Chapter 26

Sunset comes early to Nova Scotia in December. When I opened my eyes that evening it was only a little after four-thirty.

I got out of bed, a vague uneasiness prickling my nape. It reminded of the last time Eden had left the island. I'd had a bad feeling then too, right before I'd discovered she was gone.

Take it easy. She's at her parents' house.

I texted her anyway to make sure everything was okay. When she replied with a thumbs-up, I put down the phone and headed into the bathroom. For a few seconds there, I'd come close to losing it. The woman was messing with my head, even if she didn't intend to.

Yeah, I wanted Eden to be happy, but there was the pact. And my long-term strategy.

That stupid pact can go fuck itself. And a strategy shouldn't be a straitjacket.

My step hitched, my brain shocked at the violent gut reaction. I scraped a hand down my face, hating this out-of-control feeling. My life had swerved onto an unexpected path and I didn't like it, hadn't planned for it.

All I knew was I sure as hell didn't like having Eden on the opposite side of the island away from the safety of the castle.

Get a fucking grip, man. It's only because of the baby. Of course, you're extra-protective right now.

But I knew I'd feel the same way even after the baby was born. Unfortunately, locking Eden up to keep her safe wasn't the solution. Even if I could get away with it, she wasn't a creature, something I could cage.

What if I didn't have to break the pact? What if I could have Eden—and a vampire mate? Or even a dhampir?

You could turn her.

The surge of relief felt like it had blown open my chest, letting in hope.

Turn Eden, and I wouldn't have to watch her grow old like my mom. Wouldn't have to live with the knowledge that next to my life, hers would be a brief flicker of a candle. I could have her for hundreds of years, not a few short decades.

Plus, she'd be stronger, less vulnerable. Because she was fragile, whatever she believed. Maybe not emotionally, but physically, she simply couldn't fight off a supernatural.

The hope and excitement carried me into the shower. For a whole five minutes, I let it buoy me up.

Then logic took over.

For one thing, Eden's parents would go ballistic. The locals were pragmatic about trading their bodies for money—that was an accepted way of financing your education or a new business—but they drew the line at the syndicate recruiting from their ranks. Other than me and Cain, no Lilith Islander had been turned in decades, and let's face it, everyone from the mayor on down had heaved a collective sigh of relief when Prima Lenore had taken responsibility for us.

Then there was the fact it was Eden, the thrall who'd used her position to spy on us. Would Brien allow me to turn her? It was one thing to accept her back as a blood-bonded thrall, but asking him to welcome her into the syndicate was a whole different beast.

And that supposed Eden said yes. Not everyone made it through the transition. Could I ask her to risk her life for me?

The elation cracked like a broken plate, shattering at my feet.

Because no, I couldn't ask her to risk her life for me, a man who'd never be able to give her what she really wanted—my love. That wouldn't be fair to her. It was best for both of us if she stayed human, and a thrall.

Even if the thought of someday losing Eden filled me with a sick helplessness.

I turned off the shower and toweled off like a goddamn zombie. Stiff limbed. No feelings.

I was pulling on tactical pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt when Cain came to my door. I padded across the living room in my stocking feet to let him in.

"You're up. Good." He brushed past me, clearly agitated.

"What's wrong?" The prickle of unease grew into a buzzing in my brain. "Not Eden—?"

"Eden?" He shot me an odd look before shaking his head. "No. It's Esposito. He's on the island."

It took me a few seconds to comprehend through the buzzing. Then my stomach dropped. Another part of my life I'd lost control of.

"Since when?"

"Earlier today. He came in on the ferry—the PI watched him get on it and alerted Adrian. Adrian met the ferry himself, but Esposito never got off."

"Shit." Going to the wet bar, I poured a couple of shots and passed one to Cain. "Adrian searched the ferry?"

"Yep. He called in another soldier and they went over it with a fine-toothed comb. And the ferry doesn't return to Halifax until next Tuesday. Esposito's on the island, all right."

"Someone helped him. Someone who was in the shadows." A supernatural could bring a human into the hazy gray twilight world as long as they maintained contact. Together, they could've left the ferry unseen.

Cain nodded, unsmiling. "Exactly."

"Brien knows?"

"Yeah. He wants us both to come to his apartment ASAP."

I lifted a brow. "Not the war room?"

"No. He'd prefer to keep this quiet for now."

I drained the shot glass in one gulp and put it on the bar. "Because of me." Because it was my goddamn father.

Cain lifted a shoulder, let it drop.

I shoved my feet into a pair of shoes. "Let's go, then."

Following his ascent to primus, Brien had moved into his parents' old apartment after first redoing it in a less ornate style to suit his and Twilight's taste. The living room was similar to mine, with minimalistic furniture and wide-plank floors, but more colorful, with blue-green walls and large, sensual oil paintings by a reclusive artist.

Brien was on one of the couches, a laptop open on the coffee table in front of him. He closed the lid and indicated the couch across from him. "Have a seat."

"Thanks." I sat down, hands on my knees. Cain chose to lean against the polished wood bar instead.

Brien opened his arms along the couch back and crossed one leg over the other, his ankle on his thigh in a deceptively relaxed pose. He had to be concerned; we all knew Esposito was a loose cannon.

"You hear anything else?" he asked Cain.

"No. Bastard's gone underground. If I didn't have the PI's report, we wouldn't even have known he's on the island."

Brien's green eyes narrowed. "You trust this PI?"

Cain jerked his chin in assent. "He's being paid double his usual fee, and I ran a background check on him before hiring him. I suppose for enough money, he could be convinced to lie to us, but he's smart. He knows his life wouldn't be worth fuck-all if we found out."

"So someone helped Esposito sneak onto the island," said Brien. "A supernatural, probably a vampire."

I nodded. "Whoever it was would have to be strong to bring a human with them into the shadows."

Cain's knee was moving double-time. "They had to have been on that ferry with Esposito. I'll talk to the captain, but if a vampire entered and exited in the shadows and stayed out of sight the rest of the time, the crew would've never known they were on board."

"Agreed," Brien said. "But we have to consider the possibility that the vampire was already on Lilith Island, that they met the ferry when it docked and brought Esposito off that way. Which means it could be one of us."

His shoulders were tight beneath his T-shirt, his fingers digging into the couch back. We'd thought we'd purged the syndicate of the traitors who'd tried to block his ascension to primus.

"It's possible," Cain allowed. "But I'm betting it's someone from off-island—a member of the Quebec City Syndicate, for example. Régis isn't happy about you and Twilight going after one of his top people."

Brien's lip curled. "Fleur had it coming. Régis should've handled it himself."

Fleur had been keeping blood slaves, along with Lemaire, another QCS member. Twilight herself had been caught in their net. If Brien hadn't bought Twilight at an illegal underground auction, she might still be enslaved.

"Doesn't mean Régis doesn't want revenge," Cain said, "especially if he can blame it on Esposito somehow. But my money's on Lemaire. He still hasn't surfaced."

Brien nodded thoughtfully.

"And then there's Nazaire," I pointed out.

Nazaire was an enforcer, a cold SOB who'd somehow found out that Brien was moving on the slavers in the QCS. When Brien and Twilight had broken into Nazaire's lair, he was nowhere to be found. We'd tried to locate him, but there was only so much we could do against a QCS enforcer.

Régis had turned a blind eye when Brien and Twilight had come into his territory to take out Fleur and Lemaire, but they were soldiers, relatively low in the hierarchy. Régis couldn't let us hunt one of his enforcers without retaliating. If Brien wasn't careful, he was going to ignite a full-out war.

"So, Esposito comes to the island," Brien mused, "because QCS or some other syndicate got their hooks into him."

I nodded. "Mom said the last time she saw him, he was riding high on a big win. That's when he's at his most vulnerable. He starts thinking he can't lose."

"So they use that," said Cain. "They wait until he's deep in the hole, then send him here."

"But to do what?" asked Brien.

"That," I said tightly, "is the million-dollar question. But don't worry, I'll find him." I met Brien's eyes. "I'm sorry about this."

"Why? Nobody's blaming you."

I shook my head. "I fucked up. Should've handled the guy a long time ago."

"Hey," he said, "I wasn't worried either. I thought the man was harmless."

Cain unfolded his arms. "So what now?"

"You alerted the war room?" Brien asked him.

"I did. They know what Esposito looks like—they have photos and videos. If he tries to get in here, they'll let us know immediately."

"Good," said Brien.

I rose to my feet. "If we're done here, I think I'll pay a visit to my mom."

Brien nodded, but Cain was shaking his head. "She's not going to take your side against Esposito," he said. "She'll protect him—you know she will."

"Maybe," I returned. "But I have something she wants, something to bargain with."

Cain's knee stilled. "Yeah?"

My mouth twisted. It went against the grain to use my son as a pawn. If Eden ever found out, she'd never forgive me. But Esposito had backed us into a corner.

"My spawn," I said.