Beta (Vanguards Book 3)

by Annie Nicholas

  He got dressed in a pair of nylon workout pants and a green t-shirt that read Never Moon a Werewolf. Reflexively, he reached for his glasses, but they must have smashed on the sidewalk when he’d fallen from the roof.

  He jogged over to the brownstone. No one would have guessed he’d had an arrow in his chest and internal injuries less than an hour ago. Eric needed to know about that shifting trick. It hurt like hell to heal that fast though, and it took a lot of energy. He needed food, a truck load of it, to build back his reserve.

  As he opened the door, he expected to hear his roommates arguing inside but silence greeted him.

  Daedalus descended the stairs. “I wedged a chair under the doorknob. She’s not going anywhere.”

  “I’ll go wake up the others if you get Sugar,” Robert said. Some nights they stayed awake late and hung out with the Nosferatu, but it was a weeknight. Day jobs awaited Tyler, Katrina, and Sam. Only Eric and himself made their own work hours. They tended to be night owls anyway. Maybe that’s how this odd camaraderie with Daedalus developed from trainee to friend?

  “Let them sleep. We’ll talk first, then you can decide what to do.”

  He had to decide? Watching the vampire disappear into the kitchen, Robert did a little what-the-fucking before following. “So, what’s going on? Why is Esther trying to turn you into ashes?”

  Daedalus stood bent over, digging inside the fridge and tossing food onto the counter. “For money, it’s the nature of her profession.” He organized the bread, sandwich meat, cheese, and mayo next to each other.

  Drool dripped from the corner of Robert’s mouth, to his horror, and he quickly wiped it away.

  “Vampires have been hunted by slayers since we’ve existed. They get better weapons and the rules shift, but nothing else changes. They try to kill us and we do the same.” He glanced at Robert. “The real question is who hired her? And traditionally, I’m supposed to kill her.”

  “No.” The word was out of his mouth before Robert’s brain registered it, but there laid the truth. He’d fight Daedalus again to protect her, and maybe for the sandwich he was making. “If I’m letting Talon live, I’m definitely keeping Esther.”

  Lifting his head, the vampire cocked an eyebrow, then slid the best-looking double-decker sandwich Robert had ever seen toward him. “Keeping her?”

  “I mean keeping her alive.” He grabbed the sandwich and resisted the urge to gobble the thing straight off the plate.

  “Slayers are dangerous, manipulative people. I peeked in her head. She’s good at what she does.”

  Robert finished his snack in wolf-sized bites. “Shit.” He ran his fingers through his hair. All his emotions were tangled. “My head is saying she’s playing me, but my heart—beast is jerking me around. Did you see anything in her mind about me?”

  “I didn’t take the grand tour. You were dying at my feet.” Daedalus held up the meat. “Another?”

  Robert’s stomach flipped and the acid rose. “No, thanks.” Crossing the kitchen, he opened a cabinet and pulled out the antacids.

  “You’re popping a lot of those lately.”

  He snorted and almost choked on a damn tablet. “I wonder why?”

  Tyler shuffled into the kitchen, his red curly hair sticking out at all angles. He and Katrina shared a bedroom in the basement next to Daedalus’s man-cave. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “What are you guys doing?”

  “Nothing.” Robert and the vampire echoed each other like the twins, Sugar and Spice, did at times.

  “I thought we’re not supposed to keep secrets from each other. Isn’t that some kind of unspoken law after all the crap we’ve been through?” They’d fought side by side as pack to protect each other. “You’re both sneaking around the house like a bomb might go off. Spill it.”

  Tyler was right. They couldn’t hide Esther in the bathroom forever, and he couldn’t just let her go.

  “A vampire slayer tried to kill Daedalus tonight.”

  The remains of sleep vanished from Tyler’s eyes. “Wow. What did you do with the body?”

  Shaking his head, Daedalus gestured to Robert. “He has a crush on her, so he won’t let me finish her.”

  “The slayer’s a woman?” He glanced at Robert. “That’s kind of hot.”

  Robert couldn’t help but chuckle. Tyler had that effect on everyone.

  “She seemed pretty distraught when she accidently shot him.” Daedalus glanced at Robert. “Instead of running for her life, she stayed to help you.”

  “She shot you?” Tyler’s voice rose.

  “Shush, you’ll wake everyone. He’s all right now.” Daedalus stood between both werewolves, glancing back and forth like at a tennis match.

  Robert turned all his attention on the cornered vampire. “Which brings me to the question of how did you know I’d heal if I shifted?”

  “You didn’t know?” Daedalus tilted his head to the side as if surprised.

  “No.” Really, how would they? One didn’t receive an instruction manual when they became a werewolf. Most packs, present day, believed in trial and error, something his alpha was trying to change. New recruits now lived with a mentor for one year. “Never been shot before tonight. Makes me wonder what else we don’t know.”

  “Me too.” Daedalus rubbed his bald head. “But it doesn’t work on minor things like cuts and bruises. You heal from those to quickly for it to make a difference, but I’m sure you broke your spine and had internal injuries. The changing shape realigns bones and major organs.”

  “You shifted and healed a broken spine?” Tyler’s eyes grew wide.

  “It was the coolest thing.” Robert stepped forward. “I fell from four stories with an arrow in my chest. When I woke up Daedalus told me to shift and my beast took control.”

  “An arrow? Like in Robin Hood?” They tripped over each other’s sentences.

  “She used a crossbow. The bolt is like a wooden stake, and she could kill vampires without having to get close, like an assassin.”

  “So, she’s smart as well as deadly.”

  “Excuse me.” The Nosferatu cleared his throat. “Let me interrupt your excitement from almost dying. She’s a killer. Nothing romantic about that.”

  “You’re a killer.” Robert’s retort hung in the air. “What’s the difference? You kill those you think are evil, so does she.”

  “I don’t get paid, and I do it to survive.” His gaze narrowed. “And I’m not evil.”

  “Anyway.” Tyler dragged out the word. “What do we do now?”

  “Keep her until Eric and Spice get home, then we can decide.”

  Daedalus rolled his eyes. “She’ll escape by then.”

  “Afraid she’ll get you?” Robert shot back.

  “A little, especially with you mooning over her. I didn’t reach this age by being careless. You’re going to get me killed or worse, she’ll kill one of the others in the house.” He plucked her phone from his pocket and scrolled through the messages.

  “What are you looking for?” Tyler leaned in.

  “I want to know how much I’m worth.” He stopped and hit a button.

  Tyler let out a low whistle. “For that much, I’d kill you.”

  The vampire elbowed their friend. “This means trouble. Esther is the first to try, but others might come.” He scratched his chin while examining the email. “I can’t tell who sent this.” Tossing the phone to Robert, he stood and stretched. “Can you do something with it on your computers?”

  Fumbling with the phone, Robert finally got a grip on it. “I’ll try. It might help to know who you’ve pissed off.”

  “The list is endless.”

  “What about all those security people you used to have at Pal Robi Inc.? Can’t they help?” Tyler suggested. Daedalus used to run the security company when they hired him to teach them how to fight. It felt like ages ago. He’d quit when he moved in with Sugar.

  “They report to my clan. If word gets out, I’m being hunted they may call m
e home.”

  “Aren’t you some kind of boss? Uh—the Prime?” Robert never wanted to pry in Daedalus’s past. He’d rather be ignorant of the things the Nosferatu had done.

  “Prime does not translate into King. There are many Primes. We’re more like police. Chicago is in my jurisdiction, but eventually the council will question my absence.” Daedalus shrugged. “I’m running out of excuses to remain here.”

  Now Robert understood another reason to Daedalus’s desperation to turn Sugar. He’d have to go home one day and she might not follow as a human. His stomach clenched at the thought of gentle Sugar surrounded by vampires. He crunched another antacid and met Daedalus’s stare.

  “Yeah, you got it.” The vampire stood and crossed the kitchen. “I’ll be in the bedroom until dawn if you get any more information out of that message.”

  Nodding, Robert walked Tyler to the stairs. He went to the second floor and his friend to the basement. Once inside his bedroom he paused by the bathroom door with a chair jammed under the knob. He pressed his ear to the wood and listened. “Esther?”

  After a moment of silence, she answered. “Yeah.”

  “You need anything?”

  “No. Have you decided my fate?” Her voice sounded amused, but he could smell her fear. He didn’t like it and leaned his head against the doorjamb.

  “No.” He sighed. “But I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you, okay?”

  The sound of shuffling came through the wood as if she drew closer. “Why? I’ve been nothing but trouble.”

  He laughed, but there was no mirth to it. “I know. I guess I can’t help being a sucker for a damsel in distress.”

  “Are you going to let me out?”

  “Not yet. I’ve got something to do first.”

  Chapter Eight

  Stars blanketed the night sky outside of Rob’s bathroom window. Esther kept the light off so she’d see them better. There were worse places to be imprisoned. She had water, a toilet, and if she got bored, she could take a hot bath.

  Cool air blew against her face, hinting that fall was on the way. The chill soothed the ache around her neck where Daedalus had strangled her. It wouldn’t take much effort to pop the screen out and climb the rainspout to the ground. Not much effort at all.

  She tapped her fingernail on the sill as she considered the possibility. If she left that meant never seeing Rob again and never was a really long time. The thought left an empty pit in her stomach. Since when did she let her heart rule her life?

  Her turning point was the moment Rob melted from his beast form to human then pinned her to the car. Hunting her down and outthinking her had changed her perspective of him from some cute geek to someone she respected. And wanted. Bad.

  Damn, he could have taken her against the car or in the alley at the club, but he always had to be a gentleman and be dutiful to his pack. Oh, and the fucking vampire. She shouldn’t forget the vampire who wanted her dead.

  How did Rob mix himself up with the Nosferatu? He said she only saw the surface of things. Maybe she did, but she couldn’t learn to see more from in here. What was Daedalus telling him? He wanted to kill her. That’s how things rolled between their kinds.

  She should have run the moment the arrow struck Rob. Just the memory made her nauseous. He’d come so close to dying. The world would have been worse off without Rob in it. God, she loved everything about him.

  Leaning her forehead on the window, she closed her eyes. She recalled the first time they’d met and how shy he’d been, acting as her protector. Silent and strong, he bore his responsibilities with such seriousness.

  She banged her head on the glass and listened to the rattle. Now or never. Choose a life filled with what-ifs or take a fucking leap of faith on a werewolf who should hate her.

  His possible rejection kept her at the edge of escaping. Her fingers traced the screen. Ah shit, if he broke her heart, she’d just gut him.

  The sound of a chair scraping against wood outside the bathroom drew her from her debate. As the door swung open, Rob stood in a halo of light cast from his bedroom lamp. “I need your help.”

  “And if I don’t give it?” She stepped away from the window and faced him. The desire to help and the fear of being vulnerable twisted her stomach to the point she thought she might vomit right there in front of him.

  He shrugged. “Then I close the door.”

  The step she took toward him appeared normal but, in her reality, it was the hardest thing she’d ever done. After all her lies, she needed to prove her sincerity somehow. “I’ll help.” Her voice sounded strained even to her own ears.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I…I…” Want to tell you how sorry I am. “I’m fine. What do you need?” She’d apologized enough.

  He gestured for her to follow him. They left his sparsely decorated bedroom and crossed the hall to an office. A long table-like desk lined the wall with two computers side by side with wires running along the edges. On the closest screen was her email sign-in.

  “Your account is pretty secure.” Rob sat at the desk and offered her the chair next to him. “I could break in, but that would take time. I want you to sign-in.”

  “Why?”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “Don’t play coy. It doesn’t suit you.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. His comment stung. “You won’t be able to trace the emails from this account. They come from a third party.”

  “Let me try.”

  She sighed. It was a test and one she needed to pass. Not for Rob but for herself. If she was going to give herself to him, she would go all the way.

  “Fine.” After typing her ID and password what remained of her resolve faded. She’d been bribed and hunted in the past for information about her contacts and never gave anything over. Apparently, kindness and trust were her Achilles heels. Not like she was giving him her contacts or anything. All he could do was read the emails, even replying didn’t work.

  Rob opened the message offering her twice the usual fee to kill Daedalus. He switched programs and began transferring codes. The computer ran through numbers with a counter at the bottom.

  He twisted in his chair to face her. “I designed this myself. It’s not your run-of-the-mill tracer.” He grinned at her pointed stare. “I like computers. The numbers and codes make sense to me. Everything is black and white, there’s no gray area like people seem to have.” His direct stare bothered her.

  Not knowing where to look, she glanced at a collection of encased Star Trek figures on a shelf. She smiled. “My mother was a Whovian.”

  “What?”

  “Dr. Who. When I was young, I was allowed to stay up until one AM on Saturday nights to watch it with her on PBS.” She cleared her throat. “I still like to watch it. You?”

  “I’ve seen it, but I’m not much of a fan.”

  “Really? Are his concepts too advanced for you?” She leaned forward and grinned as his eyes narrowed at her challenge.

  “The show jumps through time, rotates characters and actors, and they interact with historical figures. You have a ship disguised as a phone box, a sonic screwdriver, and a hero who can’t die. The rules of reality don’t apply to Dr. Who. Where Star Trek is a known quantity. It’s set in the future. You have the laws of physics, the crew, and Star Fleet. They visit planets and solve problems in an hour. It’s linear. There really is no comparison.” A satisfied smile crossed his face. “Most of the technology and gadgets we enjoy today were first seen in some form on those early Trek episodes. Cellphones, iPads, Bluetooth. Not so much for Dr. Who. The technology of the TARDIS falls into ‘science so advanced it is indistinguishable from magic’ area.” He chuckled and a blush covered his cheeks. “Is my geek showing?”

  She laughed and threw back her head, wincing at the sharp pain from the bruises around her neck.

  Leaning toward her, he tilted her chin to the ceiling. “Let me take a look at that in better lighting.” He took her hand and guided her
to his bedroom.

  For a lack of a chair, she sat on the edge of his bed while he went into the bathroom.

  He returned with a cool wet cloth and knelt in front of her.

  The cold soothed the ache of her ligation marks. “Of course, the only real show worth watching is Babylon Five.” Her comment brought him up short.

  “You’re full of surprises. I love that show too, but don’t tell my housemates. They’ll start calling me a traitor.”

  She laughed again, and it felt freeing. Nothing about being with Rob was forced. Being with him made her act like, well, herself. Maybe that’s what attracted her to him the most. He made her real. She’d been acting most of her adult life and almost forgot who Esther was.

  “You have a wonderful laugh.” He smiled at her as he stood and rolled his shoulders as if working out some knots. “The computer program will take a few hours to run. We should get some sleep.”

  Patting his twin-sized bed, she winked at him. “Looks cozy.”

  “You can sleep here. I’ll take the floor.”

  She frowned. “I’m not proposing marriage, Rob, just my body to keep you warm. I’m much more comfortable than the hard floor.” Lying across the comforter, she cleared her throat as it went dry.

  Her werewolf stared at her with hungry eyes. The amber color of his beast had returned, and a low growl rumbled in his chest. “I bet you are.” His voice had grown deeper.

  Undoing her jacket, she tossed it to the floor, never taking her gaze off him. The drumming of her heart filled her ears. Would he take her offer this time? There was only so much asking a girl could do.

  He rested his hands on the mattress, his gaze locked on hers.

  She scooted farther up the bed as he slowly crawled forward, caging her body between his strong limbs. Ever since they’d met, she’d wanted this. She could barely breathe. Not like when Daedalus was strangling her, but the good kind, where anticipation was such a bitch organs like her lungs forgot how to work.

  With a tug, he hooked his fingers around the waistband of her pants and released the button, then the zipper. From under him, he appeared much bigger, stronger than she’d believed.