly. She didn’t want to hurt him, she thought. She’d told Rune the truth, that was the last thing she wanted, but maybe her presence was hurting him in a different way. Hurting his reputation and causing him to lose his control over his emotions. Everything between them was too much, too quick. They needed to spend some time apart. Let the rumors die down, maybe once the rest of the vampires had stopped focusing on them and started focusing on the events of the Conclave itself, then she and Neal could find their way back to each other. Just a few nights, she promised herself.
“Are you all right?” Neal asked as soon as he got close enough. “I felt you, your fear—”
“It’s fine, I’m fine, Neal. Rune was here,” May hastened to reassure him. She didn�
�t want to tell Neal that it was Roman who had unsettled her. She couldn’t bear to see him rush off like before and threaten Roman again. She didn’t know what would happen to him if he attacked Roman. He might be barred from the Conclave, lose his position as Lucian’s second, or worse, the Shadows as a whole might be punished. No, she had to keep quiet, and she had to hope Rune would not tell him.
“What happened?” Neal asked, taking her hands in his.
“It was nothing,” May said, “I just…” She hesitated. “I realized that everything that’s happened between us has been so quick. It’s been so overwhelming.” She pulled her hands free of his hold. “Everything has moved so fast, I want… I mean I need some time and space.” She steeled herself and looked him directly in the eyes. “I want to move out of your cabin.”
Chapter 20
Move out of the cabin? “May, why?” he reached for her, and May recoiled from his touch. Something deep inside Neal snapped, a pain stabbing deep in his chest. She didn’t want him. Why? What had he done wrong? He reached through the soulmate bond, but there was a veil spread between them, loose and silvery, not fully turning him away, but still masking her emotions.
He hungered to rip the veil apart and draw her close to him but he forced himself to stop and pull back. He needed to understand, not to force her. “May, please, if I’ve done something wrong—”
“No, no, it’s not you, I swear, Neal you’re perfect.” There were unshed tears in her eyes. Neal couldn’t bear to see her pain. “It’s nothing like that. I do want this, I want you, I just need some time to get used to it, that’s all.”