Prince of Shadows

by Tes Hilaire

  Five minutes with the man and here she was, crashing. It was worse than any of the withdrawals she’d experienced after a feeding. Only this time she hadn’t even fed, though she almost had. No, she’d almost taken. And not just his blood. He’d offered to let her feed from him, and the desire to do so had been so overpowering, so blatantly arousing, that she could still feel the throbbing pulse not just in her fangs, but in regions of her body that had laid dormant since she’d been turned. Seventy-nine years was a hell of a long dry spell on desire.

  As if you could actually go through with it if he took you up on the offer.

  Very true. Sex was for power and power alone. She had no desire to give any man, even one like Valin, power over her again. And if he knew that she was the cause of his ultimate pain?

  Gabby rubbed her arms, glancing over her shoulder as if expecting to find him standing there, knife in hand. Obviously he didn’t suspect how she was connected to the night his wife and child had died or else he would have used that knife on her rather than himself. If she were lucky he’d never find out. Which meant after she’d gotten her meal, if he wasn’t gone yet, she’d have to find a way to drive him away too.

  “First, dinner,” she told herself firmly, putting her foot down on the fire escape. She was going to need all the sustenance she could get if she hoped to set even half the things her screwed-up heritage had caused to rights.

  ***

  “Still not back yet?” Annie asked from the open doorway.

  Valin sighed, heaving himself upright on Gabby’s cot. The desire to try and track Gabby down was making him jumpy, so to combat that he’d decided to lie down. Waiting was the best thing he could do right now.

  Don’t chase a spooked horse. And that’s what he’d done, spooked her. Whether it had simply been the offer of his blood or whether it was all the other crap between them that had scared the bejeezus out of her, Valin wasn’t sure. Probably both. God knew he understood; he was scared shitless too. Losing Angeline and their unborn child had about killed him; what if he couldn’t fix whatever it was that was making Gabby sick? What if she died on him too?

  Not going to happen.

  “Don’t worry. She’ll come back. She always does,” Annie said, coming completely into the room.

  “Yeah? When?”

  Annie shrugged. “When she’s ready.”

  “Fucking spectacular.”

  Annie smiled and moved over to the desk, hiking her butt onto it. And yeah, way to make him feel even shorter. Whoever had named her Annie must not have been thinking very far into the future. Tall genes did not grow on trees, unless it was the family sort. Surely her parents could have guessed that she might eventually hit cloud levels and given her a name that didn’t bring to mind scrappy little orphans in red dresses.

  “So, how did you and Gabby first meet?” she asked.

  Valin narrowed his eyes. He’d gotten the impression from their little encounter outside Haven last week that Annie already knew about him. He’d made the assumption—okay, he’d hoped—that was because of Gabby; it seemed he may have been wrong. “Gabby didn’t tell you?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Gabby isn’t too big on the sharing thing. What she does excel at is stomping around and putting her nose in other people’s business.”

  “And you’re her best pupil.”

  “I strive for A’s across the board.”

  Valin decided to not say what was on his mind. Besides, he wasn’t exactly expunged of guilt on either subject himself, though he liked to think he pulled off the stomping bit with more style and grace.

  Yeah, sure you do, Valin. Except maybe when you’re tackling women in hallways.

  “So…” Annie drew the word out, tapping the metal desk with her short-trimmed nails. “Wanna tell me why Gabby was running from you?”

  Not really, no. But then again, Annie did seem to have a real familiarity with Gabby. She certainly seemed comfortable in Gabby’s room and to be able to imitate the same cocked-hip attitude stance so well, she must spend a fair amount of time around her too. Even if she didn’t have any real answers, maybe the girl at least had a theory as to what the heck had happened to Gabby.

  “How long have you known Gabby?”

  “A little over two months.” Annie shrugged. “But she’s only been staying here the last few weeks or so.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I think she just loves torturing us.”

  “Torturing you?”

  “Yeah, she helps my dad out with the training. She has a real love of the whip.” She snapped her hand out and back in front of her. “Whipcha!”

  “So she’s been spending more time here in order to train you guys.”

  “We were a pretty sorry lot. At least when it came to properly utilizing our other sides.” She quoted the air with the word “other.” “And we’ve had a lot more recruits since she showed up.”

  “Recruits she helped find?”

  Annie nodded.

  Valin frowned. Everything Annie was saying sounded exactly like what he’d expect from the Gabby he’d met in the mines. Yeah, the vamp played hard and tough, but she’d given away that day just how much she cared about others when she’d attempted to sacrifice her own life for Roland’s and Karissa’s. What it didn’t explain was that dark taint on her.

  Annie rapped the desk with her fist, drawing Valin’s gaze back to her. “Okay, pretty boy. I’ve spilled. Your turn now.”

  Valin narrowed his eyes. “You called Logan that too. Back at Haven.”

  Annie frowned, but then a look of enlightenment crossed her face. “Oh, you mean Gabby’s Paladin friend.”

  “Yeah…The Paladin friend you had a message for.” A message that had come too late. Poor bastard. The unfairness of the whole thing was something right out of a damn soap, only worse. Because not only had Logan found his bond mate, who was human, but she’d died way too fucking young.

  Not the only one. And not the only poor bastard left behind, either.

  Annie made a sound like she had something stuck in her throat, her cheeks flushing as she pointedly looked away from Valin, her gaze catching on anything and everything that could be considered halfway interesting, which wasn’t much. He didn’t think it was his morose thoughts that had made her uneasy, though.

  “Gabby didn’t actually send you, did she?”

  She gave a little lift and drop of her shoulders. “I overheard her talking to my dad.”

  “Your dad?”

  “Jacob.”

  Valin fought to school his face. Jacob did look older, but not old enough to be her dad. Either he was really young when he’d knocked Annie’s mother up, or he’d inherited some of the Paladin longevity genes.

  “Okay, so did Gabby call him pretty boy to your dad or something?”

  “No. I called him that. You have to admit he is damn fine to look at.” She dragged her gaze over him. “I’m thinking most of you Paladin are.”

  Valin shook his head. “Fucking twins.”

  “What?”

  “You and Gabby. You’ve emulated her so well that you’re like her damn twin.”

  Annie’s mouth thinned, her body going completely still. Nope, despite the fact that she obviously looked up to Gabby’s badass attitude, she didn’t appreciate being called a copycat. Which had been Valin’s hope. Stirring up the pot almost always yielded interesting things in its depths.

  Valin folded his arms across his chest to wait. Annie hopped off the desk, letting her agitation out by moseying around the room, touching Gabby’s things as she did. It took all Valin’s self-control not to leap up and slap her hands away when she started playing with Gabby’s weapons. They were Gabby’s weapons, not hers. And a weapon was everything to a warrior. Valin would know, since he so often had to do without his when he took to the shade.

  “I’m not like Gabby. Despite the fact that you’re being an asshole, I’m not running, now am I?”

  “Well why don’t I just a
ward you some bonus points, since Gabby’s not here to do it?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Or should I deduct them?”

  “Well, if we’re deducting points I have to give you a big fat fail for not answering the question.”

  “Oh, which one is that?”

  “What did you do to drive her off?”

  He ground his molars, his jaw aching he clenched it so hard. The accusation, that he’d driven her off, didn’t sit well, even if it was true in its own way. “I offered her my vein.”

  “Get the fuck out.”

  Valin snapped his head around, but she wasn’t actually trying to kick him out; her mouth was hanging open with incredulity. She managed to recover, shaking her head as she pulled her mouth back together. “Oh, wow. That would do it too.”

  “I take it I’m not the first one to offer.” And why did that piss him off even more?

  She shook her head. “Uncle Aaron offered just the other night. Put her in a real weird mood.”

  Aaron. Valin took a deep breath. Of course it had to be him. Valin had really been hoping that he wouldn’t have to kill the fucker, but this cinched it—Trigger Happy was dead.

  Later. Right now he had to concentrate on the more important thing: Gabby’s health. “So I’m also not the only one that sees she can’t be feeding enough.”

  Annie pursed her lips, looking uncertain. “I don’t know. I thought that too, and I do think it contributes—that and the inconsistency of her feedings—but that theory isn’t settling.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because sometimes after she feeds she seems worse.”

  “Worse?”

  “Yeah, I mean she has more energy, sure, but it’s not a good kind. And then when it fades?” She shrugged. “Well, she looks worse than before. Like housing all that yucky energy is draining the life right out of her.”

  “Fuck.” He shook his head as the enormity of the problem hit him. It wasn’t a onetime incident that had put the stain on Gabby; it was an ongoing thing. Whatever or however Gabby was feeding, if this accelerated aging was the result, then she was destroying herself when she did. “Fuck me.”

  “You know what’s wrong?”

  “Not exactly,” he pushed up off the cot, checking to make sure his knife was strapped on tight, “but in the end it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

  “Doesn’t matter? Why not?”

  “Because I’m going to put a stop to it.”

  “How?” Annie asked, following him to the door.

  “Easy.” He stopped, knuckles white as he gripped the doorknob. “Tonight she’ll be feeding from me.”

  Chapter 5

  Bennett sagged down against the tree, thankful for the strong hardwood and its supportive capabilities. He’d only had a couple of shielding sessions with Karissa, and reaching out across such a great distance to find her and link up had not been easy.

  Would have been easier with his fucking phone, but though he’d been allowed to stay in the base, his phone and knife were locked up tight somewhere. He was sure it was Jacob’s idea of an insurance policy. The man wasn’t stupid, and there were enough gifteds with the sensitive aspects here to know the knife they’d taken off him had power. Bennett wondered if they knew it wasn’t the average everyday magical kind but rather power bestowed on the weapon by the Almighty One Himself. More so, he wondered if any of them could actually draw the power from the heavenly blade without getting hurt. That right there might convince the council these soldiers weren’t as inferior as Senior Calhoun seemed to think.

  The council’s stance on these part-breeds frustrated Bennett. He had too much of his own diluted blood to consider these soldiers anything less than lost cousins, and as such had taken the assignment as much to prove Senior wrong as anything else. He bloody hell wasn’t a kidnapper, that was for sure, so if Senior Calhoun thought Bennett would actually take the pointed suggestion to obtain the null and bring her home by any means necessary, the elder was as warped as the rest of them were.

  Speaking of warped minds…Bennett lifted his head, squinting against the dappled sun pouring through the maple tree to focus on a stretch of grass in the center of Fort Greene Park. And sure enough, he’d been right earlier when he’d about dropped the link in shock. That was Annie soaking up the warming rays of the fall sun as she sat in the clearing, sipping something out of a straw cup as she dug her bare feet into the blades of grass. The question was where were her guards? In the thirty-six hours or so since he and Valin had forced themselves into the status of unwanted guests, Bennett had noted that she was rarely alone—at least when he or Valin were around.

  Think maybe there might be a reason for that, like, oh, maybe her father doesn’t trust you?

  Well, he supposed there were a couple ways to earn the man’s trust, and bringing his daughter home seemed like a good start.

  Pushing back his exhaustion, he straightened and made his way across the park to her. She didn’t notice he slipped up behind her until his shadow fell upon her, cutting off her sun rays, making her shoulders tense.

  “Does your da’ know you’re out here?” he asked and watched those shoulders relax again.

  She tipped her head back and wrinkled her nose as she shaded her face to look up at him. “Hopefully not. But he probably knows by now that I’m gone.”

  Which meant she was alone. Crap. “Why are you out here?”

  “Why are you?” she asked, stuffing her feet into a pair of Converse. She stood, gesturing for him to walk with her down the path that led toward the north end of the park. “I find it hard to believe Dad would have sent you outside the base to look for me.”

  He shrugged, falling into step beside her. “I had some things to take care of.”

  “Things…” She pursed her lips, eyes narrowed. “Things like contacting your buddies back at Haven and telling them where we are?”

  The only thing about the question that surprised him was that he hadn’t heard it from any of them before. But no grilling had occurred yet, leaving Bennett to assume that Valin had somehow either managed to pull some charm out of his arse or Jacob had been even more desperate to cut a deal than Bennett had figured. And if that were the case, Bennett just hoped it was a deal that he, and the other Paladin, could live with.

  He sighed. There was really no reason not to tell Annie what he was doing out here. And the first step on the road to trust was truth, and the truth was he wanted to find some way to make this a win-win for everyone. Whether the council saw it or not, he knew deep in his gut that he and his brethren needed these distant cousins of theirs on their side in this war. Just as he knew the way to winning them over wasn’t by forcing their hand, but by showing them they could bend, even go so far as to give if the need arose.

  “No. Like contacting Karissa and telling her.”

  Annie gave him a hard stare.

  “We’ve been gone longer than normal without checking in. I thought it prudent to avoid any sort of search parties. Karissa has no allegiance to the council. She will pass the message to Haven that we’re safe, but she won’t tell them where we are.”

  He waited for that to sink in, figuring she was smart enough to read between the lines and realize he was playing in shades of gray for them now. “I’m not going to give up your safe house. If your father determines he’s willing to open the lines of communication, then I hope he’ll consider me a mediator. Meanwhile, I am satisfied being given the opportunity to live amongst you.”

  “Hmmm…” She tapped her cup. The sides were dewed from the exceptionally warm fall day. A perfect day, really. He almost hated having to begrudge her being out in it, but on this point he, the council, and her father all agreed: Annie’s safety came first.

  “So why are you out here?”

  She raised the cup. “I wanted a slushee.”

  “And that’s a good enough excuse to worry your father?” Not to mention putting herself, and thus everyone else, in danger.

  “I know, I know. I’m just so
sick of being a prisoner. I know I’m being selfish, but occasionally I just have to get out of there. Otherwise I think I’m going to just start screaming.”

  “I understand.” He did. With his gift there were more occasions than not that he wished he could just take off and drive, not stopping until he was completely alone. He didn’t, though. Not when so many others counted on him. So he got his outlet in other ways: fast cars, fine clothes…women. Still, if catching some rays were so important to Annie, he didn’t get why she risked her safety for it. “But why don’t you bring someone with you? Doesn’t your dad give you guards?”

  “You think even with a dozen guards my dad would let me out? Especially now, after you guys burst his little safety bubble the other day?” She shook her head. “I’m lucky he hasn’t locked me in my room and posted full-time guards.”

  That was a point. And because it was a good one—not to mention a likely possibility once he brought her back—Bennett decided not to rush her and slowed his pace slightly. She didn’t comment, but threw him a smile in thanks, tipping her head back to catch some more of those rays. The sun caught in her short tussle of hair, teasing the color from pure red to blond, chestnut, and copper. It made him itch to touch it. Touch her. Sink into her mind and steal just a little bit of the pleasure she seemed to be indulging in. What would it be like to be able to wall off your worries, if only for a moment, and simply enjoy?

  But he couldn’t, now could he? She was a null, which meant that the moment he touched her, his gift would go dormant. And because of that fact, the urge to reach out and touch her became almost unbearable. Contact always increased his gift. When he touched people he tended to take on their emotions. It’s one of the reasons why he both craved and hated sexual encounters. The high he got off a woman’s desire was fucking amazing, but it also made him feel sleazy. More often than not when he left their realm of influence, he realized that there had been no actual attraction on his part and he had simply been feeding off theirs. Yet he was definitely attracted to Annie. If he reached for her now, would he experience the same sexual zing as he did with other women? And if he did, would it be better or worse because it was his and his alone?