by Emily Reese
“I can’t,” Mike confessed. “I need to be close in case we… you know, find her.”
“She’s gone, Michael.” When terrified eyes shot to his face, Ben raised his hands and launched into an explanation. “I can’t tell you where, or what’s happened to her. My men were able to pick up her scent and track her, but she apparently did the same. They were only a few hours behind her when she left our territory.”
“Then where did she go?” Mike asked, hating how close he’d nearly came to answers.
“We’re not sure. I put a call into the neighboring Elders near where she crossed over. But as it turns out, when your sister doesn’t want to be found, she won’t. They followed her as she crisscrossed borders, but eventually they lost her.”
Mike leaned his head back and closed his eyes, wanting to yell in frustration yet without the strength to do so.
“Our allies have her picture. They know we’re looking for her. I…” Ben lowered his voice and leaned closer to Mike, speaking softly so no one else could hear him. “I’ve told them she’s one of ours, that someone took her and we’re only now learning that she’s still alive. It’s not accurate, of course,” he said as he sat up and resumed talking normally, “but it’s the best way to find her.”
“And when we do?” Mike asked, only now realizing he had absolutely no plan for what to do with his sister if they were reunited.
“Then she will be one of ours. For however long she’s with us.”
The thought both warmed and frightened him; while he was grateful beyond words at Ben and Khale’s willingness to accept his sister, no questions asked, he couldn’t forget the events of last night. What was to say Meghan wouldn’t be just as feral as Miranda? Could you ever come back from that? His cohorts didn’t seem to think so… but when it came to Meghan, how could he agree?
“Michael.” Ben jarred him from his morose thoughts, shaking his shoulder slightly, a towel between his skin and the thin hospital gown Mike wore to numb the shock. “We’ll deal with it all as soon as we have something to deal with. Now what of the invitation?”
Mike was silent, weighing his decision. This time a year ago, he’d never been out of his home state. Now he was weighing leaving his new home for yet another, with no time frame on when he would return. What, at least until he could do something about Meghan, kept him from making a decision?
In a flash, Mike remembered a conversation with Claire, back in Baltimore when he was still human. She’d asked him what he would do, had he been immortal.
“Hell, I don’t know,” he’d answered. “I’d get out of Texas. I’d travel and learn about different cultures and eat weird food. I’d go see all the famous landmarks I’ve only read about in school.”
“Not a bad plan, although my diet would be a bit limited. Maybe I’ll steal your idea someday.”
When she smiled up at him, he’d almost forgotten to breathe. Then the bitter reality crashed back upon him.
“Might as well, I’m not doing it.”
“Mike, you don’t have to be… like me to do those things,” she had said. “Nothing’s holding you back.”
He stole a quick glance at Drew. She was talking to one of the other women, a half empty blood bag in her hand. Still, when she noticed him looking her way, a small smile graced her lips. He did that. He put that smile there, was the reason she was around to smile at all.
Claire was right back then, and his guardian angel was right now.
“I think that’ll be good,” he told Ben. “I think I’ll stay.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
If nothing else, at least the flight was comfortable. Council members traveled in style.
The jet we took back to New Orleans was easily twice the size of Khale’s, every surface either red plush velvet, chrome, or smooth, mottled wood. A little cliché, given that it was the “monster police’s” plane… but that didn’t mean it wasn’t pretty.
“So,” Elliot began as he took the seat across from me, “tell me.” He put his feet on the aisle seat, effectively trapping me as he waited.
“Tell you what exactly?”
“Everything.”
“Pass.” Just because I have to work with you doesn’t make us friends.
“Everything in regards to Collin Lucas then.”
“Pass.”
“Ms. Wallace,” Elliot scolded, crossing his arms over his chest, prepared to wait me out the entire way to New Orleans.
“Look,” I shifted, suddenly unable to get comfortable in the overstuffed seat, “you said you already knew my history, what happened between me and Collin. If that truly is the case, I see no reason for me to rehash it yet again.”
“Fair enough,” he said, scratching the perpetual stubble on his jaw. “Think you could tell me about your last encounter with him? If we need to go back further, we’ll do it later.”
“Fine.” I leaned my temple against the window, letting the cold from our altitude seep into me. Cold would be the least painful way to tell my story. “We were looking for Collin in Baltimore. Regulus gave us a lead, but he sent it during the day. Mike wasn’t able to wait for sundown.”
“And Mike’s your human?”
“He’s not my —” I stopped my usual denial. “It doesn’t matter now anyway. Yes, Mike was the human with me. We were trying to find Collin, because odds were he had Mike’s sister with him at some point in the last six years or so.”
“Strange that you brought a human with you.”
“Not if you’d met him,” I said wryly. “That kid would’ve attached himself to my ankle if I didn’t.” Elliot’s mouth lifted in a half smile and he motioned for me to continue.
“So Mike went alone to check out this lead before I got up for the night. When I found him, he was about to get jumped by three vampires, so I sent him to the car. When I came to get him —”
“Wait, what happened to the three vampires?”
“I killed them.” Well obviously. What else would I do with them?
“Three? You killed them yourself?” His incredulous tone started to irritate me.
“Well there wasn’t any big, strong, Council Policeman there to save me,” I gestured to his legs, keeping me captive in my seat. “So, yeah, I had to do it myself.”
“And you’re how old?”
“Seriously?” I scoffed. “I thought you weren’t supposed to ask a woman her age?”
“It’s not that,” he said and sat up, scratching at his stubble once again. “It’s just... From the intel I have, you’ve been in this life for roughly sixty years. Doing away with three of your kind, even males of a similar age, is… not bad.”
I couldn’t decide if I was flattered that he was impressed, or insulted that he was surprised. In the end, I voiced neither.
“I’m eighty-two,” I huffed.
A grin was all I got in return, but it was worth it. When Elliot smiled, really smiled, it was fantastic. Tiny lines crinkled around his eyes and dimples appeared on either side of his mouth. He was one of those people who smiled with their whole face, and I… I momentarily forgot I was in the middle of a story. Thankfully, some logical part of my brain kicked back into gear, saving me from a complete mental stall.
“So anyway, when I went to the car, he was gone. Regulus …” How did I explain all the passive-aggressive-And-now-I’ll-kill-you goings on between the two of us? “Well, let’s just say he was not very concerned. He sent me home.” Better to leave it out. Don’t want to sound like a whiner. “When I got back, I attempted to trace Mike through his blood.”
At this Elliot’s eyebrows inched toward his hairline, and I couldn’t explain fast enough.
“I didn’t drink from him! I’d literally only had a drop I found in the car. But then I found a vial in my purse.”
“A vial?”
“Collin put it there.”
“And you know this how?”
“After I drank it, I could trace him. I
… I saw things. The things Collin did to Mike, how he prepared the vial. When I woke up that night, I knew Collin had him and that he was waiting for me.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because he’s a psychopath,” I sighed. “He confessed to me that he waited for me in Baltimore, and took Mike when I was… dealing with the other vampires. He told me he procured and broke girls for Regulus, but deep down… he still wanted me.” Saying it out loud didn’t make it any less horrifying.
“I see,” Elliot said seriously. Once again I saw the absence of pity in his gaze, making me like him despite myself. I hated pity. “So he killed the human and—”
“No, he didn’t.”
“I don’t understand. Regulus said this was all over your dead human.”
“He tried… Collin slit his throat in front of me. So I gave Mike my blood.” Elliot’s eyes widened.
“But surely you knew…”
“Something you’ll learn about me real fast Pierce: I know next to nothing about what I am. Hell, I only recently discovered how much I didn’t know.”
He looked like he wanted to ask more, but shelved it for a future conversation. “Another time,” he muttered to himself. “So the dead human?”
“Is now beginning his Second Life.”
“And Collin?”
“Did not get the long, painful, Second Death he deserved.” I rubbed my face, emotional exhaustion transitioning into physical. “I killed him quickly because I needed to get help for Mike. Like I said, he told me what he did for Regulus, and that was it. I left him pinned to the floor with his own knife. I’ll show you the stain if you want,” I finished with a shrug.
Elliot sat back, deep in thought. His coin made another appearance, flipping over his knuckles faster and faster.
“This complicates things, Ms. Wallace.”
“Welcome to my life, partner. Better get used to it.”
*****
At some point during the flight, I must’ve nodded off. Telling and retelling my troubles never ceased to leave me drained and sleepy. Had it not been for that, I might have woken up in a slightly less embarrassing position.
“Ms. Wallace,” a soft voice called to me. “Claire, it’s time to wake up. You’re home.”
Something gently rubbed my shin, pulling me further into consciousness. Reluctantly I stretched, elongating myself fully on my back… and then came to the sudden realization I was laying on my back.
This is not how I started out.
My eyes flashed open, quickly taking in my surroundings. At some point during the flight, I had been moved to the sole couch on the plane, and my feet were now in Elliot’s lap.
“What happened?” I asked as I jerked myself up, crunching up into a ball. “How did I get here?”
“You kept talking in your sleep. I thought it might be your seat, so I moved you,” Elliot told me with barely restrained amusement.
“And you?”
“It occurred to me that you might put me through the wall again if I tried strapping you down.” One of his all-face-smiles kept me from getting angry. “I sat beside you to keep you from falling.”
“And my feet?”
“You chose to make yourself comfortable.” His chocolate eyes twinkled in mirth while I focused on finding a way to make the floor open up and swallow me.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t sleep well this morning.”
“They’re rather small,” Elliot noted, leaning forward to look at my feet. When his eyes returned to my face, he snorted and added, “It’s nothing. We’re just about to land.” Still smiling, I could only assume at the fool I’d made of myself, he stood and moved to one of the reclining seats and prepared for landing. With a sigh, I went and did the same.
Once we were on the ground, Elliot excused himself to have a word with the pilot. When he returned, we were just beginning to taxi up to our stop.
“It appears we have a welcoming party,” he commented as he leaned to peer through one of the tiny windows.
Immediately I looked through the nearest one, feeling the adrenaline zing through me as I searched for a threat waiting at the end of the tarmac. Instead of the posse of Regulus’ thugs I expected (despite the fact we were on my home turf), I found only a sleek black sedan with a lone figure leaning against it. As relieved as I felt at the absence of a potential fight, the tightness in my chest did not dissipate.
“That’s Ben,” I told Elliot. I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. “I don’t know why I’m surprised.”
“Friend of yours?”
“Yes.” No reason to get into the drama if I don’t have to. Elliot nodded and began unlatching the door. “Elliot, wait!”
Startled by my sudden change, he froze in his movements and raised his eyebrow in question.
“Listen, don’t tell Ben about… all this.” I gestured between the two of us. “My Elder knows, but I’d rather this whole thing with the charges not go past that.”
“This guy not trustworthy?”
“Yes. I mean, no! I mean, of course he is. He absolutely is. I just don’t think he’d take the news well.”
“Your call,” Elliot shrugged and finished opening the door. Stepping back, he gestured for me to go ahead of him. “I’ll get our things.”
“Thank you.” As spacious as the Council’s jet was, it was still a plane, which meant I still ended up brushing past Elliot as I passed. His disregard for personal space made the wide open space of the night that much more relaxing as I exited and descended the stairs.
The uncomfortable knot in my chest grew with every step I took towards Ben. He made no move to meet me halfway; he didn’t even look up from his shoes when I reached him. How different this was from the last time he and I stood on the runway, just a few weeks prior.
“Welcome back,” he told the asphalt.
“Thanks.” We stood there in silence a few seconds more before I spoke again — anything to fill the void. “Thanks for coming to get us.”
“Us?” Ben’s head shot up with the question. Looking beyond me, his eyes narrowed. I could hear Elliot descending the steps behind me. “Who’s your friend?” Ben’s gaze returned to me, cold, with the hint of a sneer marring the lips I was so used to seeing smile.
“He’s more of a business associate.” I hated how my voice betrayed me, making me sound guilty even though I had done nothing wrong. “This is Elliot Pierce,” I said when he came to a stop beside me.
“I’m with the Council.” Elliot extended his hand for Ben to shake… which he did not. Instead, Ben pushed off the car and walked around the back to open the trunk.
“Let’s go,” Ben snipped and opened the driver’s side door. “I have other business I need to get to this evening.”
After putting the bags in the trunk, Elliot looked at me questioningly over the roof of the car before getting in.
“Just leave it,” I said quietly. “This is me and him stuff.”
With a nod, he folded himself into the back seat behind Ben. I took shotgun, hoping to at least pretend to be civil on the drive home.
Silly me.
One awkward and uncomfortable car ride later, we were back at Fleur de Nuit, the hotel that had been my home since I began my Second Life. Ben left us to get ourselves and our bags situated, neither speaking to nor waiting for either of us. We barely left the elevator before he disappeared into his office, the sound of the door closing the only clue to where he’d ended up.
“Real charmer, that one,” Elliot noted with a sardonic smile.
“He can be,” I sighed. “Ben’s just really pissed at me. He has every right to be.” I muttered the last bit under my breath; if Elliot heard, he was courteous enough not to comment.
“Where’s your Elder’s office?”
“End of the hall,” I told him and pointed to the nondescript doorway.
“Guess I’ll go introduce myself.”
“Thanks.” I took my bag from him, trying to convey with a smile how grateful I was for his discretion in regards to me and Ben. A quick wink and he set off to talk with Khale, which left me… with something I dreaded, yet was still long overdue.
Squaring my shoulders, I walked to Ben’s office and entered without knocking.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The vampire who saved me from dying alone in a gutter, the one directly responsible for my Second Life, as well as how long it had lasted, did not turn to greet me when I entered.
Instead, he stood facing a map that showed everything from Texas and Oklahoma east to Florida and the Carolinas. At least half of that was no longer our territory, though maybe Khale still helped Emma manage it, given their inclusion on the map. All across the states were tiny pins, some red, some white, and two blue, each affixed with a tag listing a name.
“So this is all of us?” I asked as I came to stand beside Ben. He only nodded in response. While I tried to figure out how to begin to smooth things over, one pin caught my attention. “This is all wrong,” I stated flatly.
“It is not,” Ben contradicted with a sideways look.
“It is too.”
“I’ve spent a great deal of time on this Claire. I assure you, the map is as correct as it can be.”
“Nope.” Hearing him huff, I made my move before he got any more irritated. I pulled one of the blue pins from the southern tip of Florida and replaced it in the middle of a small group centered on New Orleans. “Now it’s right.”
From my periphery, I saw him smile while biting his bottom lip as he read the name on the relocated pin: Claire.
“So it is,” he said quietly. We stood there in silence a few moments longer, but I knew I almost had him. One more little push and I’m through that wall.
I bumped his shoulder with my own. When he failed to respond, I bumped it again, a little harder. This time, Ben rocked away from me, as if the force of my push could be enough to move him sideways. With a loud exhalation he bumped me back, and just like that I was through.
“You really are going to be the death of me, love. You know that don’t you?”