Chapter 16

Vena pokedlittle holes in the lid for the fairy and handed me the jar. The fairy's chest moved with each breath, affirming Shepard hadn't killed it.

"Tank," Shepard said into the phone. "You're with Miles, right?" Shepard paused to listen. "Good. Stay there with him."

I watched Shepard run his hand through his hair as he turned away.

"Things are worse than we knew. I can't explain over the phone but am going to ask for your trust over the next hour. Whatever happens, don't make a move unless I say." He paused again, thanked Tank, then hung up.

"Showing up with Cross is going to cause you problems, isn't it?" I asked.

"I trust Tank to stay quiet once I explain things to him."

"Just Tank?" Vena asked.

"Any of my pack."

She nodded, and we headed out to Vena's car.

Between Vena's worry for Miles and my fear that the fairy would escape and I'd be trapped in the car with it, neither of us was fit to drive. I handed the keys to Shepard. At least, if the fairy escaped, he'd be less likely to run into a light pole.

Vena sat in the backseat. I placed the jar beside her and buckled the seatbelt around it. It opened its eyes briefly, and I hurried to the front.

No one spoke during the ride.

When we arrived, I didn't see Cross. But by the time I had the jar unbuckled and turned around, I found myself face-to-face with him.

His gaze swept over my face, and I saw his inhale.

"Thank you for coming. We think Miles might be thralled and after the thing you mentioned at lunch."

"Ah," Cross said, glancing at Shepard.

Shepard glowered at him. "Let's get this over with."

"Not until I get assurances that your wolves will behave," Cross said.

"Tank won't make any move against you unless I say so."

"What about the other one?"

"Other one?" Shepard asked.

"The one that has been following you."

Shepard's gaze scanned the area.

"He's parked a few blocks away," Cross said.

Shepard muttered something I couldn't hear, but it made Cross' grin spread into a smile.

"Having a problem controlling your litter?" Cross asked.

"Let's get this over with." When Shepard plucked the jar from my hold and took my hand to escort me to the apartment, I didn't miss the way Cross' eyes went dark.

Vena knocked on the door.

It swung open, and Tank looked from Shepard to Cross. Without asking anything, he backed up and let us inside. Cross hesitated on the threshold.

Tank backed farther into the apartment, allowing Cross more room to enter. Cross closed the door behind himself.

Miles was at the kitchen table, rifling through papers.

"Hey, Miles," Vena said. "Are you missing something?"

He glanced up. His gaze caught on the jar with the fairy.

The fairy was now wide awake and banging his little fists on the glass.

"What did you do?" Miles demanded, his face turning red.

His gaze–filled with anger and accusation–shifted from the jar to me. Why me? Yet, I saw in his eyes that he wasn't the Miles I knew.

It hadn't been a coincidence that the fairy tried to steal the ring from Shepard.

Cross was in front of me an instant later, a shield between me and Miles.

"Calm yourself, Miles," Cross said smoothly. "No one here is your enemy."

He plucked the jar from Shepard's grasp.

"Can you tell me why this poor creature was at Everly's home?" Cross asked.

Vena tugged me out from behind Cross so I could see Miles' now-calm expression as he glanced at the fairy.

"I sent her to Everly's."

"Why?" Cross asked.

"Shepard said he'd spent the night there to keep Everly and Vena safe. I figured he'd spend the night at their place again."

"Why are you interested in where Shepard sleeps?"

"Shepard has the ring my master wants."

Vena made a choked sound and covered her mouth with her hand. I rubbed her arm to soothe her.

"So you sent the fairy to steal Shepard's ring?" Cross asked. "Why not steal it yourself?"

"I'm too slow to steal from a werewolf."

"So was the fairy," Shepard said, crossing his arms. "Why does your master want my ring?"

"Speak the truth," Cross said.

"I don't know. The master only told me to find a way to steal the rings."

"Rings?" Cross asked.

Miles nodded. "Master already knows about yours. He told me to ignore it and focus on Shepard's."

"What do you know about these rings?" Shepard asked.

"I know my master wants them."

Cross and Shepard shared a look. I barely noticed as a memory teased my mind.

"Is that why you were asking your dad about the rings last night?" I asked.

"Yes. I know there are four rings, not two. I know that my grandparents found a book that referenced them. The map I found connects the rings to the book." His gaze shifted to his sister. "Where did you hide the book and the map, Vena? I want to give them to my master. He needs them."

"Why does he need the rings?" Cross asked.

"I don't know. He didn't tell me."

"Is there anything else your master told you to do?"

"No."

"Go to the couch and sleep, Miles. You will hear nothing while you rest."

Miles nodded, went to the couch, and fell asleep.

Vena broke down and started crying. I wrapped her in my arms.

"Hey, it'll be okay."

"No, it won't. He's fucking thralled, Everly. We know what that means. That fucking cat will be able to find him for the rest of his life."

"Which is why we need to find and kill his master," Cross said. "He gave Miles this task because he thought Miles had a chance to steal the ring and bring it to him. This works in our favor."

Vena pulled back and wiped at her face. "What are you saying?"

"That we allow Miles to lead us to his master." He stuck his hand into the pocket of his tailored pants and withdrew a ring that looked almost exactly like the one Cross wore.

Shepard cursed under his breath.

Vena looked from the ring to Cross. Anger flickered in her eyes.

"You want to send Miles to that psychotic vampire with a decoy ring? Are you insane? You know what he did to Gunther."

"It's the fastest way to find the vampire responsible for your brother's condition and end it. Once he's gone, your brother will be free."

Vena looked at me. The fact that she was looking to me for a second option instead of just agreeing without any consideration for caution had me hugging her.

"We've done crazier things solo," I said. "This time, we won't be alone. I trust Cross and Shepard to keep Miles safe."

She looked at Cross. "Okay. What do you have in mind?"

Since Tank kept glancing at Shepard, I said, "I think Tank needs an explanation before we make any plans."

"So do I," Shepard said. "How could you possibly have a duplicate made that quickly? You saw the ring this morning."

"As precious as that ring is to you, you are not its first owner. Nor will you be its last. I was there when it was created and understand its purpose. Perhaps better than you, which is why I had this made before I sailed to these shores."

He tossed the ring to Shepard. "As for the plan, it's quite simple. You will allow the fairy to steal that ring. The fairy will give the ring to Miles. And we'll follow Miles to his master after he believes he snuck away from his watchdogs."

Vena shook her head. "That's it? Just follow him? There are so many ways that could go wrong."

"His plan is as loosely plotted as yours usually are," I reminded her. "Now you know how I feel every time you bring up a plan. It comes down to trust, Vena. I go along with you because I trust you without reservation. Has Cross earned that level of trust?"

She looked at Cross, steadily holding his gaze. "Have I told you how sorry I am that I ever took your ring?"

"I hold no grudge."

"You might not, but the regret I feel is real. None of this would have happened if I hadn't–"

Cross moved suddenly, grabbing her by the shoulders. Shepard tensed, and Tank growled softly, but neither moved to intercede.

"What you view as your biggest mistake I now view as one of the brightest moments in my very long life. I will do everything in my power to change the regret you feel into appreciation."

Cross shocked the hell out of me by hugging Vena.

Her gaze shifted to me briefly before she gave him an awkward pat. Thankfully, Cross wasn't the clingy type and released her quickly.

"As soon as we're ready, I can wake Miles," he said.

"Wait." Vena dashed to her brother's phone, unlocked it, and enabled his tracking.

"Shepard, you can track him this way now, too. Just in case. But you both have to promise to have eyes on him the whole time."

"I will follow him on foot once we reach our destination," Cross said. "But the wolves should stay back and use the tracking. If my kind smells them too soon, the master will run. Do you agree?"

I looked at Shepard. He nodded at the same time his phone dinged with a message. He glanced at it and began typing a reply. Vena peeked over at his phone and swiped the phone from his hands.

"Why did you tell MC to escort us home?" she demanded as she read the message. "I'm not going anywhere with MC. Ever."

Vena shoved his phone back at him.

"If you're sending my brother in as bait, I have a right to be there. Ev and I will follow at a distance. I promise we won't get in the way, and we won't attract notice."

Shepard pocketed his phone. "I suppose it will be safer to keep you where I can see you to ensure you don't pull one of your ill-planned stunts."

"I'm slightly offended, but I will take this as a mutual agreement."

"Are we ready then?" Cross asked.

"Ready," Vena said.

I wasn't. Not really. Every time we did something like that, things went wrong. But I kept those dark thoughts to myself.

Cross plucked the fairy from the jar and held it at eye level. "You will forget everything since leaving this house and sleep until you hear the door close."

It gave a nod and fell asleep in his hand. Cross set it on the table.

"We'll be outside waiting for you," he said with a nod to Shepard. "Make it believable."

Cross went to Miles. "You will wake up after you hear the door close. You will forget that Vena, Everly, and I were here. Shepard arrived to check on Tank."

The three of us left to move the car so Miles wouldn't spot it the moment he left the house. We'd just parked at the other end of the block when Shepard and Tank left the apartment and jogged over.

I rolled down my window and Shepard leaned down to look at Cross in the back seat.

"The fairy stole the ring when it thought I wasn't paying attention," Shepard said. "I told Miles I needed to borrow Tank for thirty minutes. He's going to move fast."

A large black truck pulled behind us. Shepard swore softly, and Vena groaned.

"Change of plans," Shepard said to MC as he opened his door. "Vena and Everly don't need an escort home. We have a lead we're following instead."

"A lead?" MC asked, getting out. "On Anchor?"

I watched MC inhale and look at Cross through the back window. I glanced at Shepard, hoping that he'd keep his word to work with Cross now that it was three wolves to one vampire.

MC reached the car and leaned down to look at Vena in the driver's seat, but his gaze swung to Cross in the back, and he swore. The hair on his arms rippled before Shepard blurred around the car to push MC away.

"Get back in your truck," Shepard said as he opened the back door. "Tank, go with MC. Follow at a distance. I'll ride with Everly and Vena."

"And a vamp?" MC growled. "What the fuck are you thinking? Is this how you–"

"Go," Shepard snapped. "That's an order!"

MC glared at him but moved away from the car.

Shepard slid into the backseat with Cross.

"Is letting MC come with us smart?" I asked.

"Tank will ensure he keeps his mouth shut until this is over."

"First, you buy me lunch, and now, you're protecting me," Cross said with a smirk. "Be careful, Shepard. I might start thinking you're developing an affection for me."

Shepard growled, and Cross grinned.

"I really hope one of your own kills you," Shepard said as he rolled down the window. "You're stinking up the car."

"I could say the same. It smells like wet dog in here."

I glanced at Vena, who rolled her eyes.

Before the pair could bicker more, the apartment door opened, and we saw Miles dart to his car. As old and rattley as Miles' car was, we would have no problem tailing him.

Once Miles pulled out onto the road, we followed at a discreet distance.

"Is he heading out of the city?" Vena asked when Miles took 66 west.

I took her phone from her and opened the tracking app so Vena could keep her distance as we drove.

The sun was dipping lower in the sky when he finally exited near Wellington, and I hoped the vampire nest was close.

Miles turned into the suburbs, and Vena lagged back even more. It took another twenty minutes for Miles to park in front of a typical suburban home. Vena pulled over a few blocks down.

"Stay here," Cross said, opening his door as Miles hurried inside the house.

"What are you going to do?" Shepard asked Cross before Vena could.

"I'll check the house. We still have a few hours of daylight, so Miles is safe from my kind. I can handle any feeders in there. Wait for my text."

Cross disappeared into the house as MC and Tank parked behind us. MC got out and jogged to our car, opening the door and taking Cross' spot.

"It reeks in here," MC said. "Where'd the bloodsucker go, and when can we kill him?"

I turned in my seat to give him a what-the-fuck stare.

My phone pinged with a message at the same time as Vena's and Shepard's did.

Cross: The house is empty. Miles sent a text to an unknown number that he was here with the ring. Someone replied that they would be here in an hour.

Vena was reading the same message I was.

"That's just before sunset. Is Miles' contact delaying or is it not a vampire?" she asked with a frown. "A feeder maybe?"

"You're communicating with a bloodsucker? Are you out of your mind?" MC asked, reading over Shepard's shoulder.

"I suggest you shut your mouth," Vena said, glaring at MC. "That vampire is currently keeping my brother safe."

Disbelief reflected in MC's expression before he masked it and nodded at Vena. I saw her fist clench out of the corner of my eye. Obviously, she understood he was just placating her.

"We'll look suspicious sitting here like this," Shepard said. "Vena, if you trust me with your car, I'll stay here with Tank. Go with MC, and move the truck a few blocks in the other direction. Stay alert, and report any movement."

MC grinned, and Vena opened her mouth to argue, but I caught her arm.

"It's a good plan," I said.

She got out of the car without slamming the door and handed the keys to Shepard.

"Don't make me regret this."

"I won't," he promised.

"It's okay, Vena," MC said soothingly. "You don't have to worry about anything. I won't let any vamp hurt you."

She gave him a flat stare. "I don't need your help. I have a knife and a wicked kick."

We jogged to MC's truck and quickly exchanged places with Tank–I hurried to take the middle seat. MC drove the truck around, so we were watching a few blocks from the other direction. We had a decent view of the house, which was too quiet. I hoped that meant all was well.

Vena's stomach growled, and I realized that we had missed dinner. With the nervous energy coursing through me, a skipped meal was probably a good thing.

MC tried starting a conversation with Vena several times as the sun sank lower in the sky. Each time, she ignored him completely. I answered him a few times, but by the looks he gave me, he wasn't interested in talking to me at all. So I joined Vena in her phone-staring contest.

Vena: You're not idiots. You know this is a trap by now. It was a stall tactic. They're waiting for sunset. Get Miles out of there, or I'm coming to get him.

MC's phone buzzed, and I looked as he read the message.

Dickhead Alpha: Get them out of here.

"I strongly suggest you don't try that," I said.

"Try what?" Vena asked.

"Taking us home," I said.

Her gaze shifted to MC, and I knew he saw the deadly dare there when he exhaled heavily.

"What are my choices?" he muttered. "Hope to get on your good side by staying here and watching you get hurt. Or acknowledge you already hate me, start this truck, and ensure the person I"d kill for won't get hurt."

I didn't see Vena's reaction to those words; I was too busy staring at MC with my mouth hanging open.

"That's a bit over the top," Vena said softly, proving the words had shocked her, too.

"You're unlike any woman I've ever met, and I'd give anything to get to know you just a little better. I know now's not the right time, but I want you to understand why I'm going to end up doing something you're not going to like tonight."

"It doesn't make sense to leave when we know it's a trap," I said. "At least, if we stay here, you can be their backup if things go wrong."

MC watched Vena, waiting for her to say something.

"If you start this truck and drive away, I'll just bail, scrape myself up in the process, and draw every vampire in the area here instead of to the house where Miles is waiting. Your call," she said.

MC leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.

"I'm content being the backup," he said.

Vena and I watched the sun slowly set. It was a pretty sunset, but we could hardly appreciate it as we kept our eyes glued to our phones.

As the last tinge of pink and orange in the sky faded away, the door of a house three driveways down flew open, and several people ran out. Their speed gave them away.

MC swore softly and sent a text warning Shepard that vampires were incoming.

"What if there are other houses?" Vena asked.

MC tapped the steering wheel then started the engine. He didn't call attention to us but calmly drove down the road like a normal human would. Vena's car sat empty several blocks from the house where we'd left Cross and Miles.

Vena's hand gripped mine as MC continued forward. The house was completely dark with the front door open. Other homes on the block were lit up, and a dog was barking like crazy nearby.

MC parked in front.

"Stay here," MC said, getting out.

As Vena had pointed out, she wasn't one for listening. She opened her door and was out a beat later. Something dark darted out of the house. It ran straight for Vena.

I opened my mouth to scream. A second later, MC was in front of her. He grabbed the vampire by the throat, his savage claws digging deep.

Another vampire went after Vena while MC was distracted. MC shoved the dead vampire away and turned toward Vena, seeing the vampire closing in. I could barely focus on them. Their speed blurred in my vision. Vena was caught as they clashed.

MC protected her, keeping himself between her and the vampire until he raked his claws across its throat. He moved again, blocking her from the vampire's spraying blood.

From the safety of the truck, I watched her lean her forehead against MC's back. She had to be shaking like I was. Maybe not as badly, but still. That had been way too close.

The vampire dropped to the ground a moment later, and MC turned to grip Vena's arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said, glancing up at him. "Thank--"

MC swooped down for a kiss, wrapping both arms around her and bringing her flush with him.

My mouth dropped open.

For a frozen moment, Vena did nothing. MC took that as a sign to deepen the kiss. She pressed her hands against his arms. If she was pushing him, it wasn't doing a damn thing.

He growled low and cupped the back of her head.

I saw tongue and panicked. What if she bit it off?

I scrambled out of the truck.

"MC, stop!" I tugged at his arm. He didn't notice my presence or Vena's struggles. "Shepard!"

Just as I was about to kick in the back of MC's knees, Shepard ran straight at MC, grabbed him by the back of the neck and yanked him away. Vena stumbled as MC fell. I hurried to brace her.

When she straightened, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and reached to get her knife, but I stopped her. With the way Shepard was glaring at MC, she didn't need her knife.

Shepard and MC stood toe to toe, both looking ready to murder.

"I told you to leave and protect them! Is this what you call protection?"

MC pointed to the two dead vampires. "I did my job, unlike you! We kill vampires. Or have you forgotten? This is why you have an infestation beyond anything that I've ever had in L.A."

Shepard's jaw ticced as he glared at MC.

"Watch yourself. We're dealing with it, and you are here as my backup. If you can't fall in line and obey orders, pack up and get the hell out."

Cross, Tank, and Miles emerged from the house.

As soon as MC spotted Cross, a snarl ripped from him.

"Do your people know what you're doing?" MC asked. "Do they know who you're in bed with? You're weak, Shepard. You better be careful, or you won't be alpha for long."

Shepard's eyes narrowed on MC as he retreated to his truck. "Tank, go with him."

Tank jogged after MC and sat in the passenger seat before MC could lock the door. After a mutual glare, MC started the truck and pulled out onto the road.

Once they were gone, we all took a collective breath.

That's when I noticed the blood-stained clothes on Shepard, Cross, and Miles.