He nodded and she laughed. "Simple, the vampires better hope that he doesn't exist, because if he does rise our rules and laws no longer apply. We will slaughter every blood sucker we see."
"That sounds like it could be fun." He chuckled and left.
Danielle clicked through more photos. Nothing seemed to be out of order in any of them. Except...she paused at one of a mausoleum. A woman knelt in front of it, long white hair cascading down her back and Dani knew that if she turned around she'd be wearing sunglasses. There weren't many women with long white hair in Colorado. "What the hell is going on?" She shot an e-mail back, letting the Master know what she knew about the woman. What were the chances this person was more than a donor? If she had ties to the vampires in the area, close ties, the Hunters could benefit from talking with her. She shut the computer and leaned her head back, resisting the urge to call Renee. She'd been in charge of Renee's protection for so long that the two had become close friends. It was odd for Dani, being back in her regular house and not the one she rented with Renee. Everything felt off now. Depending on what happened with the situation, Danielle could be removed from her duty and she'd have to disappear from Renee's life. Part of the problem with being a Hunter was you didn't get to have normal friends.
Chapter Eight
Coran opened the door for Renee, cringing when the wound on his back pulled. “This is getting more complicated than I ever imagined.”
Orion came around the corner then stopped with a surprised look on his face. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"
"We were attacked. They were after the stone." Coran shook his head. "They came into human territory—"
"There you go again." Renee said. "You keep saying human territory, shifters, crazy stuff like that. I want you to explain what the hell is going on."
Coran let out a small growl. "I will explain everything soon, but right now I have to bring Orion up to speed." Most of the time he loved her inquisitive nature and ability to not miss a beat, but at this moment he wanted to cup his hand over her mouth, or gag her. The image got his blood stirring and he shook his head impatiently.
“Well by all means, let me give you some privacy to have your little chat.” With excessive sarcasm, Renee turned and went up the stairs. Coran could almost feel the hostility coming off her in waves.
Orion raised a brow. “You plan on telling her?”
“It’s the only way to keep her safe at this point. Three were-tigers showed up at the university. They didn’t shift in front of the humans but they caused some damage and some serious panic. We ran but they caught up with us. I sent Renee ahead to the club, but I had to shift to eliminate the threat. I took care of all three of them but took some damage in the process.” Coran turned and showed Orion his back.
“Well, that explains the no shirt thing. Did you get any info from them?”
“Nothing other than they wanted the stone. It wasn’t really a good time to have a conversation.” Coran glanced towards the stairs again. He could hear Renee storming about upstairs and the bathroom door slam then the sound of the shower running. The thought of Renee naked with hot water all over her body had him growing hard. He shook his head again. The last thing he needed right now was his attraction to the human raising its head.
He glanced back at Orion leaning against the wall. The other man was watching him with a curious look on his face.
“You know you have to tell Lucius about this.”
“I know. The tigers were being controlled by someone. And judging by those pups ability to just disappear the other day it’s got to be someone powerful.” Coran ran his hands through his hair. Keeping one human safe was becoming seriously difficult. But he knew how fragile they were. He had first hand, painful experience of how easily they could be hurt and killed. He could not go through that again. What the fuck was fate thinking throwing Renee in his path?
“Coran.” Orion said, pulling him from his miserable thoughts. “Go up there and talk to her. Tell her as much you think is wise. But you really need to talk to Lucius about this tonight.” Coran only nodded in response. “Good luck man, and I hope Lucius doesn’t freak out too much.”
Coran hoped for the same thing. He turned and headed for the stairs. The shower was no longer running and the steam from the shower carried the delectable vanilla scent of Renee’s soap to Coran’s nose. As he went upstairs he hoped fate wouldn’t be a bitch right now.
Renee had taken a hot shower and changed into her comfy pajamas. It had been a crazy day and she wanted the comfort of familiar things. She dragged a comb through her damp hair, muttering curses to stubborn males, when Coran walked in.
“Hey there. How did your little chat go?” she said it humorously but Coran didn’t smile.
Coran paced his room silently as if trying to come up with the best way to explain everything.
Renee sat down on the edge of the bed, with one leg tucked up under her and the other hanging off the side. She faced him, patiently waiting with a look that said she expected him to tell her everything.
He seemed to take a moment to gather his thoughts. "You know those shadows you see?" She nodded and he continued. "You only see those on people who are shifters."
"Shifters?"
"People who can change forms, from human to animals."
"Holy shit, that means you're a werewolf." She blinked and a grin spread across her face. She had no problem believing what Coran was saying for some reason. Maybe she had always known what the shadows had meant and just pushed it aside. But when she thought about all the things she had read in books her heart sped up. "Everything? Demons? Vampires? Witches? Everything that goes bump in the night?" Her stomach tightened, but she couldn't tell if it was fear or excitement.
"Pretty much, but you knew all that didn't you? You've seen shadows for most of your life—"
"But I ignored them, thinking that they would go away. I thought I was going crazy, but apparently not." She shrugged and thought back to the she’d experienced at the hands of her parents and the excuses they made to others. "I always knew there was something else out there, but what does the stone have to do with it?"
He sat down beside her on the bed, turning to face her. He was so close she could smell him. Male and a hint of the forest filled her nose.
"Tell me, how did it feel when you first touched the stone?" He gestured to the stone around her neck. His eyes met hers and a strange but pleasant warmth started to spread through her body.
She closed her eyes and tried to recall that day. The stone felt heavy in her hand and around her neck, but another feeling came to her, something natural. "It felt like it belonged with me. I can't explain it. I mean, I'm attracted to shiny objects, but this is different. The stone felt comfortable around my neck, though a little heavy, but...comforting." She touched the chain and sighed. "I know that sounds crazy-"
"Nothing sounds crazy in our world, trust me." He looked away from her and down at his hand. He was distractedly rubbing a circle with his thumb around a penguin printed on the knee of her pajamas. A thrill went through her at the touch and she could feel the warmth of his hand through the thin fabric. "You going to tell me what it has to do with me?"
"I don't know why it was sent to you and I can't tell you what it is because I'm forbidden. What I do need is for you to give it to me or Tegan. It’s the only way to keep you safe."
"But there has to be a reason it was sent to me. I want to know what that reason is before I hand it over to someone else.” She leaned towards him to meet eye-to-eye and nose to nose with him. "I'm learning about this world and you've let me in on a big secret already, haven't you?" Her mind churned with more curiosity, but she kept her questions to herself.
He nodded. "You're no longer an innocent human which means that you can't be spared extra violence. I'm not happy about it, but I supposed we don’t have much choice. You’ve pretty much been thrown into the middle of a war that’s been going on for years." He gave a small frustrated growl.
"But the order to not tell you about the stone comes from a higher source and one that I'm much more scared of."
She leaned her head against his shoulder, suddenly exhausted. But she figured the past couple of days, being attacked repeatedly, her house getting broken into, coming to stay with Coran, and now learning about this new world had probably taken its toll on her.
“I feel like I swallowed the red pill. Like I entered the Matrix or something.”
He laughed. “Followed me down the rabbit hole?”
She nodded against his shoulder and took a deep breath. She could smell the woods, some ancient forest, untouched by human hands. She wasn’t sure what it was but she felt safe being this close to him. She felt complete, as if he was a part of her that had been missing her whole life but she hadn’t known it till now.
"So what do wings mean?" She asked.
"You referring to Orion's?" When she nodded he laughed. "He's a Fae."
"A fairy?"
"Don't let him hear you call him that." Coran laughed and she could feel the rumble in his chest. Closing her eyes, she relished it. "Got it, no calling him a fairy." She looked up at him, meeting his green eyes, and saw something there. Something that matched what she felt. A strange sensation of completeness, of warmth, of safety.
Before she could say anything else his lips were on hers. Soft at first but then more demanding. She felt his tongue on her lips and opened her mouth to let him explore as he wished. He tasted wild and intoxicating and she was lost in the sensation. She reached out to touch his face then suddenly he was gone. She opened her eyes to see him standing a foot away breathing heavily.
"We can't do this." He wouldn’t meet her eyes. And it was infuriating. He turned for the door, shaking his head. Then he just closed the door quietly behind him. She wondered if she had done something wrong. She had wanted him to kiss her. Hell, she’d wanted more than that since the first time she’d laid eyes on him at the bar. She lay back on the bed, trying to rid herself of the sudden desire to feel his hands on her body. How dare he drop this information on her, kiss her, and then just leave like that with no explanation.
"Jerk."
Coran walked into the great room at Lucius' place. Crossing his arms, he stood his ground when the vampire suddenly appeared in front of him.
A wicked smile slithered over Lucius' face. "So where is my stone, Coran? You’ve had several days to get it now...or do I need to send my panther after it?"
Coran raised a brow. "You're just itching to send Kass out to kill someone, aren't you?"
"This isn't a joke. It's not like you to work so hard to protect a human. You want to explain what is going on?"
"She's special,” Coran said thoughtfully. Describing the incident with the tigers and then what Renee had said to him about the stone brought with it the memories of Renee’s lips on his. Gods, what had he been thinking? She had just been so close. Her warmth and her sweet smell had aroused his wolf. He and the wolf had always been of the same mind about most things. But the wolf recognized Renee as his mate and past experiences didn’t affect his desire to claim her as his. He was going to have to learn to control the impulse to be near her. Not controlling his beast could put Renee at risk. Taking a deep breath, he cleared his head and met Lucius’ quizzical expression.
“That stone belongs to her. I'm not sure how or why.”
"I don't care. I don't care if she is special and I don't care if she's even the human to the vampire's soul. The tiger’s attack only proves that the human is being hunted for it. It isn’t safe with her. That stone is supposed to be under our protection.” Lucius stood. "I know that I can kill you and then go after the human, but that would take out my best warrior. I will have Tegan talk to your human and see if that will work. Obviously you're too close to the situation."
Coran snarled. "Tegan freaks out when she just talks about the stone, you think the blood whore can actually handle it?"
Lucius raised his hand and Coran slammed into the wall, held there by Lucius’ power. "That little nickname of yours is going to get you into trouble. It has taken me centuries to get Tegan over her past and you take her right back to it with those two little words. I think Tegan can handle it and if not, she knows how to steal. One would think you'd prefer that method."
Coran struggled against the power holding him against the wall. Invisible hands pinned his neck, while a strange pressure held the rest of him immobile against the wall. "You're right, I do. Now let me go so I can get back to Renee." He knew better than to approach the subject of Tegan's past, seeing as Lucius considered Coran to be a major player in her torment.
"Renee." Lucius smiled. "Not 'the human' any more? Oh Coran, I think you're hiding something from me."
Coran closed his eyes. Dreading to admit out loud what he feared inside. "I think she's my fated mate."
"Well, isn't that a bitch." Lucius lowered his hand, releasing Coran as his smile faded. "Another human? What the hell did you do to piss fate off?"
"No idea, but I'm starting to think she's got a twisted sense of humor." Coran rolled his shoulders, glad to be under his own power again.
Lucius stroked his chin for a moment, looking Coran up and down. "You get me that stone, you can mate her.” He paused and a mischievous grin spread across his face. “And if she agrees, only if she agrees though, I'll turn her."
Coran sputtered. "You would turn her?” He asked in an incredulous tone. The thought of Renee being immortal filled him with mixed emotions. She would be safe, because it would be very difficult to harm or kill her. But she would change; no longer warm with the sweet smell of humanity lingering about her.
"Go get my stone. Send Tegan to me tomorrow night. We have a meeting that I need her to attend with me." Coran watched as Lucius sat down on his throne and waved him away dismissively.
"Right. She'll be here tomorrow night." He grumbled and waved as he walked out.
Chapter Nine
Renee woke suddenly and glanced at the clock. It was three in the afternoon. She was adjusting to late nights and sleeping most of the day. She sat up in bed and saw Coran sleeping once again on the floor. She heard a crash downstairs and Coran came awake with a start. Another crash and raised voices had them both jumping up. Renee followed Coran down the stairs.
“I am not fucking the vampire.” Tegan’s hurt voice echoed through the house.
Renee and Coran entered the kitchen just in time to see Tegan throw another glass and Orion duck.
“You could have fooled me. I thought you had moved past following his every order. Clearly I’m mistaken. You have the attitude of a well-trained whore.”
At the last word Renee gasped as Coran moved too fast for her to see and caught Tegan’s wrist before she could throw another glass. Tegan ripped her arm away from Coran and sat the glass down.
“Orion—”
“Don’t even.” the Fae snapped. “You call her a whore any time you get upset with her.”
“I know and I shouldn’t.” Coran said, his voice even.
Renee pressed her lips together and looked at Coran, remembering the phrase he’d called Tegan. “Tegan, you okay?” Renee asked, trying to break the tension.
Silence filled the kitchen for several moments then Tegan took a deep breath. “Yeah. It’s no big deal.” She straightened her shoulders and held her head up high. She turned towards Renee, obviously trying to ignore Orion. “Orion said you were attacked last night.”
Renee nodded and glanced at the two boys then pulled on the chain around her neck, pulling the necklace into view. “They were looking for this.”
Tegan froze. “You keep it on you?” A tremor in her voice made everyone turn to her.
“I didn’t think it was a good idea to just leave it lying around.” Renee took a step back when Tegan closed her hands into fists.
Tegan took a stiff step forward as if she was trying to fight against something. “Can’t be near it. Must send it away.”
“Tegan?” Rene
e asked, but the woman didn’t respond. She just launched herself forward. Renee threw up her arms to protect herself, but Coran caught Tegan around the waist and pulled her against him.
“I don’t think so, girly.” He held her there with an arm across her waist.
Renee’s heart pounded against her chest as she watched Tegan struggle.
“Send it away, send it away.” Tegan whispered as she began to calm down. “Help me...” She pleaded, pain and fear filling her voice before passing out against Coran.
Coran scooped her up and Renee couldn’t help the small pang of jealousy when she saw Coran touching the other woman.
“Do you think you can handle her without causing further problems?” Coran snapped at Orion who nodded.
“Yeah, I’m sorry I pushed too much.” He took Tegan from Coran.
Coran shook his head. “You’ve got to stop that or Lucius is going to rip your balls off.”
Well that sounded a bit harsh, but Renee was learning that was the way this world worked. “What happened? Why did she react like that?”
“It was a different reaction than just talking about the stone.” Orion added.
Coran sighed. “She’s acting like someone is in her mind.”
Renee wanted to ask for an explanation, feeling lost already with what he was talking about.
“Some vampires have the ability to get into your head and force their will on you. Tegan had mentioned earlier that she thought Markus had touched her mind a while back. When she first sent the stone way.”
“That sounds like a terrifying ability.” Renee swallowed and watched Orion leave the room with Tegan.
Coran nodded. “Yeah, it really is.” Coran glanced at the clock and cursed. “I’m going to be out until this evening. Can I trust you to stay here?”
“Where are you going?” She demanded.
He chuckled. “I have to go handle some things at the club, paperwork and such.” He held a hand up, stopping her from asking if she could go. “No, you can’t go with me because you aren’t safe there. Relax a little bit. Read a book, I have plenty in my room.”
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