10. Adam

Chapter ten

Adam

What do we do? Moreau is still watching from the door, and I turn away before he can see the look on my face.

This isn't… It's not possible .

Sam can't have done this. He was with us when Lucien called. And I don't think he can kill her from that distance, no matter how powerful he is.

Besides, he looks as confused as I feel.

He moves closer and reaches out to touch my wrist. "You feel it too?" he asks in an undertone.

I squeeze my eyes shut and nod. There's some other magic there, too, but I can sense that more easily, like it came after.

"Do you think I—"

"No!" I shoot a look at Moreau, who's frowning now, and then look at Sam again. "No. I know you didn't."

"Okay." Sam takes a breath, steeling himself. He looks perfect in the clothes he's picked out, in the way he's pulled himself together to face off against people I can't tell if he fears or hates.

When he looks at me again, I can't read his expression and I don't like it.

"Come on," he says.

Moreau's frown deepens at our approach. "What have you found?"

"We should tell everyone," Sam says.

Moreau eyes him, giving us a grudging nod before he waves us out of the room. He closes and locks the door behind us, and I keep my eyes straight ahead, narrowed in on some spot between Sam's shoulder blades.

If he can face this, so can I.

The quiet chat that's been taking place in the other room falls silent when we walk in. Sam might be expressionless, but I know I'm not, and Lucien frowns when he sees me, taking a step closer.

I shake my head. I'll stand by Sam in this. I have to. Drew and I are his only alibis.

"Did you pick out the signature?" Hunter Helene asks.

"We both did," Sam confirms. "Aside from all the hunters with magic you had traipse in and out, we picked up two distinct signatures. One is similar to Nora's magic before it was bound."

"She was killed by a relative?" Njáll asks.

Sam shakes his head. "That one came after the first, which was tied to the spell that killed her."

"You recognise it," one of the other Council members says.

"Yes," Sam replies. There's no shake in his voice, and though his shoulders are a little tense, I think only three—maybe four—people in here can read that.

"Whose is it?" Hunter Helene asks. "We need to find them! We need to hunt them down and—"

"It's mine," Sam says.

Everyone is silent for a moment, apparently stunned, and then they all start speaking at once.

I clench my jaw, grinding my teeth together as I fight the urge to grab Sam and shove him behind my back.

"Yours?" one of the Council members screeches.

Lucien moves closer, his eyes on the Council members as they all collectively lose their shit.

"It can't have been him," I murmur, leaning over to Lucien.

"Oh, I know that," Lucien replies instantly. Not all the worry leaves me, but his absolute conviction goes some way to soothing my nerves.

Elle's the one to cut through the noise, letting out a shrill whistle that has some of the Council members glaring at her. Vasile gives her a faint smile.

"Thank you," he says. "Now, what is to be done?"

"Lock him up," Hunter Helene says. She scowls at Sam, crossing her arms over her chest. "He's dangerous."

To my surprise, two of our chieftains are nodding—Briar and Njáll. Briar I can understand because she's never met Sam before, but Njáll?

I was with Njáll when Tristan attacked me, and he was there when Sam healed me, too. How can he think he's done this?

"With all due respect," Vasile says dryly, "if he was able to counter your impressive security to get to Nora in the first place, what measures do you have in place to keep him where he does not wish to be?"

Hunter Helene goes red, and Njáll meets Lucien's eyes before he flushes and looks away.

Moreau sighs heavily. "It doesn't matter. It's not like he did it, anyway."

The Council members all look at him, varying expressions of surprise on their faces, and Sam's heartbeat picks up.

"You didn't, did you?" Moreau asks.

"Of course not," Sam scoffs. I can still hear his heart going fast, but we both know it's not a lie. Why is Moreau being helpful? "And I wouldn't be stupid enough to leave my signature behind like that if I did."

"You have an alibi?" Hunter Helene asks.

Moreau pinches the bridge of his nose. "Helene…"

"I was with him," I say, and then all their eyes are on me. "I mean, we… We were—"

"They have been together since before this meeting began," Lucien says, smoothly picking up where I'm stuttering. I didn't mean it to sound like… But I know I can't mention Drew, either. Not until he's seen Deacon; that's a whole other can of worms. "Adam came to see me before I left, and went directly to meet Sam. He was there when you arrived?"

I jolt when I realise the question is aimed at me. "Yes."

"No offence, chieftain," Hunter Helene says, and her tone already has me on edge, "but with everything that's happened recently, as well as before… How do we know we can trust what any of you are saying?"

A growl builds in my throat and Sam reaches back like he can sense it, gripping my wrist tightly. Sparks flit over my skin. When I look up at Lucien, the lines around his eyes speak to his resignation.

"You can lock me up if you like," Sam snaps, and finally, anger is starting to crack through the expressionless mask he's been wearing. "But Moreau's right. You won't keep me there. And if you do that, then I can promise you, I'll never help you find out who did this. You think you've got a mage in your ranks who can hunt this person down without getting themselves and everyone else killed?"

Magic surges, but not from him—from her.

Sam's still holding my wrist. He's angled himself so the hunters can't see.

"That's enough," Moreau grinds out. I've not seen him so serious in a long time; even the night with Tristan, he was pretending to be jovial. "Helene, stop it. We need all the assistance we can get."

The prickle of magic dies down. I never felt any from Sam, and I frown at the side of his head. Was he just going to let her attack?

Can he call up magic that quickly?

"You want my help on this?" Sam asks. Lucien makes a questioning sound, but Sam is looking at Moreau. Njáll and Lazarus watch Sam speculatively; Briar looks concerned.

Vasile's own gaze is appraising. It reminds me of how he looked at Kieran after Tristan's attack. Like he's considering something.

"We would appreciate it," Moreau says.

Sam's gaze cuts back to Helene. "Then I want an apology."

She flushes red again. Her eyes dart between Sam and Moreau, but she realises quickly that she's going to have to do it—that if she doesn't, they're fucked.

"I'm—"

Sam raises a hand. "No, not for me. For them."

He indicates Lucien, whose lips flatten into a thin line, and Vasile, who wears a beatific smile in the face of Helene's anger.

I'm certain I see Elle fight a smile of her own.

"Apologies, crai, chieftain," Helene says. Each word sounds like it's being physically dragged from her. "I did not mean to question your judgement."

"I certainly hope not," Vasile replies. "We would not wish to strain our relationships in these tumultuous times."

She nods, jaw clenched. Sam's thumb rubs over the inside of my wrist, and I fight a shiver.

Lucien nods to her in reply—neither of them thanking her for the apology—and Vasile looks at Moreau.

"We would appreciate being kept in the loop on this matter."

"Of course," Moreau says quickly. He eyes Sam, then Lucien and me. "Though I doubt we'll be able to keep it a secret."

"Did you find out anything when you questioned her?" Sam asks.

The Council members are all silent. One of the men finally speaks up. "No. We don't even know her real name."

"You don't?" Sam sounds surprised, and he looks at Moreau until Moreau shakes his head. Sam sighs and squeezes my wrist again before he lets go. "Her name was Nora Lytton. The Lyttons are—were—a mage family, one of the old ones."

The man shakes his head. "Not possible."

"You can disbelieve it all you like. But that's as good a place to start as any."

"Who's trying to frame you?" Moreau asks.

"Fuck if I know," Sam says. "But I'll find out."

We leave not long after that. Vasile speaks to Lucien before we go, and Elle stays behind, both halves of an increasingly efficient team.

Vampires are, I've learnt over the past fifty years, surprisingly solitary creatures. It's never been something that's worked for me, but then Lucien already had Elle so close that I think adding me into their little duo was easy enough.

If a vampire decides to care for their turn, their fledgling, then that's only usually for a decade or so. Things in London are different, sure; there are a lot of vampires in a small, crowded area, but I've always wondered if the districts might be more effective if our chieftains had partners, or at least someone close by who they could trust.

Lucien takes the passenger seat, and Sam and I slide into the back of the car. Sam lets out a heavy sigh when it pulls off, sinking into the seat and tipping his head back. Even I didn't realise how much tension he was carrying in there, but I can see as it leaves him.

"Hunter Helene will not be pleased with what you made her do," Lucien says. He's not really telling Sam off, but it's a warning.

Sam makes an amused sound. "She's not important enough to worry about," he replies. "And she hated me the moment she felt my magic. She's powerful, for a witch." He winces a little as he says the final word. "Anyway, she was really fucking rude to you. You think I was going to let that go?"

I can't help my grin, especially when I see the way Lucien's eyes widen in the rear-view mirror. "I—"

"You're not just Kieran's mate," Sam says, darting a quick look at the driver. He won't tell. So long as we don't threaten Vasile. "You're a friend."

Lucien nods once. "I—Thank you."

Sam hums. One hand rests in the space between us and I reach out before I can talk myself out of it, tangling our fingers together. Sam turns his head, looking up at me.

I squeeze his hand, and he smiles. It's strained, tired around the edges, but I know he means it.

We're silent the rest of the way back to the flat. When we pull up, though, Sam pauses just inside the wards.

Lucien looks at him with a frown. "What is it?"

"I just—Give me a minute? I'll be up, I promise." He flounders, looking around. "I need to check the wards."

Lucien believes that about as much as I do, judging by his expression, but nods. "All right. Adam?"

"I'll be right there."

I don't want to let Sam out of my sight. Not right now. He frowns at me when I don't follow Lucien inside, then stalks away, towards the side of the building.

He showed me how he powers his wards before. I trot along behind him and when he stands there, clearly planning to do nothing, I move closer.

Sam turns and looks at me with a sigh. "Adam…"

"What?"

He backs up and I follow until he's resting against the wall, looking up at me. His expression isn't dissimilar to that night in my flat, when he was debating whether to leave.

He needs help. I can be that support for him.

I take his chin in my hand, looking at him until he squirms.

"What?" he repeats my question with a scowl.

"Tell me how to help you."

The corners of his mouth twitch, though I think he's more touched than amused. He lets out a heavy sigh, lifting his arms to the sides, and I wrap mine around his waist, tucking him against me.

His hands make their way under my jacket and shirt, stroking over the skin of my back but never dipping below my waistband. It's not about that. He needs a moment to process. A moment of comfort.

"I'm okay," he says after a minute, breath hot against my throat. "I am. I just…"

"You don't have to be," I reply, and when I hear his sharp inhale, I lift my head.

"Adam."

"Sam." I grin when he glares. "Let me take care of you?"

"It's too—"

"Friends take care of each other, too."

Sam's fingers dig into my back, and he pushes up onto his tiptoes. "Not the way you want to."

Cheeky little mage. Does he really think he can push me away like that? Does he think I'll give in to so easy a temptation?

I mean, he's not entirely wrong. But I do know better.

I kiss his forehead, and the sound he makes in response is ever so startled. "I'll take care of you any way you need me to," I murmur. "Promise."

Sam's eyes widen. "You can't promise that."

"Why not? I don't intend on breaking it."

He bites his lip and looks away, but I don't miss the sheen in his eyes. I say nothing, just curve myself around him again until he sighs, rubbing his face against my shirt.

"We should go up."

Kieran's pacing the living room when we get up there. Drew's posture is rigid, relaxing a little when we walk in, but Kieran's attention snaps to Sam immediately.

"How did it go?" Has Lucien told him nothing? He's sitting in a chair, wearing a beatific expression. Yeah, maybe not.

Sam grimaces, and Kieran's entire body tenses. Sam sighs. "I'm fine."

"What happened?"

"You should sit," Lucien says, and Kieran shoots him a glare—he really doesn't like that we're keeping something from him, and oh, the irony—but he deposits himself on Lucien's lap all the same.

Drew sits up on the sofa, sticking to the left-hand side, close to Kieran and Lucien, and Sam takes the seat in the middle. When I go to sit in the other chair, Sam watches me.

I pause and detour, taking the seat next to him.

Kieran's face darkens as Sam explains what we found. He glosses over some of the conversation, but not the part where Helene insulted Lucien, or the part where he agreed to help the Council find Nora's killer.

Kieran lets out a frustrated sound when Sam stops speaking. "Fuck. I should've come with you."

"I think a fight with a hunter would have been a bit much, my love," Lucien says dryly, and Kieran twists around to glare at him again. Lucien merely smiles and presses his lips to the corner of Kieran's mouth. "I am fine. Sam can be just as prickly as you when given the chance."

That loosens some of the tension from Kieran's shoulders, and he looks over at Sam. "Pretty sure he's pricklier than I am."

Sam sticks his middle finger up at Kieran, and Kieran laughs. He sobers quickly. "You really want to help?"

"I have to," Sam says. "I need to be sure this isn't a threat to us."

"And if it becomes a threat to you because you're getting involved?"

"I'll be fine," Sam says quickly. "I will. I'll be careful."

Kieran stares at him for a moment before he nods. "What help do you need?"

"I was thinking about it on the way over. I'll talk to Pris, Ophelia, and Dante. I'm hoping Pris'll know how they've managed to use my magical signature in a spell. I've never heard of anyone being able to do that before."

"All right," Kieran says. "But if you need to go anywhere, need to search for anyone—"

"Yeah, I've got it," Sam says. He smiles, and it seems like the most genuine one since I got the call from Lucien. "We'll all sort it together."