Chapter 14

ASH

When I last saw Ethan,we didn"t have much chance to speak, all of us focused on finding answers to Gabriella"s whereabouts. In the evening, conversation never turned away from discussion over information discovered on Declan"s laptop and how that links to that given by the vamp. Jamie continues to delve into everything, deciphering names of those he exchanged emails with, digging around for who has helpful connections for Gabriella.

Following our blood-soaked visit to Declan"s club, I"ve worried about repercussions but also sense that the dragons will keep away. Not only because Ethan demonstrated he"s a powerful ally happy to use his violent side, but because they"re dragons. Declan and his men are cunning. Strategic. Our visit sent the dragons back into that strategising mode, and while dealing with the Andrei situation, that issue faded into the background.

But Ethan himself can never be in the background and wants to meet me, although unlike Dorian he warned us of his visit first. Thankfully, he arrives without Dorian, Eloise, and their weird kid, but he does bring Zeke.

Without Dorian they can"t use blood runes and Ethan"s told me in the past he prefers not to. The pair arrive mid-morning in a silver SUV—there"s no hiding who they are from any lurking Dominion as they drive up to the estate. We"re certain Dominion watch whoever comes and goes. Dorian found a couple of vamps loitering close by when he last visited, and by the time he left, Dorian reduced the vamp population to just Tobias and Andrei.

I take my morning runs away from the estate, secretly scouting, but recently I haven"t detected anybody. Are the whole of Gabriella"s Dominion army in hiding? Or because there"s no sign we"re with the First, they don"t care to watch? One thing"s sure, if they reported back to Gabriella about us, they"d report Andrei missing.

The two hybrid shifters don"t have the same uneasy energy around them as Dorian, but they"re hyper-normal, even for supes. Before I saw Ethan"s power in action, I"d already recognised that energy humming around him, and sensed strength beyond a dragon"s. Zeke"s often in the background, watching and calculating the way a big cat would—unnerving, unpredictable. Ethan"s a taciturn guy, but each time Zeke visited, he"s barely spoken at all, leaving that to the others. So why come with Ethan this time?

Ethan climbs from the car and stretches out his shoulders, Zeke appearing from the passenger"s side and speaking to his companion quietly. I waited on the stone steps staring at the gloomy clouds threatening rain, as if I"m someone eager to meet a relative they haven"t seen for some time. Half-true because since I left Gilgamesh, these guys are the closest shifters to me and however much the witches and vamps try to understand, I"m facing different challenges. Not as extreme as Ethan"s and Zeke"s issues once were, but enough.

Ethan halts as he walks towards me, then tips his head. Zeke pauses too, and Ethan jerks his head to the side of the house.

"Um. Hey," I say, perturbed by their silent arrival.

"Forgotten to tell us something?" asks Ethan gruffly, and I frown. "I can hear Andrei"s voice."

Shit. I thought Tobias spoke to Dorian about Andrei? We"d decided not to tell the hybrids straightway, but after three days we know enough to judge Andrei"s temperament hasn"t altered much.

Honestly, Andrei may as well still be on his bed upstairs, hiding. All he does is sit outside, lost somewhere in his mind. I quietly ask Maeve what"s happening, worried he"s psychically communicating with the thing. Andrei isn"t, but he"s midway between shell-shocked and recovering, and determined not to leave behind the sunshine.

We only see Andrei inside the house when the clouds open and soak him.

"Uh—" I begin, silently cursing Tobias as Ethan strides around the side of the house, towards the lawns that Andrei favours.

I hurry after him and Zeke to where Andrei lies on the grass staring at the sky, one hand on Maeve"s leg where she sits beside him, threading daisies into a chain.

"Well, this is cute," comments Zeke.

Maeve drops the flowers and straightens, but Andrei doesn"t move.

"Care to tell us why we don"t know about Andrei"s reincarnation?" asks Ethan sarcastically.

Reincarnation.Hah.

"They"re keeping me away from Dorian," Andrei says to the sky.

Zeke snorts. "He wouldn"t dare touch you again, mate. The fallout after the incident at Gabriella"s was enough."

Andrei rolls onto his side, propping his face with a hand, elbow on the grass. "Maybe he should worry."

"Andrei." Maeve kicks him with her bare foot. "Sorry, Ethan. I thought Tobias told Dorian."

"Yeah, don"t you think Dorian would be with us if he knew?" asks Ethan. He strides over to Andrei. "Stand up."

"I"m sorry?" asks Andrei with a slight sneer to his voice.

"I want to look at you." Andrei doesn"t move and Ethan looks at Maeve. "What"s the kid like now? Attacked anybody?"

"Have you seen the First again yet?" puts in Zeke.

"I"m still the Andrei that you all know and love or hate," he says, his voice not sounding like that Andrei at all. "I"ve no murderous desires. Well, apart from towards my mother and her little minions."

"Is he telling the truth?" asks Zeke.

Ethan gazes around. "Where are the other two? What are you hiding now?"

"Jamie and Tobias went out," explains Maeve.

"Where?" asks Ethan sharply.

She shrugs. "We"re not prisoners, but we"re all bored stuck here waiting until our London plans are sorted."

Zeke"s focus on Andrei doesn"t waver, his eyes now feline slits. "I hope he hasn"t been out amongst humans."

"Nah. I"m saving that big reveal to shock Mother Dearest"s troops once we catch up with them." Finally, he stands and brushes grass from himself. "I don"t feel the need for blood, if that"s what you"re hinting at."

"He"s barely away from the lawn," puts in Maeve. "No threat to anybody."

Ethan steps back and scrutinises Andrei, gaze lingering on his eyes and then Andrei"s bare arms. "Trying to get a tan?"

"Ha ha. No. But at least I"m not as shiny as I was."

Andrei steps back as Ethan closes the small space between them. "What are you now, Tepes?"

"A daywalker."

"You"re part something else. Is the First communicating with you?" he demands. "Zeke—Dorian needs to know. We need him or Eloise to look into his head."

"Tobias has. Several times," puts in Maeve and stands too. "There"s nothing."

"Excuse me!" Andrei pokes her in the side. "Are you saying I"m empty-headed?"

Andrei jokes around more than he did in the weeks leading up to the incident. Before all this, he"d become moodier and withdrawn, no longer hiding his feelings behind the familiar sarcasm barrier to distract people from him.

That"s back. The guy"s scared because he"s no clue what he"ll become.

I bloody would be too. At least I"ve a good idea what I"ll become.

"Maybe leave speaking about all this until everybody"s here?" suggests Maeve. "You"re here to speak to Ash about other issues, right?"

Zeke"s intensity grows, and I"m on edge whether one of them will test out Andrei"s new self or—worse—rush off to fetch Dorian. They"d piss me off if they did bring Dorian here because he"d cause drama, and I need to talk to Ethan.

Ethan grunts and turns away. "I suggest you get your guy who thinks he"s leader to communicate with ours who thinks he"s in charge, too."

I can"t help smiling.

"Yeah, you know if Dorian finds you"ve hidden this, he will go full asshole mode and appear at the house uninvited," says Zeke. "We won"t tell him but get Tobias to speak to him tonight."

A smile spreads across Andrei"s face. "I"m looking forward to seeing Dorian again."

Again, Maeve subtly kicks him.

"Leave it, Ethan." Zeke blows air into his cheeks and wanders away, hands in pockets. "Ash? Can we talk?"

Finally, the reason they"re here.

* * *

Ethan sitsat the kitchen table, forearms spreading across the wood, and he stares at an empty space on the table. Zeke yanks out a chair to sit beside him and points at the place Ethan"s focused on.

"Glad to see you"ve removed the bloodstains." He chuckles.

Seriously? They think their psycho kid"s behaviour is amusing? Like father, like daughter, I guess.

"Yeah. Um. How are Mia and Eloise?" I ask.

Zeke splutters a laugh. "So polite asking after your guests" family." I scowl. "Sorry, mate. Yeah, they"re okay. It"s hard to keep a low profile though, even in London."

"London?" My back goes rigid. "You"re in London looking for Gabriella without us?"

Ethan leans back in his chair. "Dorian"s scouting for Dominion, but we"ve other concerns. We tracked down dragons connected to Declan in the city. Higher up the chain. Dangerous."

My chest goes tight. "Higher? Isn"t Declan the alpha?"

"Of his little syndicate, yeah."

"Shit," I mutter. "And these London dragons know about what you did to him?"

"What we did," Ethan reminds me.

Bloody hell. More dragons know my name? Declan wasn"t the pinnacle?

"Word spreads. They already knew about your existence," says Ethan, as if reading my mind when I know that he can"t. "These dragons also know you"re with us, so don"t stress."

"Exactly how powerful are these people?" I ask hoarsely.

Zeke grins. "Powerful enough that Gabriella ingratiated herself with them. We believe they"re helping her."

My back goes even straighter. "What? We should have this discussion with everybody!"

"Eventually." Zeke links his hands behind his head, revealing more of the stripes hidden beneath his shirt sleeves. "But we wanted to check something with you before we put the proposal to the others."

"Proposal?" Perspiration slicks my palms. "And I don"t keep secrets from my friends."

"You don"t need to." Ethan leans across the table. "Infiltrating their organisation is the next step. Gabriella must have approached them for help; she doesn"t have other connections strong enough. The woman needs supes that straddle the human world and our world to aid the escape she needs to pull off."

"And what do you expect me to do?" I ask cautiously.

"They own hotels and casinos. You can pay a visit. With Maeve."

"And the others?"

"Just you two, and us." Ethan leans back in his chair. "Fact finding, but I also want you to bring Maeve and make a point."

"A point?" My stomach tightens. This doesn"t sound good.

"That you will not be intimidated. That branding you does not mean you belong to anybody. I want to show them the future," says Ethan.

This future Ethan hinted at—where he intends to change the shifters" hierarchies and tear down their control. Am I a pawn in that?

"Yeah, well, my future is with Maeve, not involved in dragon politics," I say cautiously.

Zeke nods. "And you can demonstrate this by taking her to our meeting as an equal."

"And her mental magic skills would help," adds Ethan casually.

"Then we need Tobias. The others."

"No. This has to be focused on you to distract from what we"re doing," says Ethan.

"We"ll be around." Zeke"s smile is tight. "Just us. Not Dorian, if that worries you."

"He doesn"t know?"

"Shifter business," says Zeke curtly. "Dorian keeps out."

"The guy"s methods work well sometimes, but other times his "rip throats, ask questions later" method doesn"t work." Ethan folds his arms across his chest. "There"s a lot to uncover and the fewer bodies involved, the easier that will be."

"I don"t think the others will allow Maeve to go," I tell them. "I"ll go—but alone."

"Oh, she"ll go," says Zeke with a chuckle.

"You can"t force her," I growl, and he arches a brow at my tone.

"And your friends can"t force Maeve not to do what she wants, if she thinks her involvement will help," he replies. "Isn"t it about time Maeve used some of these superior powers on someone?"

I stand. "I"m not going alone with Maeve. We"re a team. End of discussion."

Ethan slowly pushes his chair back and I swallow as the dragon mid glares at me. I"m bigger than most people I meet—more so these days—but this guy"s body screams "not to be screwed with".

"Do you want to kill Gabriella or not?" he asks and the menace ripples towards me.

The question nobody"s ever asked me directly. But why would they? We all want the Dominion"s roots ripped from the world. No question. But do I want to kill Gabriella?

No.

If I said this to the others, they wouldn"t listen to my explanation why, but I"m fucking terrified. Under the academy, the Gabriella we dealt with didn"t have the First"s blood and still we almost lost lives. Hell, I spent the following days convinced we"d lost Tobias. If our combined group was the only ones capable of killing Gabriella, sure, I"d take the risk. I"ll happily pull her and the organisation apart.

But we"re not. The First wants her dead too. Isn"t the answer simple? We wait until that creature kills Gabriella and nobody needs to die.

Again, if I spoke these words, they"d accuse me of being simple. The First had her opportunities and could easily locate the woman who"s stolen and used her blood, and end her life. Why would the First need us?

The answer"s obvious and still a reason I don"t want to put Maeve and my friends in any more danger. The First could eradicate the Dominion in one fell swoop, just as she did the Blackwoods recently, and exactly as she could us.

Why don"t I want to kill the Dominion leader? Because as soon as Gabriella dies, we"re next.