A smirk lifted one corner of his mouth as his eyes shifted up to me for the first time. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
I shook my head at him as I continued down the hall to the kitchen. “Well, isn’t this coz—y,” I said, choking on the last syllable when my gaze fell on James, who was sitting at the table with Cynnia and Shelly, sipping iced tea.
The Themis member immediately jumped to his feet, his left hand smoothing his tie. A wobbly smile perched on his lips. James was the last person I expected to see sitting at my kitchen table. I could only guess that the warlock Ryan was up to something.
“Mira—”
“Is Ryan here as well?” I asked, rudely cutting off whatever he was going to say.
“No, I came alone.”
“With me,” I snapped, motioning for him to follow me down the hall to the office, where I shut the door behind him sharply. Turning on my heel, I quickly closed the distance between us and gripped him in a hug. I felt him flinch at my touch but ignored it.
“I’m so glad to see that you are safe. Have you healed completely from Crete?” I demanded, my hands resting on his shoulders as I held him at arm’s length from me.
“Y-Yes, I’m fine,” he said, his eyes wide with surprise behind his gold, wire-rimmed glasses. “There were no complications and I healed quickly.”
“Ryan is such a bastard,” I growled, releasing James as I paced away from him to the desk at the opposite end of the room. “He had no business bringing you along to Crete. You could have been killed.”
“I wanted to go,” James firmly said, but I just shook my head.
“Ryan knew how dangerous it was, and you’re in no way trained for such a situation.” I paced back away from the desk and plopped down in one of the chairs, motioning for James to take the seat next to me.
“It wasn’t just about the naturi,” he said, slowly taking the seat beside me. “I should have been the one to tell you about Michael.”
I shook my head, balling my fists in my lap. “You weren’t his keeper.” The thought of Michael’s dead body being taken still angered me beyond rational behavior, but I was getting control of my temper. “Least of all, you weren’t the keeper of his corpse.”
“It was my job to see to them while they were on the Compound grounds,” he said.
“You’re absolved,” I said with a wave of my hand. “My main concern is the naturi now. It is unfortunate, but as Ryan said, Michael is dead. They can’t hurt him now.”
“Thank you, Mira,” James said, straightening his glasses on his long, slender nose.
“What are you doing here anyway?” I demanded, shrugging off his comment. I didn’t deserve his thanks—the disappearance wasn’t his fault.
“I came to tell you that the next sacrifice location is going to be at Machu Picchu, Peru,” he said, leaning forward in his excitement.
“So I’ve heard,” I muttered, falling back to rest against the back of the chair while I stretched out my legs to cross them at the ankle.
“You’ve heard already?” he softly said, looking positively crestfallen.
“Two nights ago, Jabari dropped the news on me.”
“Oh.”
“Though I do appreciate the confirmation from Themis,” I said, forcing a smile. “It’s nice to know that the Coven isn’t lying to me.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, though he still looked a little disappointed that he wasn’t the bearer of important information, as he had assumed.
“Of course, you could have just called and told us this information. What’s the other reason for your appearance?”
A blush stained his cheeks as his brown eyes dropped down to his slender hands. “I also brought Danaus a fresh change of clothes as well as some additional weapons that I thought he might need for his trip to Peru. He’s been on the road for a while now. I thought he could use some fresh items.”
A smiled toyed with my lips, but I smothered it before he could see it. While James was a full-fledged researcher for Themis, his main role was assistant to both Danaus and Ryan, which included seeing to their random needs, such as fetching weapons, researching, and making travel arrangements. James was eager to be a part of the fray with Danaus, but his biggest stumbling block was that he was simply a human playing in the realm of powerful creatures out for blood. There was only so many ways he could be of assistance in our world, and right now he was limited to errand boy.
“I’m sure he’s grateful for the fresh items,” I said, hooking a stray stand of hair behind my right ear. “Is Danaus frequently away from the Themis Compound?”
“He spends more time away from it than at the Compound. He doesn’t like to be settled in one place for too long,” James admitted, sitting back in his chair as well.
“Where does he go?”
“Ryan usually has him on one mission or another,” James said with a shrug of one shoulder.
“But Danaus hasn’t been sent to kill that many nightwalkers. If he had, I would have heard about him much sooner than I did, and he would have come after me much sooner.” Unless, of course, Ryan had hidden my existence from the hunter for some reason—not that I currently found that strand of logic likely. “He must have somewhere that he goes when he’s not on a mission for Themis.”
A smile lifted James’s lips and he shook his head at me as he sat up in his chair. “If you’re trying to get some little tidbit of information regarding Danaus from me, you’re not going to get anything interesting. Danaus doesn’t talk to me. He doesn’t talk to anyone. I’m sure there is plenty of time when he’s not on a mission, but I don’t know where he goes. I’m still trying to get him to carry a cell phone so I can locate him when he’s needed.”
I sighed and stared straight ahead at the desk that rested before me. Beyond it was a large window that looked out on the square, which was filled with enormous live oaks whose leaves blocked most of the street lamps. Night had settled in around us, and I was wasting it trying to pry information out of James regarding Danaus. It was nothing more than curiosity since I was willing to bet I already knew more about Danaus than the man that sat beside me.
“It’s getting late,” I announced, pushing to my feet with my powers. James jumped to his feet as well, moving a fearful step away from me as he saw the boneless way I rose. “We need to get going.”
“Is there any way I can be of assistance?”
“You’re not going to Peru,” I snapped. The man’s life had already been threatened and nearly taken in Crete. I wasn’t about to risk it again.
“I didn’t think so,” he said with a little half smile. “I was thinking more along the lines of transportation, weapons, lodgings, etcetera.”
“I have someone that can arrange all of that,” I said with a shake of my head, then paused and looked over at him, scratching the tip of my chin with an index finger. “However, if Themis could convince the Peruvian government to close access to the mountain, it would be greatly appreciated. I would prefer it if I didn’t have to worry about the naturi grabbing a bunch of tourists on their way up to the ruins.”
“I’ll see what we can do,” he said, then extended his hand toward me. “I wish you luck. I hope that we have a chance to work together again. I feel there is a great deal that I could learn from you.”
An evil grin lifted my lips and narrowed my eyes as I took his hand in mine. “You’d be stunned at what I could teach you, my friend. Have a safe journey home.”
James followed me to the front door, but as I opened it, I discovered that I had a new visitor preparing to knock. Barrett stood there, looking somewhat haggard. If my heart still beat within my chest, it would have been racing. The Alpha of the Savannah pack was on my doorstep, and I had a naturi sipping tea in my kitchen. This wasn’t something I could easily explain away—at least, not in any way that I was sure he would believe.
“Barrett!” I said, my voice jumping in surprise. The lycan shouldn’t have surprised me. I should have sensed his ar
rival, but I’d been so focused totally on James and his unexpected appearance that I hadn’t scanned the area around my home.
“I need to speak with you,” Barrett said, nodding briefly to the other man, who stood next to me.
“Of course,” I said, then said a quick good-bye to James before ushering Barrett quickly into my office. The lycanthrope seemed to sniff the air once before I managed to quickly shut the door and motion for him to take one of the chairs before the desk.
“What can I do for you?” I inquired, leaning against the front of the desk. A part of me inwardly prayed that Cynnia and Shelly remained happily ensconced in the kitchen until I managed to get the werewolf out of my town house.
“The naturi are gone from Savannah,” he said, unable to hide his shock or relief.
“All but one, yes. They are gone,” I hedged. If he did end up seeing Cynnia here, I didn’t want to be caught in the middle of a lie, particularly when I so artfully manipulated him just the other night. I still needed him cooperating with me.
“You did this?”
“Danaus and I, yes.”
“Why didn’t you do this earlier?” he demanded, his relief giving way to frustration. I understood his anger. He had already lost two brothers to the naturi in the past couple of months.
“Because of the cost,” I said softly, looking down at my feet, which were crossed at the ankle. “We attacked them last night to retrieve Amanda. We were outnumbered and nearly killed. A spell was cast in desperation, which wiped out almost all of the naturi in the region. It’s something I hope to never do again.”
Barrett frowned as he looked away from me and gazed out the window to the street beyond. He knew I wasn’t going to provide any more information than I already had. And in fact I wasn’t going to tell the lycanthrope that I was risking what was left of my soul and the soul of my companion. It wasn’t any of his business.
“Did you have anything else?” I inquired, trying not to sound like I was rushing him.
“That name you gave me, Harold Finchley,” Barrett said, his dark gaze snapping back to my face. “We don’t have any record of a lycanthrope existing with that name.”
“He may not have been from the U.S.”
“I checked the database for both the U.S. and Europe. There’s no record.”
“So it must have been an alias,” I murmured, talking to myself.
“Or he was a shifter that wasn’t a part of any pack. A rogue acting alone.”
I frowned at Barrett. It would make for a nicer, prettier explanation of what had happened. If this was just a case of a rogue shifter acting alone, it meant there wasn’t a greater conspiracy against nightwalkers with the Daylight Coalition. It meant that lycanthropes weren’t betraying the promise we had all made to protect each other from discovery and extermination.
Unfortunately, the witch that had been traveling with the lycan and the Coalition member made me doubt whether the lycan was acting alone or a part of something larger.
“Keep an ear to the ground for me,” I said around a darkening frown. “I’ve got someone checking into the witch.”
“Is there any chance of being able to speak with Finchley?” Barrett demanded, arching one brow at me.
“Not without a mystic,” I said with a shake of my head. “I was in a hurry and I couldn’t wait around to hand him over to someone who could take care of him properly. The laws are clear. Working with the Coalition is a death sentence.”
“I’m not questioning your actions,” Barrett said, raising both his hands as if to ward off my defensive statement. “However, this all could have been cleared up much easier if you had left him alive.”
“Yes, well, it wasn’t a possibility at the time.” A knock at the door broke off my train of thought, snapping my attention to Danaus standing outside the office.
“What?” I rudely demanded, growing more anxious the longer Barrett was in my house.
Danaus opened the door and poked his head inside. “We need to get going. It’s getting late.”
“I know. We’re almost finished. Pack up,” I said with a nod. I appreciated Danaus’s polite prod. I had no doubt that he could sense my anxiety and took the easy excuse to look in on me.
Unfortunately, I was out of time. Barrett took a long sniff of the air now that the door was open again. Damn the lycanthropes and their strong sense of smell! A low growl rumbled through the werewolf, and his eyes glowed when he looked up at me again.
“That last remaining naturi, it’s here!” he snarled, jumping from his chair. He stalked out of the room, pushing roughly past Danaus while I followed on his heels.
“Yes, the naturi is here,” I admitted, following, making a grab for his arm, but he jerked loose of my fingers.
He burst into the kitchen where Shelly and Cynnia were still seated at the table. Both women looked up and seemed to shrink in their seats at the sight of the rage twisting Barrett’s face. The werewolf made a grab for Cynnia, but Danaus got there first and threw him across the room, where Barrett crashed into the wooden cabinets.
“Stop it, Barrett!” I shouted, coming to stand between the naturi and the lycanthrope. “I need her alive.”
“You’ve just accused my race of siding with the Coalition, executed one of my people, and here you are harboring a naturi!” he shouted as he pushed back to his feet again. “How deep does your betrayal run?”
“I haven’t betrayed you, Barrett.” Reaching behind me, I grabbed the chain that linked Cynnia’s manacles and pulled her to her feet so he could see the irons. “She’s a prisoner. She’s going to help me get close to Rowe, get me close to the people that can finally end all of this. If necessary, she’s going to get me close to Aurora.”
“Why is she so willing to help you?” Barrett asked. “Why is she so willing to turn on her own people? How can you trust her?”
“I don’t trust her, but then again, I’m not giving her any choice. She has to help me if she wants to take her next breath.”
“I don’t trust you,” he finally said, pushing away from the counter he was leaning against.
“You think I’m going to help the naturi?” I demanded, releasing Cynnia’s chain. “After all the naturi that I’ve killed, after everything that I’ve survived at their hands, you think I would turn on my people? That I would turn on you?”
“Yes.”
Danaus reacted before I could. The hunter grabbed Barrett by the collar of his shirt and slammed the man into the stainless steel refrigerator, hitting it hard enough to dent the front. “She’s going to die in Peru for you in two nights,” he snarled in a frightening low voice. “She’s going to die for your worthless hide. She’s going to die for every worthless vampire and werewolf that walks the earth because she sees it as her duty. Mira’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect her people, even if it means enduring the presence of a naturi. What are you willing to do for your people?”
I took a jerky step backward at Danaus’s words, a strange feeling twisting in my chest where my soul should have been. A part of me had always known that it was highly unlikely I would return to Savannah after the final sacrifice at Machu Picchu. I knew I would do whatever it would take to stop Rowe, even if it meant sacrificing my own life. But to actually hear the words aloud was a different matter. It seemed to crush the last of the flickering hope that burned inside of me, leaving me feeling cold and hollow. It bothered me to know that Danaus was aware that this was most likely our last battle together.
He released Barrett, and the werewolf slid to the floor, his knees buckling beneath him, but his gaze never wavered from my pale face. “I—I didn’t know.”
“You weren’t supposed to. No one’s supposed to know,” I said with a shrug. “Do you think I want chaos in my domain? Besides, there’s a slim chance I might actually survive this.” I had no doubt that my brittle smile was completely unconvincing, but I had to try. I didn’t want his pity. I just didn’t want him causing problems while I was trying to t
ake down the naturi nation by starting rumors like the nightwalkers were making bargains with the naturi. I could only fight one war at a time.
Stepping over to Barrett, I extended my hand to him, offering to help him to his feet. He hesitated, staring at my ghostly white hand for a few seconds before finally taking it and allowing me to help him up.
“I know this looks bad, but we’ve been friends for many years,” I said, refusing to release his warm hand. “I’ve never betrayed you. I’m not about to start now when I need your friendship the most. If things go bad in Peru, there is a chance that everything could fall into chaos here. I expect Knox to take my place as Keeper of this domain. I would like to leave here with the knowledge that you will have his back.”
“I’ll stand by Knox. But who will have your back?”
“The hunter.”
Barrett shook his head. “You’re the only person I know who would surround herself with her enemy as a way of protection. Survive this, Mira.”
The werewolf pulled his hand free and silently walked out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
My knees trembled and I wished I could crumple to the floor. My nights were undoubtedly numbered and my life was going to end in pain. And my closest companion, the one I would depend on to protect my back, was a man that had killed more nightwalkers than I cared to count. Why did I find such easy companionship with those that wanted me dead? Danaus. Jabari. I even seemed to have more in common with Ryan, despite the fact that the warlock had ordered my death. Maybe I had developed some secret death wish. Too many years on this earth had made me weary of this heavy coil. Whatever the reason I surrounded myself with people with such a lust for my blood, the result was going to be the same in the end. I would go to Peru and stop Rowe with Danaus at my side and Cynnia under my heel.
Sixteen
The car ride out into the Georgia wilds was painfully silent. Danaus sat in the backseat with Cynnia, while Shelly occupied the passenger seat beside me. A couple times the perennially sunny witch took a breath to make a comment, but seemed to quickly release the air again when the words continued to elude her. It was better this way. I didn’t need the idle chatter to annoy me when my thoughts were solely focused on what lay ahead.
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