Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

When we arrived in the main dining hall, the Hunters, Vena, and Anchor were still there. So were Gunther and another man, but they sat at another table farther away. Otherwise, the room was empty.

Based on the Hunters’ empty breakfast plates and Vena’s tortured expression, I knew they’d been there a while, and she needed a break from her boyfriend's interrogation.

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Hunter. How’s Miles?” I asked as I joined them.

“As well as can be expected,” Mr. Hunter said. “He’s eating and drinking but angry about his forced captivity. He keeps asking about my parents’ research and the book they’d found before their disappearance.”

The same book Vena and I had found hidden at their house.

“He’s nicer to us than the other people here,” Mrs. Hunter added.

“As soon as the vampire controlling him is dead, he’ll be back to normal,” Vena said. We all knew that was a lie, though. He would never be the same again once he realized what Adriel made him do.

Shepard sat beside me and passed me a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast. I dug in.

“Any progress in finding the vampire?” Mr. Hunter asked, looking at Shepard.

“Unfortunately, no. I have men out, night and day, searching. Adriel's scent is familiar to some of them, and it’s helped pick up a trail here and there, but they always end abruptly.”

“If he’s a cat, he can jump and climb,” Vena said. “Are they looking on top of buildings, too?”

“And the sewers,” I said after swallowing my bite of food. “Cross mentioned he went down one yesterday.”

“You saw him yesterday?” Vena said with an edge in her voice.

“Yeah. He used himself as a distraction to get me alone so one of his minions could tell me I needed to meet up with Cross' ex.” It was simpler to say she was his ex in front of the Hunters than to admit she was an evil vampire after all the rings. After all, I wasn’t sure how much Shepard and Cross wanted to share about them.

“His ex? The same one who’d sent your look-alike to our house as a gift to Cross?”

“I guess.” I’d forgotten about that.

“Ew. Why does she want to meet up with you?”

“She wants to use Everly as bait to force Cross to give her what she wants,” Shepard said.

“His ring?” Mr. Hunter asked, proving why the Hunters were so successful at tracking down information.

“Yes,” Shepard said after a moment. “It seems Adriel is working for her.”

“Damn,” Vena breathed.

My phone buzzed with a message. Thinking it might be Cross, I checked it and found a text and video from the number on the note.

Amberly: Stop searching for answers you don’t need. The only solution is to meet with Orphia.

The video was dark when it started, but then a hand moved away from the lens.

A woman wearing white pants and a flowy top lay on a bed. Her hands and ankles were bound, and a black ball gag covered her mouth as she struggled against the two men pinning her.

I couldn’t see their faces, which were buried against her neck. But I knew them. The black leather clothes. The sparkling collar. The cat ears.

Her muffled screams silenced the conversation at the table.

“Ev?” Vena said.

I watched Pet lift his head and turned to look at the camera. His lips were red, smeared with blood. Master lifted his head and grabbed Pet’s face, kissing him passionately over the woman whose screams turned into a moan.

Shepard took the phone from me.

“Everly,” Vena said, waving a hand at me. “What was it?”

“A message from Cross' ex,” I said shakily. “It said to stop looking for answers we don’t need and to meet with her. The fae woman from the market won’t be calling you back with information.”

“What?”

Vena grabbed the phone from Shepard and swore under her breath as she watched.

Shepard dialed his phone and stood abruptly to move a few steps from the table.

“We have a problem,” Shepard said. “No. Focus, Effora. The vampire we’re looking for has taken one of yours.” He paused, listening to whatever the fae queen had to say. “I’ll send you the video, and you can decide for yourself if you’re still neutral.”

He hung up the phone just as Vena finished the video.

“This just proves we’re moving in the right direction,” she said. “My scrying stone is working. I can locate all the black cats within a three-city block radius of where I’m scrying. It’s not ideal, but it’s something. Anchor and I can go out and keep looking.”

“I’ll join you,” Gunther said, standing. “It’s better to go out in pairs.”

“He’s right,” Anchor said. “I was distracted at the market, and that’s how the note got into Everly’s bag.”

“That’s not your fault,” Vena said, passing my phone to Shepard so he could send the video to himself.

“I’ll meet you out front,” Gunther said to Anchor, leaving with the other guy.

Vena nodded and frowned at me. “I thought Asherah was crazy powerful. How did they get her?”

“According to the queen, fae and vampire ‘relations’ aren’t uncommon,” Shepard said. “She thinks it’s consensual.”

“That did not look consensual,” I said.

“I agree.” He handed me back my phone then wrapped an arm around my shoulders, comforting me.

“The woman in the video, Asherah, was supposed to be looking for information on Adriel,” I said to Mrs. Hunter. “I think that’s why they took her.”

“We need to know how to kill him,” Vena said, “Or finding him won’t do us any good.”

“Then while you and Anchor are out scrying, we’ll do what we do best and start researching,” Mr. Hunter said.

“But we’ll need our laptops and a few other things from home,” Mrs. Hunter said. She turned to Shepard. “Is it safe for us to go?”

“Without knowing where Adriel is, nowhere is safe right now,” Shepard said. “Until this matter is resolved, the safest place for you and your family is here. Since Everly needs to pack for a longer stay, too, I’ll take her home, and then we’ll run to your place to pick up what you need.”

They agreed, and while Mrs. Hunter started a list of what they’d need, Shepard and I left. Gunther nodded to us on our way out to the parking lot. When we sat in his SUV, he sent a message to Cross, asking him to meet at my place.

I smiled.

“What?”

“Nothing. I just like that you didn’t pull one of your guys and asked Cross instead.”

“He’s useful, especially when it comes to you. And I’ll always keep my word.”

He started the SUV and took my hand once he was headed down the tree-lined drive. The ride was quiet with both of us lost in our thoughts until he parked in front of my house.

He paused before getting out and watched Cross and the neighbor girl, Harper, play catch on the sidewalk. Although she and her cranky grandpa lived across the street, I didn’t interact with her often. Still, she was a cute kid, maybe six years old.

She waved at us when she saw me, all smiles and teeth.

I glanced from Cross to Shepard and saw he was still staring.

“You okay?”

“He keeps surprising me.”

With a grin, I hopped out and met Cross and Harper.

“Can you play hide and seek with me today?” she asked me. “Grandpa keeps wheezing cuz of his allergies.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t today. I’m actually here to pick up a few things and leave.”

“Where are you going?”

“A friend's house.”

She looked from me to Shepard, who seemed even larger next to the girl.

“Is that your friend?” she asked.

“Yep.”

“I’m her best friend,” Cross said.

“Naw. That’s Vena,” Harper said, still eyeing Shepard. “I don’t think you’d be good at hide and seek.”

“Why not?” he asked.

“You’re too big. You won’t fit anywhere.”

He nodded. “True, but I’m excellent at finding people. When we have time, we’ll play.”

Her eyes lit. “Really?”

“Really. But for today, why don’t you go back to your grandpa’s house.”

“Only if you promise to come back and play.”

“I promise, but it’ll be a few days before I can.”

“Fine,” she said with a sigh.

We watched to make sure she went into her grandpa’s house okay before going into mine.

Grabbing my largest suitcase, I filled it with everything I thought I’d need for a week, including my recipe notebook and favorite whisk.

“I don’t think you need that,” Shepard said, eyeing the whisk.

“Maybe not, but I have room in my suitcase. I’m a stress baker if you don't know this about me. It’s my happy place. Some people have a hoodie or blanket that comforts them. I just need a kitchen and my whisk.”

“Then, by all means, bring the whisk. Ready to go?”

I took one last look around the house and nodded.

Shepard loaded my suitcase into the back of the SUV while Cross and I got in.

I swiveled in my seat to look back at Cross. “What were you doing when Shepard messaged you?”

“Checking in with the project manager at our place. Since I spent last night looking for Adriel, and I knew today would likely be more of the same, I stopped by in person.

“It’s really taking shape. The inspectors approved the rough-in work, and they’re ready to move on to drywall while the HVAC people finish on the roof. So we’re on track to have the appliances delivered and installed on Saturday.”

The news was exciting and the only ray of sunshine in an otherwise rather bleak week.

As Shepard got in and started the engine, my phone buzzed with a message.

Mrs. Hunter: Here’s the list of what we need. If you can’t find something, call me.

“Who is it?” Shepard asked as I scanned the list.

“Mrs. Hunter. She sent a list.”

She wanted books, their laptops, Mr. Hunter’s slippers, her housecoat and lap blanket, his spare reading glasses, her coffee cup warmer…the list went on.

Shepard and Cross both glanced at it over my shoulder.

“Do they normally pack like that when they go on their excavations?” Shepard asked.

“No. They’re minimalists when they’re in the field, but when researching at home, they have their comforts. It drives Vena nuts because they tend not to sleep much when they fall into a research rabbit hole. She worries about their health.” I didn’t add that Vena’s worry started after her grandparents had disappeared.

When we reached the Hunters’ place, I decided “divide and conquer” was the only way to go.

“Cross, would you mind getting the books while I get the rest of the stuff?”

He agreed, and I jogged up the stairs to collect the other items. Shepard trailed behind me, holding everything I found as I went. When we returned downstairs for the coffee warmer and slippers in the study, Cross was sitting in the reading chair, flipping through the pages of a familiar book.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Checking to see if there’s anything useful,” he said.

“What is that?” Shepard asked.

“The book that Cross helped Vena and me find. The book that Miles has been asking for. It mentioned the stones your rings are made out of. Vena and I read it. It’s just a bunch of old stories about encounters between humans and otherworlders.

“It was what Vena’s grandparents were researching when they disappeared. We’re not sure why, but they hid it.”

“You’re right that it doesn’t seem to hold anything useful. Yet, it does seem important. It’s best to return it to his hiding place then.” Cross slipped it back into the hidden desk compartment.

Thankfully, Mrs. Hunter hadn’t asked for the gemstones book or that awful scrotum map, which was also hidden in the desk compartment.

Shepard’s phone rang. He handed his pile of supplies to Cross and briefly looked at the number before answering on speaker.

“How can I help you, Effora?”

“I could think of several ways we could help each other. Perhaps you’d be more interested if I looked like a certain little blon?—”

“If you don’t have anything useful to say, I need to go.”

The flush staining his cheeks was adorable.

“So impatient. I love it,” the fae queen purred. “I was just calling to say that I’ve spoken to Asherah, and she’s fine. A little love play, as I suggested. And before you ask, yes, I inquired about Adriel’s whereabouts. She couldn’t say, though.”

Shepard’s flush increased, but based on his expression, I doubted it was due to embarrassment this time.

“Effora, they targeted Asherah because she was trying to help us locate Adriel.”

“And I find that fair. We’ve promised to stay neutral, after all. They were decent enough to ensure she had a good time being taken by them.”

“I want to talk to her.”

“Excellent. Come to my place tonight. You can talk to me first; then we can all have a chat.”

Shepard surprised me by hanging up on her. I glanced at Cross. He wasn’t smirking as usual, though.

“She’s good at mind games. Don’t let her get to you,” he said to Shepard.

“I don’t care about the mind games. I care that she’s purposely avoiding choosing sides even at the expense of her own people’s safety.”

“I’ve already tried reaching out to Asherah and haven’t heard back from her yet.” He rapid-fired a text and looked at both of us. “I’ve asked my people watching the Shadow Trade to let me know if they hear anything about Asherah. If she’s fine as the Queen says, she’ll be back soon.”

He pocketed his phone and took back the items from Cross. “Do we have everything?”

After double-checking the list, I nodded, and we left.

When we were back on the road, I noticed Shepard tapping on the steering wheel.

“Cookie for your thoughts,” I said.

He glanced over briefly. “I thought it was a penny for your thoughts.”

“I like cookies better. What’s on your mind?”

“Safety. I have extra guards around the complex but haven’t made any changes at Blur. Since Adriel and Orphia are getting more aggressive, I think it’s best if you don’t go to work tonight. You’ll be safer at my place.”

“I’ll be safe at Blur, too. Your staff is already ninety percent wolves, and I don’t want to stay at home while everyone else is doing their part. I can at least make sure you’re not short-staffed at work by being there.”

“You forget that Blur has already been attacked once. It could happen again.”

“I didn’t forget. It was attacked by vampire minions, not vampires. Vena and I were able to fend for ourselves by barricading ourselves in your office. And I’m wearing a new protection necklace that’s a thousand times better than my old one.

“Actually, this might be a great opportunity,” I added.

“Opportunity for what?” he asked.

“If Adriel really wants to meet with me, he would probably rather take the chance at Blur than at your house. Then your guys can capture him, and we can put this all behind us.”

“I’m not using you as bait,” Shepard said.

“It’s not a horrible idea,” Cross said. “I can be backup.”

“We’re not using Everly as bait,” Shepard reiterated. “But if you insist on working tonight, you’re in the VIP section, Cross will monitor outside, Anchor will remain the VIP bouncer at the stairs, and Vena will work in the section closest to Anchor.”

I quickly agreed.