28. Lucien

I stare at the message on my phone, dread swirling in the pit of my stomach.

Sorry. Have to go deal with family stuff. I'll be back as soon as I can. Stay safe. Please.

I received the message several hours ago, and every call I have tried to make to Kieran's phone has gone directly to voicemail. I have not left a message.

I do not know what to do. It is still light outside, so I cannot leave, cannot look for him.

How has he left? I growl and push off from the sofa, pacing the living room. He was gravely injured last night. I do not understand how he has simply managed to get up and—

I snatch my phone up again and call Adam.

"Lucien? What is it?" His voice is heavy with sleep, but the thump of fear in my chest quickly swamps the guilt I feel.

"Do you have Sam's phone number?"

"What?" Adam sounds a little more awake now. "Yeah. What's up?"

"Kieran has left."

Adam is silent for a moment. "I'll be right there."

We all came to the flats last night. Adam's is on the floor below mine, while Elle stays three doors down, and I consider calling her too, but she also needs her sleep. We are supposed to hunt with the wolves tonight.

It is only a few minutes before I hear a knock at the door, and I let Adam inside. He looks as though he has pulled on whatever clothes he could reach, but he offers his phone immediately, closing the door behind him.

"Here," he says. "I haven't had a message from him or anything. Do you think—"

"I think he knows Kieran is gone," I say.

Adam pales when he walks into the living room but does not slow his steps. He takes a seat on the sofa, and I sit beside him, watching as he calls and puts the phone on speaker. It is a few rings before Sam picks up.

"Adam? What's up?"

"Nothing, I—You've got me and Lucien here."

Sam makes a sound of realisation. "He's not picking up for you either, huh?" His tone is laced with venom—and more than a little concern.

"No," I say. "Do you know where he has gone?"

"I can guess," Sam says. There are noises as if he is moving around somewhere. "Probably back home."

"Home?"

A kettle switches on, but Sam moves away from it. "Yeah. Tristan said something to him last night, got him worried. I think…"

"You think what?"

"I think he threatened his brother."

"His brother?" Adam breathes.

"Yeah." Sam's laugh is harsh, brittle. "He's supposed to be coming here soon, too, so I don't know what's going on. Kieran left me a fucking note in the living room and—" He cuts himself off. "Whatever. He's dealing with it by himself, I guess."

I shake my head, hardly able to believe what I am hearing. "By himself? You—"

"What am I supposed to do, Lucien? Even injured, he managed to sneak out of here. I didn't know he was gone until he passed through the wards. Yeah, I could probably track him down, but it's pretty clear he doesn't want help!"

We are all silent for a moment. Sam sighs, the sound coming out heavy over the speaker.

"Sorry," he mutters. "I'm just—I'm really pissed off, y'know? If he gets himself killed—"

"He will not," I say. The words are hardly more than a growl.

"Yeah, I hope not. I'll let you know if he turns up here, okay?"

Adam looks between me and the phone. "Thanks, Sam. You've been a big help."

"Yeah, sure. See you around."

The call ends and I stare into the distance for a moment. What is so dangerous he could not let us know? The clan operates within London, but we are free to travel; someone could have gone with him, helped him.

And he is injured. Even if he has healed enough to walk around—and I hardly know how that is possible—then he is still vulnerable to attack.

I push my hair back from my face and realise Adam is watching me.

"You okay?" he asks.

I sigh. "No." Whatever had eased in my chest upon seeing Kieran the night before is now back, angrily pulsing, begging me to get to my feet and follow wherever he has gone.

Would it lead me there?

It does not matter. I have duties here, responsibilities. Kieran has clearly chosen his own path.

"Can I help?"

I sigh and lean back, and when Adam follows me, our shoulders press together. "There is nothing you can do," I say. "There is nothing any of us can do. Kieran has made his decision, and we must stay here and find Tristan."

"You don't think he's gone wherever Kieran is?"

I shake my head. I doubt it. Tristan wants to kill Kieran, and I believe he may have said something that has goaded him into travelling—but he may not know that Kieran has left; he may have thought that Kieran would just search harder for him, become careless in his fear.

The mage, too. We have heard nothing of her outside of her interfering when we attempt to capture Tristan. Is she as focused on hurting Kieran, too, or is there something else at work?

I open my mouth to speak again, but my phone rings before I can. I sit up quickly and snatch it up, swallowing down my disappointment when I see Vasile's name on the screen.

"Yes, crai?"

"I know you are supposed to search with the wolves tonight, but I require your presence at the clan before you join them."

"Of course." I can call Chaya and let her know. I am certain it will not be an issue. "May I ask why?"

"Hunter Moreau has a candidate for the new liaison he would like to bring by. Considering all the effort you've put in over the last couple of weeks, he thinks it is the right time."

I rub a hand over my face. Of course he thinks the right time is in the middle of this mess. Still, I do my best not to let any tension creep into my voice. "I will be there, crai."

"Thank you. Bring Elle. I expect you not long after sundown."

"Yes, crai."

He ends the call and I sigh. I have to tell Elle what has happened, though I know she will be angry. Not at me—at Kieran.

"What's going on?" Adam asks.

"Moreau has a new candidate for our volunteer liaison." I shake my head at the dark look that crosses his face. "They will be fine. Vasile wants me to meet them before he agrees to anything."

"So if you say no, they won't come and work with us?"

"I assume so."

"What if you said no to everyone?"

"I cannot do that." No, that is unfair. Our volunteers and human clan members deserve the extra protection a liaison ensures. They are too disadvantaged when it comes to us. I will not leave them defenceless.

It is a shame Nathan did.

"I'll come with you, then," Adam says.

"Are you supposed to be hunting tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm with Njáll, but—"

"Go with him," I say, voice firm. "Elle will be with me, and she will call if anything goes wrong. Not that I expect it to. I am simply meeting someone, and Vasile and Moreau will be present. Everything will be fine."

Adam grumbles but gives in with a nod. "Fine. Make sure you call, though."

I manage to dredge up a smile. "Of course."

Elle is not pleased to hear about Kieran and is not afraid to show it—not that I expect her to be. Adam's eyes go wide as she swears, pacing in the living room, and I shake my head, getting to my feet. It is not long until nightfall, and we need to be ready to meet the car that will take us to the clan house.

"If he comes back here, I'll—"

"You will do nothing," I say, irritated now. "If Kieran returns to London and wishes to talk, then we will talk."

"He up and left, Lucien! We're in the middle of this because of him, and—"

"We are in the middle of this because of Tristan," I snap back. "If Tristan threatened his family, then I cannot blame him for wanting to help them."

Besides, the more I have thought it through over the last few hours, the more I have realised there is little I can do. I cannot simply leave the city, not if I want to remain in the good graces of the clan. After everything, that is what I want. I need to be here to protect Adam and to look out for Elle.

I sincerely hope Kieran returns. I hope he is fine, wherever he is. But there is nothing I can do for him.

"Fine," Elle growls.

Night creeps in and Adam goes in the opposite direction as we get in the car to the clan house. I worry about him going to meet Njáll and the rest of the team alone, but he has promised to check in once he gets there, and I trust Njáll will as well. He has seemed shaken since Adam's attack.

Elle does not speak until we are inside the clan house, heading for Vasile's office. "Who do you think he's chosen?" she asks in an undertone.

I shake my head. "Perhaps someone who has helped with looking for Tristan. It would make sense."

Elle nods. She shows no weakness when we stand between Vasile's guards and wait for him to tell us to enter. Again, they do not look at us. I do not know if they ever turn their gazes from the blank wall opposite.

"Enter."

The door swings open and I step inside, pausing when I take in the two hunters standing on the opposite side of Vasile's desk.

Hunter Moreau has his hands clasped behind his back, and he eyes me for a moment before he turns his attention to Elle.

I am more surprised by the hunter he has brought with him, and by Elle's pause, she is too.

"Nora," she says finally, recovering with a smile before she steps forward, extending her hand. "What a pleasure to see you here."

Nora smiles in return, and when she offers her hand to me, I am impressed by her firm grip.

"I know you have all already met," Vasile says. He waves his hand, and Moreau and Nora sit again. Elle and I hang back, still standing. "If everything goes well, we expect Nora to begin with her duties in a few weeks."

"We'll ease her in slowly," Moreau says, and I am glad I am standing out of his line of sight because I cannot help the irritation his words send through me. He is not in charge here—no matter how much we need a liaison to keep the treaty intact. "But we've had no complaints during the searches, and Nora's worked with vampires before."

Vasile turns his gaze expectantly to the young woman and she nods, dropping her eyes. "I have some experience with vampires," she agrees, "but nothing with a clan this large. I think there are some things I'll find challenging, but that's to be expected."

Vasile hums his agreement. "Well, we will certainly see how things go. Considering how many of my vampires are busy searching for Tristan, I would expect you to spend some time with the volunteers first. That will be where you will spend most of your time."

Nora nods. "Yes, crai, of course."

I look her over again. She has sharp, dark eyes, her light brown hair tied back to keep it out of her face. Her clothes are typical for a hunter—dark and functional—but she seems to have an unusual sense of deference.

Moreau twists in his chair, looking up at me. "How are things going with the search, chieftain? I heard you and your human were the ones to figure Tristan's probably using the tube stations to hide in."

"Yes, we believe so. We would hope to have some hunters searching there during the day."

Moreau hums thoughtfully. "But Tristan attacked last night?"

"He did. He got away again."

"And your human?"

My… I fight a scowl. I do not want to mention Kieran's injuries, not to this man. I do not want his attention on Kieran at all.

"He has left the city."

Moreau's reaction surprises me. True horror enters his expression, and a kind of surprise that speaks to… knowledge.

He knows something. He knows something about Kieran, and I do not like it.

"Left?" Vasile's voice cuts through the tension. "Why would he leave?"

"I do not know." I rub my chest without thinking, but when Vasile's eyes snap to the movement, I drop my hand. "We are not certain what Tristan said to him before he attacked. He may simply want to get away from him."

Moreau shakes his head. Nora is watching all of us closely, gaze darting from face to face.

"Well, it does not matter," Vasile says. "If Tristan follows him out of the city…"

Moreau nods grimly. "We'll be on it." He sighs and gets to his feet. "I'd better plan for that now, actually. We'll come back tomorrow to look around."

Vasile stands when Nora does and asks Elle to show them to the door. I hear the unspoken order and remain in the room, moving behind one of the chairs.

"Take a seat, Lucien," Vasile says once we are alone.

I sit, crossing one leg over the other as I eye our crai. Vasile looks concerned, and I do not think it is all because of a new liaison.

"What do you think of her?" Vasile asks.

"I am not certain. She has been reserved when I have hunted with her. Elle will know her far better than I do."

"I intend to ask her later. Any impressions? Is there anything you've seen that suggests she might be a bad choice?"

"I am not sure I am the correct person to ask."

Vasile sighs in response. He turns his head, staring off into the distance for a moment as he taps his fingers on the top of his desk. "If you do notice anything," he says finally, "and I mean anything, then let me know. Immediately. Do you understand?"

There is a push of command in the words. It is not enough to force me to submit, but it is enough that I understand how serious Vasile is about this.

"Of course, crai."

"Good." Vasile taps his fingers again. I feel as though he is working up to ask something, but I do not know why he is hesitating. "What happened with the human? Kieran?"

I frown. "What do you mean?"

Vasile fixes me with a serious look. "I know you and he are getting closer, Lucien. Whether or not I think that is wise… It is not my business. Why do you think he has left?"

I bite back the disappointment that lodges in my throat. I will never be rid of the mistakes of my past. Never. "I do not know," I answer truthfully. "I believe that Tristan said something to him. All he has told me is that he is concerning himself with family business and expects to be back soon."

"Do you think he will be?"

I curl my hand into a fist to keep from touching my chest again to soothe the sharp pain Vasile's words cause. His eyes dart to my hand and my chest, like he knows full well what I am doing.

Why do I feel as though everyone around me somehow knows more about what is between me and Kieran than I do?

"I hope so. I do not know."

Vasile sighs again. He does not sound exasperated, only sad. "Thank you for your counsel," he finally says. "Please let Elle know I would like to see her when you are done searching with the wolves tonight."

"Yes, crai."

I let myself out of Vasile's office and walk away quickly, rage and despair coursing through my veins. I made a mistake with Nathan, and as everyone has been trying to remind me, so did everybody else. Except, when it is inconvenient, I am the one to take the blame, to be treated as though I am nothing more than a wayward child who requires protection.

I pause at the main doors. Elle is waiting on the street, and she turns to me expectantly.

Has Kieran treated me that way? He knows something is wrong, though he does not know the specifics. He has tried to protect me, but then I am beginning to learn that his solution to most problems seems to be to throw himself into the line of fire.

I take my phone out of my pocket. I have not replied to his text; I have only tried to call.

I suspect I plan to remain far safer than you do. Be careful. I would like you back in one piece.