“I’m ready when you are,” she offered, smiling in return.
The door to the room opened and Acadia appeared once more. Behind her … wow.
“He would not allow me to carry the drinks,” she told Kaj, smiling.
Leilana swallowed hard when the male stepped into the space. He was the most amazing male she’d ever seen, but it was his gunmetal-gray eyes that captivated her.
“Huracān, I’d like to introduce you to Leilana Torvolyan. Leilana, meet Huracān. He’s one of the few I trust with my life. Thank you, balisra,” he said when Acadia passed him a crystal glass, then turned his attention to Huracān. “Leilana is my new assistant going forward. The full extent of her role is up in the air; however, she’ll have plenty to do.”
The male peered over at her and nodded kindly.
Kaj took a sip of his drink, set it on the table, then sat back in his chair. “Blāz mentioned you requested visits with your family. I have no issues with you leaving the premises. However, you will only do so with Huracān accompanying you. He will be your personal protection anytime you step free of the residence. No exceptions. As you can imagine, I have many enemies. I won’t take your safety lightly. The two of you can work out how you want to handle your family visits or other trips away.”
Personal protection.
Great.
Leilana wasn’t even sure she could look at the male, much less be alone with him.
Perhaps visits home weren’t as important as she’d originally thought.
Chapter Forty
After spending another half hour with Leilana, Kaj was convinced she would do well in the role. Her initial bout of nerves had dissipated, and he felt confident she was up to the task of being his right hand when it came to interacting with the public and managing his day-to-day.
Granted, he had yet to introduce her to Mirakel, and since his adighrielin would be required to work alongside her at times, he did need to see how well they would interact with one another. But that could be dealt with at a later date. For now, he simply wanted to get Leilana settled into the Lair.
“When you’re ready to move your things into the residence,” Kaj told her, “get in touch with Huracān. He’ll handle the logistics.”
Leilana turned to Huracān. “Would you provide me with your phone number?”
“When you’re done with that, can you give her a quick tour of the residence?” he asked the male. “Then lead her back off the property?”
“Oh, wait.” Acadia stepped up to Huracān. “Would you permit me to touch you briefly?”
Kaj watched his female as she waited for his response. He couldn’t help but smile at the way Huracān seemed to blush at the thought.
“Of course, leaqua,” he said softly.
Acadia stepped up, placed her fingers on his temples, and slid them down. He noticed the move was more clinical than when she’d performed it on him, which again made him smile.
Huracān’s eyes widened as he stared out the windows. “Wow. That’s … better. Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” she replied, then turned to Leilana. “It was a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to seeing you in the near future.”
Leilana performed another of those antiquated curtsies.
“I’ll see you soon,” he told the female, then took Acadia’s hand and led her away. “I’d like to make a trip to the training center, if you don’t mind. Unless, you have something more pressing. I don’t want to take up all your time.”
“I’m free for this evening,” she said sweetly. “Though I will have to find something to fill my time with.”
Her words had a bolt of heat slamming into him. “I can think of something.”
Her laugh was a balm to his soul. “I don’t think that’s going to be possible. Looks as though things are about to get busy for you.”
“Maybe. But I’ll always make time for you, balisra. Always.” He squeezed her hand gently. “I’d like to have your things moved here if you’re okay with it.”
She chuckled. “I’ve already taken care of it. The heurosp assured me it would all be delivered before dawn. But I do have one request.”
“Anything.”
“Would it bother you terribly if I had the room redecorated? It doesn’t quite feel like you.”
“Us, you mean,” he corrected. “And I wouldn’t mind at all.”
They continued through the tunnels, branching off in the direction of the training facility. Another few minutes and they were stepping into what was quickly starting to look like a usable space.
“This looks amazing,” Acadia said. “I didn’t expect them to be so far along.”
“I think a couple of them have bets on which teams can get more work completed. A good challenge is always a decent motivator.”
“Screw you, Arman,” someone snapped. “I didn’t ask for your help.”
Kaj cleared his throat, drawing the attention of four trainees who were in the process of finishing the kitchen.
“Phaal,” Romer greeted. “We didn’t realize you were coming by.”
“Since I don’t intend to announce ahead of time, you should keep that in mind,” he told the male vampire.
As it stood, there were currently twenty-one of the original twenty-seven trainees remaining. Six, all angels, had been eliminated by Obsidian within the first three days of their arrival. Kaj was content to say that six of the seven vampires Mirakel had hand selected for the program were still there. And though there wasn’t anything perfect about this, he was also glad to say they were making progress.
“Please, return to your work,” he said, motioning with his hand. “We’re merely observing.”
“Of course, phaal,” Romer stated, turning his attention back to the sink he was installing with the help of one of the angels.
While they worked diligently, Kaj led Acadia through the space, checking out the new walls that had been erected. He had to admit, they’d accomplished quite a bit in a short time. From what he understood, all the sleeping quarters had been completed, allowing them to alternate shifts, as Bijou had suggested. It seemed to be working but not quickly enough for his taste. Kaj knew that they needed to get moving with the actual training portion because they needed more boots on the ground, more competent fighters out taking down the demons who were hunting both humans and vampires. As long as they were here, installing sinks and walls, they were not building the skills necessary to be functional where they were needed.
However, Kaj trusted Obsidian knew what he was doing. And since the Zenith had the fiestreigh to back them up, they were able to maintain a steady patrol of the neighboring cities. Speaking of…
“Has there been any updates on Asmia?” he asked Acadia when they were heading back through the tunnels.
“No.” The single word was laced with so much pain. “But Reidar is convinced she’s nearby.”
“And Taayin?”
“Obsidian has moved him back into the mansion, but they’re still keeping him sedated,” she said softly.
No sooner had they passed the entrance to Angel Central than Kaj’s cell phone chimed. He snagged it from his pocket and saw a 911 text from Kidel, urging him to come to the infirmary.
“This way,” he said, quickly turning around. Without waiting, Kaj took off in a jog. He hated to leave Acadia, but he knew an emergency text was never sent unless something critical was going on.
They burst through the doors to the infirmary and came to an immediate stop.
There on the floor was Khari, his enormous body flopping about like a fish out of water.
“What the hell’s going on? Is he seizing?”
Standing near the wall, her hand over her mouth, Bijou looked horrified as she watched Apollo and Amethyst attempt to hold Khari still so that he didn’t hurt himself.
“One minute they were walking, the next he was on the floor,” Kidel informed him.
“It’s not a seizure,” Apollo announced.
Then what
the fuck?
Suddenly the vampire’s body went stone still, his eyes closed, arms flopping to his sides.
“Khari?” Bijou rasped, taking one hesitant step forward.
While Kaj wanted to hold her back, he found he couldn’t. She’d been down here with the male since his life force had been returned to his body. Being a male vampire with a mate, Kaj knew all too well what a male was capable of if someone attempted to interfere with his nehadon. And though he wasn’t all that keen on the idea that Bijou was the intended mate for the original vampire, he couldn’t simply pretend it wasn’t the case.
His daughter went to her knees first, then shifted so she could lift Khari’s head and rest it on her legs.
“Khari?” she whispered again.
Apollo got to his feet and strolled toward Kaj.
“What’s going on?”
The male healer’s voice was low when he said, “I think that was him getting all his memories back.”
Kaj’s eyes jerked to Apollo’s.
The male nodded, the same trepidation in his eyes that Kaj felt.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on him for the past few hours,” the healer continued, “and it’s been like Oliver’s entire personality transferred. I didn’t notice anything different aside from the obvious. New body, different voice, et cetera.”
Shit.
Why Kaj had thought the male would simply exist as he had, he wasn’t sure. But it made sense that all those repressed memories would come flooding forward at some point. Ten thousand years’ worth…
“Where the fuck is Michael?” Kaj shouted.
Christ Almighty.
What the fuck was happening to him?
Khari couldn’t move, his body wracked with an immeasurable pain. Memories assaulted him, consuming him, dragging him into a hell within his own consciousness. Not just years, but centuries’ worth of images flashed through his head, never ending.
Oliver Calazans.
David Cartwright.
Finley Knox.
Bentley Palmer.
Damion Hayes.
Dante Beltran.
Then more.
At one time or another, he’d shared the name and vessel of some ninety humans, but why?
The names were endless, the list going on and on as the memories of those humans ransacked his mind. He’d lived within them, shared a vessel with the human soul that had originally accompanied the body. Until Oliver, Khari had outlived the human husk, transferred into another when they shriveled up and died. But he remembered every single thing that had happened, remembered being alone in all of them, never finding a true happiness even though the experiences were infinite.
Centuries’ worth of memories, people, places, things. It felt like they were frying his brain cells as they bombarded him. All the while, he felt a deep, disturbing anger surge within him. The need for vengeance. Someone had to be punished for what had happened to him.
“Khari? Come back to me, please.”
Oh, sweet heavens. That voice. The soft rasp of her words was a balm to his soul. His vampire soul.
He wasn’t human even if most of his memories were comprised of those he’d inhabited.
No, he was vampire.
The most powerful vampire to have ever walked the face of the Earth. Sent here by the Almighty. Created to protect the very humans he’d interacted with, the ones he’d mistakenly believed he belonged with.
A soft hand slid over his forehead, brushing back his hair. Smooth, warm. Soothing. That was the touch of this female. His female. Bijou Courtenay. She belonged to him. He’d felt it even when he’d been trapped within the human male. Khari had wanted her with a passion that defied reason.
Another surge of power tore through him, his muscles tensing. He was powerful. So fucking powerful. Not only physically, either. This went deeper than the fibers of his physical makeup. The full extent of who he was slammed into him, a reminder of what he’d been long ago. Back before he’d been locked away in one corporeal prison after another, transferred time and time again.
He was free.
His eyes flashed open.
Bright light pierced his brain and he instantly shut it off.
“What the fuck? Who turned out the lights?” someone grumbled.
“It’s him,” another voice said. “Khari’s doing it. Give him a minute.”
That was a voice of reason, one he actually recognized.
Kaj Courtenay. The Alpha.
But Khari could see nothing but the face above him, the beautiful radiance of the female his heart belonged to. The only one he trusted in the world.
“Khari.” Her smile was as blinding as those fluorescents, but he had no desire to dim it.
In fact, it was the light he wanted to live by. Only her.
Those soft fingers trailed over his cheek.
“Where am I?” he asked.
“Darkness, Colorado,” she replied. “In the mansion owned by the angels. You’re safe here.”
Safe.
That wasn’t a word he was familiar with. For so long, he’d been anything but.
Though he hated to break the contact, Khari sat up, his body moving easily, his power fully charged, his strength unparalleled. Within seconds, he was on his feet, helping Bijou up, peering around at those who watched him as though he might spring at any moment.
He easily picked out the vampires, noted the angels. He cataloged the exits, let his senses expand to take in his surroundings. A mansion of great size and filled with a number of souls was at his back, tunnels leading to another. In one direction, there was another facility, filled with vampires and angels, these not nearly as strong as those who surrounded him now.
Khari turned to see his female standing beside him, her eyes full of… He wasn’t sure he could pinpoint the emotion he saw there. But it wasn’t fear and that was the only thing that mattered. No, this female knew he would never hurt her.
Then he heard a familiar heartbeat, one he’d listened to for the past twenty-eight years. Turning, he headed in the direction of the sound.
“Khari? Leave the human be. He’s not well,” someone said.
He ignored them. Opening the door, he pushed it wide, stepped into the sterile room with its white walls and shiny equipment. A machine sat at the head of the bed, colored lines dancing over the screen, moving in time with the heartbeat he could hear.
Oliver Calazans.
This was the male he’d inhabited. The human he’d forced aside.
Stepping up to the male, Khari placed his hand on the human’s forehead. Warmth traveled from him into the human husk. He would not allow the human to suffer. Not after what he’d done for him all these years.
That tremulous heartbeat strengthened, the pulse shifting into the normal range.
“It’s okay,” Khari told Oliver. “You’re safe now.”
With his hand on Oliver’s forehead, he gave the human a glimpse of the past, assured him he was where he was supposed to be. Then because he could, Khari returned the memories, but stopped those that occurred right before he met Bijou. Those weren’t Oliver’s to have. Those would remain with Khari, where they belonged. No other male would know that sort of intimacy with the female. Only him.
“What are you doing?”
Khari shifted his attention to the door, to the female standing there. This was the one who the human Oliver knew as his sister. Penelope.
“I’m returning him to you,” Khari assured her.
She stepped forward, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “Will he remember me?”
“He will now.” Before removing his hand, he sent a sense of peace and well-being into the male, removing the anger and hatred he’d lived with for so long. Those emotions belonged to Khari as well. The human didn’t need to be shackled with them.
Penelope moved closer, taking Oliver’s hand in his, holding it carefully as though the male might break.
“He’ll wake soon.” Khari met her golden eyes, saw the be
auty that radiated within the human turned angel. Yes, Oliver was safe with her. She would care for the male she believed to be her brother.
“Thank you,” she said kindly.
Khari nodded, then stepped back, turning for the door. He peered down at himself, noticed the baggy blue clothes he wore. They had to go. He needed something … else.
When he returned to the main hall, he realized more angels and vampires had joined them.
Including the archangel.
Khari narrowed his eyes. “You.”
He had to give the male credit, he didn’t back down, didn’t show fear.
“We have a lot to discuss,” Michael said. “When you’re ready.”
Though he considered eliminating the male once and for all, Khari refrained. Only because Bijou was there. He had no desire to allow the female to see that side of him.
“I’ll find you when I’m ready,” Khari told him. “Until then, I suggest you stay out of my way.”
All eyes shot to Michael, as though they expected him to smite him where he stood. He wouldn’t. No, the archangel needed him too much for that. Not to mention, Khari was far more powerful than Michael, though it seemed no one knew that except for him and the archangel.
Khari shifted his attention to Bijou. “I’d like to go to my chambers now.”
She nodded once, then peered over at the Alpha. Something passed between them, then the male nodded.
With that settled, Khari held out his arm for the female. She stepped forward, sliding hers through his as though that was exactly where she was meant to be.
Of course, it was.
But he got the feeling it was going to take some time to show her as much.
Though she sensed there was nothing to fear from the ancient vampire, Acadia couldn’t help but wonder how long that would be true.
Like Obsidian, the male was enormous, towering over everyone else around him. But she could sense a power within him that was stronger than anything she’d ever encountered. She wondered if the others could sense it, if Khari even knew what he harnessed within him.
As though the male heard her thoughts, those ice-blue eyes shifted to her.
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