Bring Him Back, Jack

by Holly Day

Ivan shrugged. “I’ve only ever had you for short times. I don’t think we’ll get done today, so you have to eat.”

  Jack’s gaze swept over his face. “I haven’t eaten in two weeks.”

  Fucking Remington Redwood. “Why don’t you kill the bastard? You’re strong and quick, he wouldn’t stand a chance.”

  The blank face Jack presented had Ivan sighing.

  “Look, I know it must be hard, or I can guess at least, but withholding food and locking you up in cages is wrong.”

  “If I disappoint him, he’ll replace the plastic stake with one made of ash wood.”

  Killing them with a push of a button. “Yeah, but yours is plastic, right?” God, he hoped so. “It is, right?”

  Jack nodded.

  “Good. If you were to kill him on your first try, he wouldn’t be able to change it into ash.”

  “But we all would be euthanized.”

  Euthanized. As if they were dogs. Ivan wanted to be sick. “Break his neck and run.”

  Jack gestured at his chest. “They’ll trigger them. They can do it remotely.”

  They needed to remove it. He couldn’t have Jack falling paralyzed at the click of a button. Especially not since Ivan might push the button at any time by mistake while squeezing through somewhere. And Ivan would bet his right hand Remi had more than one device for each vampire.

  Perhaps it was the plan. Have Jack fall into a heap at a critical moment. He frowned. The tracking devices would tell Remi where they were, and if he wanted to, he could shoot the stake into Jack’s heart. “Fuck.”

  “Luis is working tonight.” Raina walked into the kitchen. “He can get me in.”

  “Is there a safe?”

  She nodded. “One in each room, and one on the basement floor. There’s a vault only the hotel manager has access to.”

  “Palm print? Retina scanner?”

  “Eh…” She shrugged, and Ivan held in a sigh.

  “Can we get a blueprint of the building? I need to know if there’s another way into the vault.” He looked up and noticed Jack frowning. “What?”

  Jack grimaced; he’d never seen a vampire grimace. Most often they didn’t show any emotions at all. “Why would they bring a diamond if they weren’t going to show it to someone?”

  Ivan pursed his lips. Yeah, why?

  “This diamond, is it just a diamond?” Raina sat across from him.

  “The queen’s diamond.” Ivan didn’t care who the diamond belonged to.

  “Yes, but is it a rock sitting in a box or is it in a necklace or a ring?”

  Ivan leafed through the papers in the folder until he found a photo of the diamond. He held it up so Jack and Raina could see. “Necklace.”

  “Luis said he could get me in tonight because there would be so many people no one would notice I didn’t belong. There is some kind of charity fundraising dinner thing. Lots of fancy dresses and tiny portions of food.”

  Shit. “You think the wife will be wearing it?” Remi hadn’t said anything about there being a charity dinner.

  “What do we know about it?”

  Ivan shook his head. “Nothing. It’s a suicide mission. Lord Zelly is there with his wife and thirty guards. Remi has a buyer for the diamond and wants it stolen.”

  “I would wear it.”

  Ivan huffed. “I know you would, but subtlety isn’t your thing.”

  “Yeah, well, fuck you, Ivan. Not all of us were born shadow walkers.”

  Ivan glanced at Jack, but he showed no reaction to Raina’s words.

  “It doesn’t matter. We need a plan.” He held up a finger. “We need to get Jack out of the chains and out of the stake.” Jack once again hovered with his hand over his chest. “We need to find him clothes.” He tapped his finger on the folder. “We need more information about the layout of the building.” He met Raina’s gaze. “See if Luis can fix you up as a cleaner or waiter. Waiter is probably best so you can keep an eye on them during the dinner.”

  Raina nodded and stood, phone in hand.

  “Then we need an escape plan. I hand the diamond over to Remi, then we’re out of here.”

  Raina gave one short nod and left the kitchen.

  “He won’t let you go.”

  Ivan looked at Jack. “Who? Remi? He can’t force me to stay once I’ve paid off Raina’s debt.”

  Jack’s gaze jumped between him and out through the doorway where Raina had gone. “I’m to capture you.”

  Ivan stilled. Jack was to capture him? Why?

  “Capture me while stealing?” It made sense. If one of Remi’s guards caught him red-handed, he’d be sent to jail, and Remi would get all the glory. It explained why Remi wanted to track them. If he knew exactly where they were, they could sweep in and capture him as soon as Jack had secured him. It would also explain why Remi demanded Ivan would keep Jack close at all times.

  “No, he wants the diamond.”

  “He wants the diamond?”

  “For a buyer. At least that’s what he told me.”

  Ivan grunted. “So why are you going to capture me?”

  Jack looked at him. “What’s a shadow walker?”

  Ah, he had caught that. Ivan kept quiet and waited for him to answer his question.

  “How will Raina manage to get my chains off? They’re sealed with magic.”

  Ivan sighed. “Yeah. Why are you going to capture me?”

  “I don’t know why. I’m to capture you when we get back and hand you over to someone.”

  Ice spread in Ivan’s veins. “Who are you handing me over to?”

  Jack shook his head. “Some man who’ll be waiting. Warner? Weldon? Something like that.”

  Ivan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “And you don’t happen to know what he wants with me, do you?”

  Jack shook his head. “He’s a wizard?”

  “Raina!”

  It took a few seconds before Raina came into the kitchen again. “Yes?”

  “Do you know of any wizards named Warner or Weldon or something along those lines?”

  Raina paled. “Wizard? We need to leave if there will be wizards.”

  “You haven’t…made a bet or something?”

  She growled. “I made a mistake with Remi, okay? I’ve been careful ever since.”

  “Jack is to hand me over to a wizard once we have the diamond.”

  Raina shook her head. “No, let’s run. If they know what you are…” They’d drain him of his blood and use it in some crazy ceremony. He was a shadow walker—not a human, not a wizard, not a vampire. He could melt into walls, disappear, become invisible, and something with his blood had everyone going crazy.

  “You’re not human?” Jack was frowning at him, and Ivan pursed his lips. Jack had told him about his instructions, perhaps he should tell the truth about himself.

  “What’s your name?”

  Jack widened his eyes. “Jack.”

  Ivan shook his head. “No, what do you call yourself? What do the other vamps in the basement call you?”

  Sharp fangs appeared for a fraction of a second. Ivan had never seen them before. Jack was always careful never to show teeth.

  “Malik.”

  Ivan nodded. “I’m Ivan Charna, and Raina is Raina Charna.”

  “Snow?”

  “Snow is white. Charna is originally a girl name meaning black. We thought it fun to call us Snow. The Charna family only births girls, except for once a century or so when there is a boy.” He waved his hand.

  “You?”

  Ivan nodded. “Yeah, me. The women have power, not like a wizard, but power all the same. And the men are shadow walkers. Very rare.”

  “You are one.” Malik nodded as to confirm it for himself. “Does Remi know?”

  Ivan shook his head. “I don’t think so. Had he known, he would have tried to capture me a long time ago. There are many legends about the power in my blood, Raina’s, too, though they’re not as outlandish as the legends about mine.” He stood and wen
t to wash his hands in the sink, then he removed the lens disguising his blue eye.

  Malik sucked in a breath. “Phantasm.”

  It wasn’t a term Ivan had heard before, so he shrugged. “What does it mean to you?”

  “You’re not living, and you’re not dead. A shadow between.”

  Ivan rolled his eyes. “I’m very much alive, dear. What does your legend say about my blood?”

  Malik shook his head. “Different colored eyes are a sign of life and death warring within. We cannot drink dead blood.”

  Ivan cocked his hip. “My blood is not dead, but I guess it’s good. If I’m ever in trouble with vamps, I’ll show my eyes.”

  Malik shook his head.

  “No?”

  “Abomination. Not meant for this world.” The disappointment painting his face had Ivan frowning.

  “It’s okay. I’ve been called worse than abomination. Or you know, it’s not the first time I’ve been called it.” Ivan sighed, weariness spreading in his heart. “You know me, Malik. We’ve done many missions together, and you’re my favorite vamp in the whole wide world. You have to know I’m as queer as a three-dollar bill by now. And abomination might not be my favorite word, but trust me, I’ve been called a lot of things.”

  Malik stared.

  “Nothing has changed.”

  Raina gave an exasperated sigh. “Now we can’t even trust your pet vamp.”

  “Don’t call him that!” Malik wasn’t a pet vamp. He was a male caught in, or most likely born into, slavery. It was cruelty far worse than the one he and Raina had to endure.

  Ivan turned to Malik. “Will you still help with the mission?” Or would Malik capture and hand him over to the wizard?

  Malik nodded. “Always. You’re my favorite human.”

  “If only I was human.” Ivan winked.

  Chapter 5

  Malik didn’t know what to do. Ivan, his Ivan, was a phantasm—a creature not alive and yet not dead. So many times, he’d fantasized about drinking Agent Snow’s blood, and now he never would. His kind wasn’t supposed to exist, but he did, and Malik would not hand him over to the wizard.

  He’d heard about the sacrifices wizards did, and Ivan’s blood might be tainted, but he didn’t want it poured in a circle. If he couldn’t have Ivan’s blood, then no one else would either.

  “You’re not one to frown, so when you sit brooding, you make me a little worried.” Ivan raised an eyebrow at him when Malik met his gaze.

  “Just thinking.”

  “That’s great, but please do share.”

  Malik shrugged, but carefully. He hardly ever shrugged, he was afraid too many or too hasty motions would trigger the stake. It never did.

  He’d fought people, climbed, reached for things above his head, and the stake had never been triggered by mistake, but it was a fear he had.

  “I won’t give you to the wizard.”

  “Oh, that’s nice.” Raina’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, but Malik kept his face blank. Many didn’t think vampires understood sarcasm.

  “Great!” Ivan smiled at him, and Malik’s heart beat hard as tingles skidded over his body. He might not be able to mate with Ivan as he’d dreamed, but he could still be close to him. A true mate bond required biting, and he couldn’t bite Ivan. Sorrow welled up in his chest.

  “Hey, what’s with the long face?”

  Malik shook his head. There was no use in telling Ivan anything. Ivan might have seen his body react before, but he’d always been careful not to show his emotions. Had Master figured out his weakness, he’d used it against him, and it was best Ivan didn’t know either.

  Ivan clapped his hands together. A shiver slithered down Malik’s spine as he looked into those eyes—one almost black, one almost white. It wasn’t white, it was blue, but the contrast made it glow.

  “We need a plan. This is gonna be a shitty assignment, but we need to somehow get it done. Today.”

  Raina slumped on a chair. “Chains.” She looked at Malik. “At this point, I’d say the chains are the biggest problem. The moment he—” She tilted her head in Malik’s direction. “—sets foot in the hotel, everyone’s gonna notice. You don’t see a vampire walking around in chains in such a place.”

  You didn’t? Malik glanced at Ivan, who was pursing his lips. Weren’t there vampires on the security team? It was most often where they worked.

  “I’ll go there and have a look around.”

  “No.” Malik didn’t want Ivan out of his sight.

  “If we can see what Lord Zelly’s guards are wearing and have you dressed the same way, you’d melt in.”

  “It’s too dangerous.” Malik wanted to touch him but didn’t.

  Ivan frowned. “Too dangerous?”

  “People are looking for you.”

  The laugh, it was low and raspy, and it set Malik afire.

  “People are always looking for me. We try to blend in, but it’s hard. We move around to confuse them.”

  Malik shook his head. “You can’t go.”

  “Because?”

  Thinking hard, he tried to come up with a reason. “Tracker.”

  Ivan grimaced and looked at Raina.

  “Oh hell, I’ll go. I’ll call Luis and see if I should pick up some clothes or something for the evening.” She gestured at the shocking pink sweater she was wearing. “I fear it’ll be a night in black and white. I do not look good in black and white.”

  Ivan chuckled. “Thank you.”

  She huffed. “Let’s kill Paltry Remi before we leave town.”

  “Then people would hunt us for sure.”

  Malik wondered if they killed people often since they spoke so casually about it.

  “Right, I’m off.” She got to her feet and met Malik’s gaze. “Feel free to use the shower.”

  Malik glanced at Ivan, who grinned and shook his head. “How are we getting him out of his clothes with the chains still on?”

  She smirked. “I didn’t think you’d let something like that stop you.” Then she slipped out of the kitchen.

  Ivan raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you want to shower?”

  Malik stared. He’d never been in a shower. In the winter, they got a bucket of water to clean off. In the summer, Master hosed them off in the garden. The water was icy cold no matter the season.

  “We can cut open the sleeves of the shirt to get it off. Hopefully, Raina will have a new one with her when she comes.”

  A shower. “I don’t know.”

  “Come on.” Ivan touched his shoulder, making Malik shiver. He grabbed a towel out of a linen closet and motioned toward the bathroom. His eerie eyes studied Malik for several seconds. “Let’s start with the shirt, and I can leave you to do the rest yourself.”

  Ivan had already seen him without clothes, not entirely, but with his pants pulled down. Modesty wasn’t something the vampires in the basement had the luxury of. “It’s okay.”

  Ivan undid the top button of his shirt, his gaze jumping to Malik’s as he reached for the second. “You want to do this? I’ll go fetch the scissors.”

  Malik wanted Ivan to do it. The fantasy of Ivan this close and touching him had kept him hopeful through many cold nights in the basement, and now Ivan was doing it in reality.

  “You might have to run, too, you realize that, right?” Ivan went on to the third button, working slowly.

  “I can’t. Anyone seeing me in the street would know I’m not supposed to be there.”

  Ivan nodded. “You’ll come with us.”

  Heat filled his chest, but fear followed. “They’ll hunt us.”

  Ivan shook his head. “No. We’ll stay hidden. After a week, your hair will have grown out some. We’ll find you proper clothes. You’ll blend in enough for people not to call the cops as soon as they see you.”

  He moved on to the last button, and Malik held his breath.

  “We’ll find someplace secluded, somewhere rural. Raina will bitch about it, she wants to be in a city, but
we can hide if we’re in the woods.”

  Malik had never been in the woods, had never been anywhere other than here in the city or to estates where Master had sent him to guard someone. It was rare he did, but it had happened.

  Ivan pushed the shirt open, revealing his skin and the protruding cage holding the stake over his heart. “We need to get rid of it. I’m terrified every time you need to squeeze through somewhere that it’s gonna get caught.”

  Malik kept still as Ivan leaned closer. It was to inspect the device, but he held his breath, waiting, hoping, Ivan would touch his skin.

  “Do you know if there’s a spell?” He turned his head so his cheek almost touched Malik’s bare chest. “It looks like we should be able to…is it screwed to your ribs?” He looked up at Malik—one dark eye, one pale. “Could we cut the metal sprints going in and leave it at that?”

  Malik shuddered. “It’s screwed to the bone.”

  “Fuck.” Ivan frowned and touched the skin next to where one of the screws went in. “But if we snip it here—” He pointed a third of an inch above his chest. “—pull out the stake, and screw nuts on so there’s nothing sharp pointing out, it should be safer, right?”

  Remove the stake? There was a roar in his head. Ivan wanted to remove the stake. He’d be…No one could control him if they removed the stake. He couldn’t find his voice, so he nodded.

  “Great!” Ivan grinned. “Hop into the shower, and I’ll try to find some tools.”

  Malik looked at all the bottles on the shelf and then at the showerhead. “Where…”

  Ivan’s eyes widened. “Oh…yeah. You turn this to get the water running.” He pointed at a knob attached to a metal thing on the wall. “And this is to adjust the heat. If you want it warmer you turn it toward the red—” He pointed at a marking on the side by the knob. “—and colder toward the blue. This here—” He grabbed a bottle. “—is body wash.” He shrugged. “I think we’ll skip the shampoo for now.”

  Staring as Ivan took a step back, Malik nodded. Heat. Warm water.

  Chapter 6

  Ivan left the bathroom without cursing. Malik had never been in a shower. It was hard to tell how old a vampire was, but Ivan would guess Malik was close to forty, maybe a couple of years past forty, and he’d never been in a shower. Ivan would turn thirty-four in October if they survived this mission, and he’d always assumed Malik was a few years older than him.