by Lyla Oweds
Mistresses? As far as I knew, fae didn’t generally keep mistresses…
“How did that…?” I might have been pressing, but he was giving out information like candy.
“Different courts.” Caleb waved his finger in the air. “Our father, and my mother, are both Unseelie. Father married into the Seelie court. But he has needs that those of the Seelie court can’t fulfill. Because of his background, he’s allowed to return to the Unseelie court when the desire strikes,” Caleb said. “There’s a different sort of loyalty there. My father wouldn’t even acknowledge my existence until I was almost a teenager.”
“You’re Unseelie?” My stomach clenched. Not once had I thought he had the taint of evil to him, but perhaps I’d been wrong? “How can you…”
“I was raised in the Unseelie court, yes.” Caleb’s eyes met mine for a moment, and he frowned. “I didn’t even meet my brothers until I was a teenager.”
“Oliver?” Had there been any more?
“Yes, Oliver.” He sighed. “Father is… retired. So Oliver is in charge of the family now. He’s the one who allowed me to go to school. He’s the reason I’m out here.”
“Pardon?”
It sounded like the fae lived in some sort of family-lead society. But I thought only the packs promoted this nonsense. “Your brother is in charge? Like—”
“Oh, come on.” Caleb rolled his eyes. “I am a historian, so I’ve studied a bit of culture. I know packs have similar family units, with the highest-ranking person in charge rather than sorted by birth order. Surely you know what I’m talking about.”
“Well, yes.” I blinked, too surprised to be offended. “But fae…”
“Pure-blooded fae are the same,” Caleb said. “In our culture, two or three generations live within the same roof and share resources. On occasion, younger members of the extended branches can travel into the outside world. But the main lines usually stay confined and protected. Unless, of course, they choose otherwise. And women rarely ever, leave the home.”
The last sentence prickled at me, and I found myself frowning. “You force the women to stay home?”
“No!” Caleb pressed his hand to his chest. “They can leave. But it’s not particularly safe, or encouraged. Especially considering how few of them there are.”
“How few there are? What happened to all your women?” I questioned. So he didn’t know a lot of women?
Caleb’s expression, which had been enthusiastic, suddenly closed. “It’s not so bad, yet…” His sentence trailed off, as if he’d only just remembered what he was saying.
My brows furrowed. “But you just said—”
“If unchecked, it’ll become a crisis one day,” Caleb mused, even as his face remained guarded.
“Caleb.” Why was he being so secretive now, after everything else he’d spilled?
“That’s enough fairy culture for the day.” He crossed his arms on top of the books. This time he rested his chin over his forearms as he watched me. “So you’ll tell me what you’re looking for now?”
I blinked at him, briefly taken aback by the sudden topic change before his real intentions occurred to me.
It had been deliberate, that jerk! Share your personal experiences and hope your interviewee would open up to you in return. It was a classic interrogation technique, and I’d completely fallen for it!
Because now I couldn’t not answer him. It would be horribly rude, and I had to keep playing nice with him for the foreseeable future.
And he knew exactly what he’d done. He’d even had a smug little grin turning up the corners of his mouth. The sight of it caused something odd to stir in my stomach.
Caleb Weaver was definitely smarter than he appeared.
I was going to have to answer, but the question was: how honest should I be?
“I’m trying to find Victoria Estrada,” I told him, gesturing toward the open book in front of me. “She’s a member of the Silver Moon pack.”
“Why?” Caleb’s eyebrow rose slowly. “Does this have to do with the case you interviewed Jordan about?”
“That’s c-classified!” I stuttered, not sure how much I was or wasn’t allowed to divulge. Jordan hadn’t cared if Caleb was there, but still…
Caleb’s attention traveled to the books scattered over the table. The longer his attention strayed there, the deeper his frown became.
A sense of foreboding began to wash over me.
Surely, he wasn’t that observant.
“You’re underestimating me. Again.” His eyes held mine, disappointment radiating from him. “I can see these titles. If you’re only looking for Victoria Estrada, then why do you have the Dark Creek pack’s census records. And…” He pointed to one of the newer books. “Isn’t that one of the neighboring towns? That has nothing to do with your case.”
My breath caught at the accusation in this tone, and I couldn’t help but feel guilty. The man had told me the truth of his parentage, there hadn’t been even the hint of a lie in his scent.
Could I really trust him in this?
I’d been getting nowhere. Perhaps it was time to ask for help. I wasn’t very sure that this was the right thing to do. I couldn’t stop the stone from settling in my stomach, my instincts screaming at me to protect.
“Fine.” I sighed, nudging the book in his direction. Perhaps he could at least hear me out. It was a lot of information, there was no need to go into details. “I’m trying to help my sister.”
“Grace?” Caleb’s brow furrowed as his attention drifted toward the book, but he didn’t reach for it yet.
Her name spilling so freely from his lips caused my chest to tighten.
How did he—
“I’m The Professor.” His tone was light as his steady gaze returned to mine. “It’s my job to know everything about everyone. I researched you the day you first started fantasizing about ripping my face off.”
My heart pounded and my fists clenched in my lap. How did he know that was what I’d been dreaming about? Besides, he was wrong. There wasn’t as much bloodshed as he was imagining, I was certain.
How dare he—
“It’s public record,” Caleb continued, not looking at all sorry. “It’s obvious. Are you certain that you call yourself a detective?”
Well, I couldn’t argue with that. He wasn’t wrong.
My hands loosened slightly, even though my mind wanted me to toss Caleb over the table and strangle him for his intrusive behavior, I couldn’t disprove his logic.
Fair was fair, I’d looked into him as well. My problem was that I’d found nothing.
The injustice.
“I’m still mad at you,” I told him, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice.
“You’re just mad that you couldn’t find anything on me.” Caleb shrugged. “Which is why I told you about my family. Thought it would make you feel better. Now stop being a sore loser and tell me what’s wrong.”
My hands were shaking now. But whether it was from the desire to strangle him or to rip out my hair, I wasn’t sure. No matter, I gripped my skirt as my mind raced.
He was an expert, that much was certain.
“Yes.” My voice was surprisingly steady. “Grace. What do you know?”
Caleb cocked his head, watching me. “I know that your sister was declared a missing person eighteen years ago. They’ve never found her, but the case was never closed. However, all active searches have long been called off.” When I didn’t reply at this, he added. “That’s basically everything that’s out there.”
Could I tell him?
I wasn’t sure. He was being patient. And even though he didn’t press again, I knew he wanted me to open up.
But it was dangerous to bring in anyone, considering who we were dealing with. On the other hand, it had been eighteen years…
Eighteen years of holding in the biggest secret of my life. Not even my own parents or my brother had suspected. No one in the pack cared. If I were to die tomorrow, ther
e’d be no outsider who ever knew the truth.
But Caleb was one of my quintet. Didn’t that mean I was supposed to trust him? Outside of his almost aloof exterior and his rough appearance, I couldn’t deny the deep intelligence reflecting back at me as our gazes held.
He was smart, and he had connections. Perhaps he’d be able to fill in the gaps in my knowledge.
Maybe Caleb Weaver was one of the best people to have on my side.
My thoughts scrambled, and my desire for companionship warred with my duty to avoid putting anyone in harm’s way. I opened my mouth, my heart heavy with denial, but for some reason the words that spilled out were the opposite of what I’d intended.
“Grace isn’t a missing person,” I said. “I know exactly where she is.”
Chapter Fifteen
“You know where she is?” Caleb raised his eyebrow, the look he gave me torn between intrigue and doubt. “And how is that? Why is this not in the records?”
“I promised not to tell.” I bit my lip, glancing down at the papers between us. “She doesn’t want me to say anything.”
“She doesn’t want…” Caleb repeated my own words back to me, his voice trailing off in suspicion. “Gloria.” His hand covered my own, and the unexpected touch caused my attention to flicker toward his face. The look he gave me put my nerves on alert. “You know where she is, and you’re helping to hide her? What about your family—”
“They won’t help.” I sighed. “They can’t do anything. Her return wouldn’t be a priority for our Alpha. Besides, she…” Caleb was leaning forward, hanging on to my every word. And I knew he cared. Not many people understood the politics of pack life, but for some reason, there was an emphatic way about him. His hand tightened over mine, supportive and warm. “She can’t leave him now. She has children… she won’t give them up.”
His forehead creased as his eyes narrowed. “If she’s a victim—or being blackmailed in some way—no one is going to force her to give up her children by coming forward. You should have more faith in your justice system than that.”
“My justice system?” I glanced at him. I hadn’t forgotten what Gregory and Michael had warned me about—Caleb being involved in gray areas of the law. And here he was now, basically confirming their words.
“You work for the police.” Caleb shrugged. “Well, in a manner of speaking. But my question, do you not trust the very people you slave away for?”
My heart pounded under the scrutiny of his gaze, and I giggled nervously. It was terrible to admit, but… “No.”
His eyes widened, and he placed his hand to his chest, in fake shock. “And this is why you’re in my quintet. The answers just keep on coming out, don’t they.”
I turned my glare to our conjoined hands, but didn’t bother to move away. He was trying to make the situation lighter by his words, but inside, I was still anxious. I’d never spoken to anyone about this before—
“Don’t sweat it, babe.” Caleb smirked picking up my worries. “You don’t need to worry your pretty butt about me. I already know how I’m going to die. So we can conspire together, and know I’ll live until I’m old and gray. Gregory was angry at me. He told me Michael said I’d die from food poisoning.”
“What?” My heart skipped a beat as my eyes shot up. “How do you know how I…”
My question trailed off at the mischievous glint in his eyes, and the slight upturn of his mouth. “You’re an empath. But…” That wasn’t right. “I thought empaths could only read the emotions of the deceased. Such as ghosts, or whatever.”
“That is true.” He released my hand, holding his finger into the air. “However, a fae with empathic abilities can feel the emotions of their quintet. It’s one of the perks.”
“So…” This wasn’t the first time he’d mentioned it—a stark difference from when we’d first met. “You really have jumped on the quintet bandwagon then? I thought you were against the idea.”
“My mind has been swayed.” He shrugged. “So now that you know whatever you say won’t kill me, talk to me.”
He was calm about this. Too calm. “How did you say you were going to die again?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Caleb said, rolling his eyes. “You’re changing the subject.”
“What does your onmyoji say about all this?” How could he be so nonchalant about his impending death? I’d rather not know at all, personally. Didn’t he follow up on this?
“I didn’t ask him. Lee does what he wants.” Caleb frowned at me, tilting his head. “But it doesn’t matter, he isn’t a fortuneteller. His specialty is fighting.”
“What are you talking about? Fighting what?” My attention perked at those words; my pulse raced. Surely my luck wasn’t that terrible.
Onmyoji didn’t fight, not unless it was against a—
“He has a shikigami,” Caleb said, watching my reaction. “Is that a problem?”
“No.” My voice squeaked. “It won’t be a problem, not so long as he stays away from me.”
“Gloria…”
“What manner of terrible beast is the creature?” I asked, hugging myself as I tried to hide my shivering. “Canine or a flying terror?”
Caleb’s eyebrow lifted. “A cat.”
“The worst one possible!” Goose bumps broke over my skin. It was an unnatural thing to give a deadly shikigami such a harmless form.
“Don’t be like that.” Caleb’s lips quirked. “She’s not so bad. And Lee is protective of Cécile.”
I narrowed my eyes at Caleb. “Since when are onmyoji protective of their evil little pets?”
“Shikigami aren’t pets,” Caleb said. “And, again, you’re changing the subject. Woman, you’re an infuriating person to understand.”
“I know.” I pressed my fingers over my eyes. “But this is difficult. I’ve never opened up about this to anyone before. I don’t know how to…”
“Baby.” He pulled my hands from my face, holding my eyes with his own. His expression was so handsome at that moment, so severe, that my heart began to beat furiously. The heat continued to rise to my face and chest at his next words. “I know you’re my controller, but let me help you. I see a broad in distress, and I can’t help but want to make it better.”
“A broad?” So he’d help anyone? I wasn’t sure if it made me like him more, or if it made me jealous. But there was no reason to be possessive. Even though…
It was a dangerous world. And he was strikingly beautiful. Many people would want to take advantage of his kind nature.
“Maybe just you,” he admitted with a smirk. “I can’t look away from the emotionally weak ones.”
And there it was. “You’re an ass.”
He frowned, displeasure crossing his expression. “And you’re frightening. You have a foul mouth, too.”
“Only for those who are able to bring it out in me,” I rebutted. “But you’re not trying to be a moron, are you?”
He seemed genuinely perplexed. “What do you mean?”
I sighed. Most of the idiots I’d dealt with on a daily basis were condescending of a different sort. They were arrogant, and when they spoke to me, they did it as a way to put me in my place—or what they presumed my place to be.
But Caleb, and even Gregory to an extent, were just… stupid. Clueless. However, their intentions were… pure? Annoying, and insulting. But nothing I couldn’t handle.
They could learn.
Watching him, and the rapt attention on his face, it was difficult to be offended. “You really don’t have any idea how to talk to a woman…”
His frown grew more pronounced. “Hey—”
“Grace isn’t just a missing person,” I told him, crossing my forearms on the table and getting back to the subject at hand. I’d been procrastinating long enough. My hands pressed under my arms as I tried to hide their shaking. But I knew he could feel my nervousness. Still, I couldn’t make things too easy for him. This was difficult for me too. “She was kidnapped, and I was there w
hen it happened.”
Caleb pulled his hands back, mirroring my position.
I didn’t even wait for his response before I continued. If I did, I might lose my courage.
“My sister is ten years older than me,” I said, pressing my fingers into my leg as my mind began to flash back to the events of back then. “We were close. My parents weren’t always around, they acted as runners in our pack—”
“Runners?” Caleb interrupted, tilting his head as he watched me. “Sorry.” His mouth dipped. “I’m just trying to make sure I follow everything.”
“It’s kind of useless, but their job is to survey the boundaries of our lands.” I explained. “It requires that they spend a lot of nights out, guarding the borders. Among wolves, no one would dare to intrude onto another’s property. So there’s really no need. In any case,” I continued, “they weren’t home. So Grace basically raised me from a young age. It was she who taught me how to shift and took me on my first runs. She always did her best, especially because many people did not want to deal with me.”
At Caleb’s questioning look, I continued, waving my hand in the air. “As a child, I was headstrong and unagreeable. Stubborn. Take shifting, for example. I wanted to do things one way, and apparently the proper way was something else entirely.”
“So.” Caleb pursed his lips. “You were exactly the same as you are now?”
“In any case…” I ignored him, pressing onward. “It was a holiday. We wanted to spend it with my parents, but our previous Alpha had put them on the schedule to work that day. My brother was playing with friends. So Grace decided to take me out to eat, something we rarely had a chance to do. It was selfish of me to request it—”
“That sounds like a normal request.” Caleb pressed back in his seat. “People go out to restaurants all the time. Why would you say it’s selfish?”
“Grace had been feeling uneasy the weeks preceding that.” I bit my lip as my vision darted to the side. “She claimed someone was stalking her, that she was being followed. My parents looked into it, but there was nothing concerning to be found. They brushed it off as paranoia. She was always bullied growing up, since she was the Omega of the pack.”