Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Zane

A fter speaking to each of the Fondatori rulers, I check in with Huntley about the compound situation, and then wait until human nine a.m. to contact the local business owners and allies my father has in place. It stings to have the same conversation over and over again, but after the eighth, twelfth, and then twentieth time, the pain of telling people my father is dead dulls.

But only minutely.

It's not that the loss is any less visceral, it's simply beginning to sink in—my father and Bran are dead.

There is nothing to be done about it, yet there is so much to be done.

I push back from my desk and stand, gathering my suit jacket and sliding my arms into the sleeves. With a shrug of my shoulders, I stretch my arms and tug the cuffs of my shirt to sit against my wrists.

As much as I want to go to the compound to be part of the rescue of the children, Huntley is right. Having me there would just put the seethe in a more difficult position. If things go sideways, their protection efforts would be divided between me and the children.

The children must be the priority.

Over the years, I watched my father pace the floor a dozen times when he couldn't take part in events he wished he could a be part of. And when it happened, he always quoted Queen Elizabeth I, "To be a king and wear a crown is a thing more glorious to them that see it than it is pleasant to them that bear it."

I understand it now better than ever before.

As I leave my office, I peek my head into Scottie's room and confirm that she's not there. I've been on the phone for hours, but even so, I would've noticed her coming up the stairs.

I've always had a sense of where she is and her general well-being. It's part of my Fondatori familial gift. My father said he had the same awareness of my mother.

I find her in the sunken living room by the window. She's moved one of the leather club chairs over to beside the wall and is sitting in the sun with her laptop open and her gaze locked on the upscale neighborhood outside.

Vampires move silently and I worry that if I simply speak, I'll startle her out of her reverie—and so I lean against the wall of the entranceway and watch her.

It hasn't sunken in yet—Scottie is back.

And not only is she back, but she's bound to me.

She's my Sacred Squire, and that's the big win of my lifetime. Now I need to heal the rift I caused between us, earn her trust back, and remind her how good we are together. And whether that takes a decade, and my entire wardrobe ends up with worn knees from me groveling for her forgiveness, I'll do it.

I'm not sure when she turned her attention on me, but when I come out of my musings, she's watching me watch her. That's not awkward at all.

"Sorry, Scots. You looked so lost in thought, I didn't want to interrupt."

She closes her laptop and sets it on the ottoman when she stands. "No problem. I've been trying to Humpty-Dumpty myself back together again."

"Anything I can do to help?"

She meets my gaze and something hopeful flashes in her eyes. "Actually, yes. Last night, in the fight to escape, Jack held them off so I could get away. I've been worried sick about him and he's not answering his phone. He might be okay. Tucker was going back to check on him."

"Tucker was there?"

Her brow pinches as she meets my gaze. "Yeah. Do you know him?"

"Enough to say hello if I run into him in passing. He and Jack have been working on their relationship for several years now. Your dad had him thoroughly vetted, and he checked out. He's a decent guy."

She blinks. "Wow. My mind is buzzing. Their relationship? Are they lovers? Talk about an age gap romance."

I bark a laugh, the look on her face much too cute. "No, not lovers. Tucker looked Jack up when his mother passed. She claimed Jack was his father, and told him at the end because she didn't want him to be alone in the world. It all checked out and though it was rocky at first, from what I've heard, they're getting there."

"And that's why Jack trusted him to escort me to safety. I wondered about that."

"I'm thankful he was there to help. I've heard he's a powerful fighter."

"Strong is an understatement. He was slinging turned mutts against the walls like they were tennis balls. I had no idea he was Jack's son—no idea Jack even had a son."

"Neither did he."

"That makes me feel better, though. I'm sure he went back to check on Jack. I just wish I knew if he was all right."

I pull out my phone and call up Huntley's contact. "Huntley is at the residence now. I'll ask him to see if Jack's in the clinic and, if not, he can ask around."

Her gaze narrows. "Huntley finds out there's a breach and he goes to the compound? Does that seem odd to you?"

This again? "No. I sent him the images I tracked on the security feed and asked him to infiltrate and find out the state of things."

"And what is the state of things?"

"The female vampire that led the attack force is named Daeva. When her force invaded, they split up to hit two points of the compound simultaneously."

"Which were?"

"The youth wing and the royal residence."

Scottie's fingers ball into fists as magic sparks off them. "They targeted the kids? That's disgusting."

"But an effective way to neuter our people from fighting back. It also explains how they took down my father. Knowing I was safe, and the Diamond Dagger secured, he wouldn't think twice about sacrificing himself to save the children."

She sinks down to sit on the arm of the sofa. "How many kids are there now?"

"Seven."

Her gaze lights up. "Really? That's amazing."

It is. For all the time I was growing up, there was only me and Scottie… and later Huntley joined us in our teens.

"What are we doing to get them back?"

"Huntley, Link, Dante, and Jaxon are working on a plan to get them into the passageways below the dining hall. Dante and Link will cause a diversion and Huntley and Jaxon—who aren't officially there—are hopefully going to whisk them through the floor trap door to their mothers."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"We've got an assault force eager to act waiting below. If stealth doesn't work, they'll launch into the dining room and make sure the kids get below. Then it's a matter of them getting free of the compound and to the fallback location in the subway tunnels here."

Something about the plan doesn't sit well with her. I can tell by her expression and the tightness in her frame.

"What?"

She exhales, shaking her hands out. "I want to help. I want to rip that bitch apart and kick my foot so far up her ass my toe tickles her tonsils."

"Vivid. I like the way you think. Unfortunately, our days of lighting the fuses and leading the charge are over. You're my Sacred Squire now. Your place is at my side and my place is no longer in the front lines when unknown threats are circling. That's the truth of our existence now."

I see how my words ignite a flare of anger in her and hold up a finger. "I understand you aren't ready to take on the full responsibility of being my sole guardian. I'm not expecting anything more from you than what you're ready to give."

She shakes her head. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that I'll arrange for a team. My father had guards other than your father and I'll do what is necessary to secure the Toronto seat of power."

It's obvious she doesn't like my opinion on that, but I don't see why. It's the truth.

She unplugs her phone from the charging cord and slides it into her hip pocket. "And Huntley will head up that team of protectors?"

"He will."

She shakes her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. Da cut him out for a reason."

"And you have no idea what that reason is. Maybe he didn't want you alone in New York with no family and no one to love you or watch your back. Maybe he bound you to me because he knows that even after all this time, you still belong here. Maybe it had nothing to do with Huntley."

The glare she pegs me with makes my balls want to crawl back up and into my body. "If Huntley can save the kids and get them to a safe place, great. I still don't want him anywhere near us. He can stay in the subway safe house your father set up for the seethe. We're better on our own."

"No. We're better surrounded by strength. Huntley's not our enemy. He can be arrogant and annoying as hell, but he is also loyal and true to his word."

"And pity the fool who believes that."

The venom in her scoff catches me by surprise, and I pause. "If you know something about Huntley being involved in this, tell me. Why are you so against him? Before you left, the two of you were tight—we all were."

With our gazes locked, I see the fury and haunting regret that flashes in her eyes for one moment before it's gone. "Chalk that one up to the rose-colored glasses I wore back then. I see people more clearly now. And your boy Huntley is no different from other men. He touts the virtues of honor and speaking the truth, but when it comes down to the wire, he's out the door despite his promises."

"That is both harsh and disturbingly specific. I don't suppose you care to elaborate?"

Her expression hardens. "That stroll down memory lane falls outside the boundaries of our duty bond and is solidly in ‘none of your damn business' territory."

I hold up my palms. "Fuck, Scottie. Where is this coming from? We used to share everything with no boundaries."

"We also used to be friends."

"We're still friends."

She straightens. "No, we are most definitely not friends. If it wasn't for Da tying my hands with his squire powers, and the grief of losing him and your father, I would be in Manhattan right now and you wouldn't even be a blip in my rear-view mirror."

I school my features the best I can and take the hit. It's not only her words that strike me—the acrid burn of her anger and betrayal bleeds from her. It's tainting the air between us and turning my stomach. Even after all these years, she still can't stand to look at me.

She truly hates me.

I knew I ruined things, but I genuinely thought we could reclaim our closeness. Now I'm not so sure.

I swallow and gesture toward her laptop, sitting on the ottoman by the window. "You mentioned wanting to check on Jack? If you access your father's cloud server, you'll find the equivalent of a Rolodex of contact names and numbers. Tucker Barrons will be one of them."

The smile that lights up her eyes tells me more than I want to know. She's worried about Jack, sure, but she likes Tucker. Not that there's any surprise in that. The guy is good looking and very likeable—in a gentle giant sort of way.

I let that ray of merry fucking sunshine pierce my cold, dark heart and remind myself that I have no right to an opinion. I did this. Now I have to live with the aftermath.

Scottie

With my laptop tucked under my arm, I get as far away from Zane as I can without leaving the house and my duty as his guard. That takes me outside onto the pool deck. No matter how good the witch from New Orleans was, without a daywalker empowered object—like a ring or pendant—Zane won't be bothering me out here.

I pick a sun lounger with my back to the door and close my eyes, fighting not to see the wrecked anguish of rejection Zane just pierced me with. Is that how I looked to him seven years ago? Then, turnaround is fair play.

Still, it hurt me to hurt him.

Not that I regret telling Zane he's nothing to me.

Things like that need to be stated firmly for my sanity to remain intact. No false impressions. We used to be close, but that's over. Us being each other's other halves was another lifetime ago and now we're strangers with a joined future.

That's it.

My father bound the two of us, but that doesn't mean I have to like it—because I don't. And despite Zane's theory that Da wanted me home, where I'm loved and have people watching my back, I don't buy it.

I still think it's because he suspected a leak in the royal guards. It may not be Huntley, but Da had incredible instincts. If he suspected trouble, then we have bigger worries than Benoit.

There might be more traitors in our midst.

I drop my head back and draw a deep breath, calming myself down. This is not my problem. Zane's reminder of my lack of suitability to guard him hurt, but he wasn't wrong. I'm in over my head.

It's not my world anymore.

I'm not the best fighter for the job. He knows it. I know it. And he deserves—no—he needs the best. Especially now.

The more I think about it, the surer I am that I need to speak to Jack to find out how to gift the Sacred Squire powers to another because I don't want them and if Zane's right and Huntley had nothing to do with the attack, he deserves to have them.

After all, Huntley wants to stand at Zane's side.

So, I'll do what needs to be done to honor the dead and find out what we can about the vampires who attacked, and then I'll speak to Jack and find out how to end this.

Part of me feels guilty that I'm going against Da's dying wish, but a bigger part of me knows he wouldn't want me to spend my entire life angry and hurt.

My father's decision had to be a knee-jerk reaction because he wasn't sure who to trust.

It had to be.