Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Shine sat on an airplane bound for Vegas. She couldn't believe it had actually worked. They'd left the house under the guise of a dinner meeting and Nurse Reagan, although obviously disapproving, hadn't tried to stop her. Giving her security the slip was a little more difficult, but thankfully Granger hadn't minded knocking them out with a punch and laying them in the back of their car to sleep it off.

Shine wondered if her father had been alerted to her absence yet. It didn't really matter. He wouldn't be able to predict that she was on her way to take him down. She'd never done anything but what he explicitly wanted her to do. This was so far out of character he'd never see it coming, and that was probably the only reason it might work.

She fingered the glove they'd given her. It had a chip sewn into the lining that scanned her as a fullsoul nobody that wouldn't trip any alarms anywhere. The security was too tight in DC to avoid scanning altogether, so they'd had to do the bit of trickery. Luckily it was something they were apparently prepared for.

The real problem had been her face. She was far too recognizable and that was an issue. The scan didn't include pictures, only data sent to an earpiece so she could go with any face she wanted, or no face at all as they'd decided. She'd taken off all her makeup and used the lace from her camisole to fashion a veil. She was playing the part of a widow in mourning. No one would question it, especially since she'd put on a business dinner-appropriate pant suit in black, she knew she looked the part perfectly.

She'd left her cell with the knocked-out guards so she couldn't be tracked on it and unfortunately she couldn't pack anything because it would have been suspicious. So she was a runaway, though her father would probably assume she had been kidnapped. She only had the clothes on her back and the creeping fear of what was going to happen in the morning after missing her bedtime shot and not getting her morning one. Maybe she wouldn't wake up at all. She glanced at the two very dangerous men she was with and wondered what the chances were that they were in fact just here to kill her. She never did get the purpose of their visit from them before she steamrolled them into helping her.

She took the gloves off and slipped her contacts out as well, setting them gently into their case she'd stuck in her purse. They weren't comfortable, though she was used to wearing them, she relished the feeling of taking them out and looking at Granger with her natural black eyes that she'd had to hide from nearly everyone she'd ever met. Only her father and Nurse Reagan saw them now and they both cringed at the sight. Not Granger. He stared at her, seemingly fascinated and though it warmed her, she darted her gaze away.

"Nervous?" Granger asked quietly, his deep voice jolting her out of her thoughts.

"No, just wondering how long before my father knows I've left DC"

"Do you think he'll leave Vegas to search for you?"

She laughed sadly, "And miss his big campaign appearance? No way. He'll send lackeys, but he won't want to let anyone know anything is wrong with his perfect family."

"Seemed pretty good to me," Granger challenged. "The whole world has watched you grow up. The only child of the infamous Senator Buchanan and his lovely soulmate wife who died in childbirth." He paused a moment, looking contrite. "I'm sorry about your mother. Growing up without her must have been hard."

"As you know, I suppose. You grew up an orphan, that had to be difficult."

"Yes, much different than your situation for sure. You were in luxury from the moment you emerged from the womb, surrounded by people to feed you, love you, and care for your every need," he scoffed. "You talk about how important it is to keep the separation of halflings and fullsouls, yet you yourself are a halfsoul entrenched in the world of fullsouls. How is that?"

She laughed. "You haven't figured that one out yet?" she teased.

"Enlighten me," Granger encouraged.

"How about a little trade? Tell me what you were really doing in DC, why did you come to meet with me?"

"We were following a lead, looking for information."

"From me?"

"From your father."

"But he wasn't even there. You had to know that."

"We did, but we also knew that searching the files in his home office was a chance worth taking."

Shine was surprised by that. "When?"

"Do you really think we sat and drank tea while you went up to change?"

"But cameras, and security, the house is full of staff!"

Granger rolled his eyes. "We are professionals, Shine."

"Apparently, Did you find what you'd hoped?"

"Could be," he said, obviously not about to give anything away he didn't have to. "Your turn, halfling."

"My father is impotent," she said with satisfaction.

Granger sat back, surprised.

"I do believe my mother was his soulmate. She didn't come from a powerful family so there's no way it was a match made for political gain. Unfortunately, they couldn't conceive and, not wanting to appear as if they weren't following the dictated order to breed, and not wanting to admit that he was anything but perfect," she sneered, "they found a donor who looked a lot like my father. He impregnated my mother knowing that I would be a halfling, but they were sure they could hide it from the world, that they could find my soulsister quickly and make me whole before anyone could find out what they'd done. They never could have predicted that I would be the soulsister of a dominant," she said bitterly. "That I would be less than a halfling and even though he was able to hide it from me for years, I know what's in those shots they give me three times a day now." She lifted her gaze, unhidden by contacts she knew they were black and soulless, she met Granger's dark eyes, bright with his fullsoul. "I can't survive without blood. I can't go out in the direct sunlight and I don't need to eat food."

"Fuck," Granger whispered on a breath.

"Yeah, I think if he'd known, he would have killed me but she was already gone. The birth was hard on her and she bled out before anyone could do anything about it. I think Nurse Reagan convinced him to keep me. She'd been at my birth attending to my mother. I think he agreed because a politician raising a daughter alone would win him votes, sympathy from the women especially. He never loved me, but I think my mother would have," she whispered and bit her cheek to hold back the tears. The familiar feelings of betrayal and disappointment welled up inside her.

"No wonder you hate him," Granger said comfortingly and reached across to lay a hand on her knee. "It's not your fault you know. You didn't ask for this."

She looked up angrily. "I know," she snapped, and he pulled his hand away, the sympathy erasing from his face. "I was a baby and they were idiots and until I figured it all out, I was an idiot, too."

"How did you find out?"

"I was always skeptical about my life, but I never wanted to push any boundaries. I really did think I had it good. When I started asking questions, I got shut down immediately which only made my curiosity grow, and then one night I found myself standing in my father's office waiting while he escorted some reporter out. I looked around and realized this was the only room in the house that wasn't wired, wasn't videotaped and I was free for just a moment. I rushed to his desk and rummaged. I found his journal from the years around my birth, just sitting on the shelf as if it were no more important than his copy of Moby Dick. It told me everything I was afraid to know. And now that I know, I'm doing what I can to expose him and reveal the truth behind this godawful curse."

"Which is?"

"We're a mere generation away from full vampiric overrun. There is no way to save us. This is our slow descent into hell. The curse wasn't just about changing our ways. Other countries already surpassed their threshold to stave off the takeover. It's what the war is about. If they breach our borders, we'll go even faster. Every full and halfsoul will be food for the monsters that have been created. It was a slow Armageddon curse—not a punishment; an execution."

"You're quite the angel of doom," Granger said with a half-smile that made her stomach flutter.

"I'm not sure you'd be smiling if you'd found your soulmate and thought the perfect life was at your fingertips, only to realize it was all going to make the end that much more terrifying," she said, leaning forward and licking her lips in a gesture she knew would draw him in. "People will panic when they find out."

"Not interested in soulmates, but I never turn down a good time," he whispered, his eyes locked onto her lips.

Shine looked over to where Stone was asleep and snoring. "You think he'll be asleep for a while?"

"I think I don't care," he practically growled.

He was up and pulling her to the bathroom at the back of the plane so fast she didn't have a chance to rethink her decision. As soon as the door closed them into the small space she started ripping at her clothes. He stripped fast as well and she ran her fingers over his muscled chest and arms, all covered in intricate tattoos that fascinated her. She thought she could spend hours touching them, discovering what was there. A scar ran from his right shoulder across his chest, a sign that he'd fought hard for the other half of his soul. She kissed it where it crossed over his heart then ran her lips lower. He groaned as she embraced his erect cock and ran her tongue around it.

He gripped her hair, encouraging her to take him fully into her mouth.

She obliged, swallowing him down and glorying in the sounds of pleasure he made. Soon she felt his body stiffen, his hands fisting tighter in her hair. She stood then and hopped up on the small counter, legs splayed and welcoming. She ran a hand over her thigh and smiled at him. "I won't bite," she said when he hesitated, watching her.

"I'm not afraid of a little bite," he said gruffly and pulled her in for a kiss, then lifted her ass and settled her over his cock.

As he pushed into her, she arched her back and broke the kiss, gasping and reaching out to hold on as the ride took her. She fisted her hands into his long hair, and he bent to capture a nipple in his mouth, rolling his tongue around it and making her scream again.

"Granger," she gasped, so close to reaching her peak already.

He grunted and flipped her around, pressing her stomach into the counter, he entered her from behind, one hand gripping her chin and forcing her to meet his eyes in the mirror.

"Fuck me," she groaned as the pressure built and she felt the spiral start to take over.

"With pleasure," he hissed and pounded in at a faster pace, driving them both to the edge and finally over it with a growl.

They collapsed together, both panting and sweaty. Granger kissed her cheek and turned her around. She gazed up into his eyes and smiled, feeling a warmth she'd never experienced before.

"You have really beautiful eyes," she said quietly.

"So do you," he whispered, kissing her nose. "Now, how about I help you clean up before we land."

Cheeks red, she let him wash her thighs with a warm washcloth. Then she dressed as he quickly washed himself. She reached for the door handle, but he pulled her in for a deep kiss and his hands cupped her cheeks.

"You're not less than anyone else, Shine," he whispered against her lips. "None of us were, and being forced to kill in order to feel whole is a kind of hell no one deserves."

Tears stung her eyes at his words. No one had ever truly seen her and told her she was enough. Her heart clenched and she bit her lip. "I know, and I never had any intent to find or kill my soulsister, even though I know I'm one of the lucky ones. She's out there somewhere and if she ever comes for me, I'll probably let her have the slice I've got in me."

"What if there's another way?"

"I think my father has been after that for years."

Granger pulled back from her and she left the bathroom, thankful to find Stone still snoring in his seat. "How long until we land?" she asked Granger as he strapped in next to her this time.

"Another hour, I think. We'll get a hotel room when we land." He grabbed her hand and squeezed, meeting her gaze. "Tell me what you are going to need."

"Need? I brought nothing with me," she said with a laugh. "I'll be happy with a toothbrush for tonight."

"I mean, blood wise."

She just shook her head. She hated the thought of what she might need. "I don't know," she answered honestly and turned to stare out the window. "I've always had the shots," she whispered.

Granger didn't say anything, just squeezed her hand again. The silent support broke her, and tears flowed down her cheeks.

Granger wanted to wrap her in his arms as she cried but didn't think she would accept the comfort. He barely knew her, but he knew enough to ignore it. She was a tough woman and prided herself on keeping her emotions in check, no doubt learned from years as the daughter of a politician.

He looked over to where Stone was no longer pretending to sleep.

Stone looked at him with an eyebrow raised in question. Granger gave a slight shake of his head to indicate he should leave it alone. Stone nodded and then went on to make a very suggestive gesture that Granger was glad Shine couldn't see but made him smirk.

He'd told Stone while they'd waited for Shine to join them in the car outside her home that he had every intention of seducing the woman. Stone gave no argument, they'd learned long ago not to go after the same women and since Granger had spoken his intentions first, Stone would make no play for her. Granger hadn't expected it to be such an easy conquest, he also hadn't expected to feel so strongly connected to her. A fierce need to protect her had risen as she'd told her story and now, he thought he might do anything to save her, even offer his open vein. He just hoped he wasn't going to have to choose between her and his best friend's soulmate, because he had a very serious suspicion that this was the small piece of soul that Ebony was missing. And the fact that Buchanan had at one time sought Ebony out made those suspicions even deeper.

When the lights of Vegas came into view, Granger was delighted by the obvious joy it brought to Shine. Her face lit up and she covered her mouth with a hand as she took in the sights. There was an innocence in the way she was enjoying it all that filled him with pleasure. Given the chance, he would take her everywhere possible so she could see and experience everything.

He wouldn't tell her what he was thinking, didn't want to scare her off. So he settled for reminding her to buckle up for landing after she had her contacts back in.

"Do you think it'll work again?" she asked as she slipped the gloves on. They looked like leather driving gloves, nothing unusual except that it was far too warm to be wearing them.

"I have no doubt, but still; if we can avoid them scanning you, we will. It's late so they may not bother to meet us, we fly in and out of here regularly and they know our plane. The security here is far looser than DC but I would still wear the veil, your beautiful face is far too recognizable."

She rolled her eyes at his compliment, and he chuckled, satisfied that she was no longer saddened by their earlier conversation.

The plane landed smoothly, and Stone's phone started dinging with messages as soon as he turned it back on.

"Lark has a place for us to stay lined up at their hotel. He wants to meet us in the lobby when we get there," Stone explained.

"Great," Granger hissed, not sure he wanted to introduce Shine to Lark just yet. He pushed her forward gently and caught Stone's eye, willing him to hold back. Stone got the hint and pretended to be busy as they passed him. Shine continued on to the stairs and Granger whispered harshly to Stone. "Text him back. Make sure he arranged two rooms. I'll watch her, and you can sleep by your damn self."

"Ouch, brother. How will I masturbate to your sex life if I can't hear her sweet moans coming from the bathroom?"

Granger reacted before he could think, he reached out and grabbed Stone by the neck, surprising the man. "Watch yourself," he hissed.

Stone narrowed his eyes but didn't struggle, there was too much trust between the men for him to be concerned that they might enter into any real fight. "She's not your soulmate," Stone snapped.

"She doesn't need to be my soulmate for me to want to keep her away from you," Granger hissed back and let go of Stone's throat. He hurried on, meeting Shine at the top of the stairs where she was thanking the pilots for the safe trip.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, looking past him to where Stone was following.

"Fine, let's get out of here. You must be exhausted."

"I'm doing okay."

"What if I said I want to get you alone so I can fuck you again, slow this time and taste you while you scream my name," he whispered in her ear.

Her cheeks flamed and she hurried down the stairs.

Stone chuckled behind him, obviously having overheard. "That's one way to get a girl moving," Stone said lightly. "There should be a car waiting for us out front."

They managed to dodge the one worker who was too lazy this time of night to come out and scan them, he waved through a window, and they went directly to where the car was waiting. Stone drove while Granger sat in back with Shine.

"Are you nervous?" he asked her quietly.

"Very," she admitted, and he reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

She gave him a curious look. "You my bodyguard now?"

"Something like that," he said.

She smiled. "Just so long as you don't start telling me what to do, I won't mind you keeping me alive long enough to take down my father," she paused and frowned. "Not my father I guess, not really," she sighed.

"He's just an asshole," Granger agreed. "And we will take him down for what he's doing in those orphanages." Granger met Stone's eyes in the rearview and they held as much hatred and anger as he felt.

"What can you tell us about it all? What kind of evidence do you have other than your word?" Stone said it apologetically. "Not that we don't believe you, Buchanan is definitely scum. The files we found in the office are all private though, not related to the orphanages at all."

Granger didn't need any proof, they'd grown up in an orphanage, they'd woken up plenty of mornings to find someone just gone with no explanation, never to return. There was an underworld working against halflings like them and proof would go a long way to stopping it and he really hoped she had some.

"I have some files that detail some of his experiments. I took them from his downtown office one day when I was there waiting for him. After I found out the truth about myself, I wanted to know what else he was hiding. There's no denying his experiments."

"Where are they?"

"I sent them to a lawyer, one that I know hates my father and will do the right thing with them."

"So why not just wait for that to come out, why go through all this?" Stone pressed.

"That was the plan, until you two showed up, I didn't have a way out before. This opportunity presenting itself will only make my takedown of him all the sweeter. The lawyer should be getting the file in the next couple days, but I plan to ruin things tomorrow night," she said with a wicked grin.

Granger was satisfied with that, and he patted her leg as they drove on toward the hotel.

They pulled up in front of the hotel lobby and Stone handed the keys off to the valet. Granger grabbed his own bags out of the back and so did Stone, they'd have to get a few things for Shine, but Granger didn't mind taking care of her needs, it actually filled him with a bit of pride to know he could.

The hotel Lark had picked was familiar, a nice place they'd stayed often when in town and thankfully this time of night the lobby was mostly empty. Shine kept her veil on and walked close to Granger with her head down as if she were in fact mourning and sad. No one would give her more than a cursory glance, he was sure. Certainly no one would guess that it was the famous Shine Buchanan.

They let Lark know they had arrived as they checked in. Shine didn't make a peep of protest when Granger told the lady that him and his wife would be taking the room Lark had reserved and that Stone would be in a separate one. It was an easy process, no need to scan his wife and they had keys in hand by the time Lark walked out of the elevator. Shine stayed close to him as they walked across the lobby to meet Lark, and Granger liked that very much. He had to fight his instinct to shove her behind him when Lark's eyes landed on her with curiosity.

Lark greeted them and then turned to Shine. "And this is the surprise?"

"Shine Buchanan," Shine said, lifting her veil briefly to show her face to prove it.

Lark made a sound of surprise and reached out to shake her hand. "Welcome to Vegas," he said.

Granger was about to stop her from reaching out, but he noticed her gloves still on so didn't. He couldn't stop the fear that slid up his spine as Lark gazed at her though. Could Lark tell anything? Did he see something in her that pulled on him? Was this Ebony's soulsister, was this technically Lark's soulmate? Could Shine tell?

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Duport. I've heard about your skills as a searcher."

"And I've heard about you," Lark said. "But you're more than what your father has wanted you to be, aren't you?" His gaze dropped down to her gloved hands now clutched at her middle.

"Not just a political princess looking to rally support for Daddy," she said dryly.

Lark raised an eyebrow and Granger could tell he was about to dig in with questions. When Lark was on track with something, he was like a bulldog with a bone. Normally Granger wouldn't care if he never got to bed, but tonight, he had plans and though they didn't involve sleep. They did involve fewer people and more privacy.

"We can talk in the morning," Granger said, grabbing Shine's arm and pulling her toward the waiting elevator. "See you all at breakfast."

"I'm certain it will be enlightening," Stone called after them, standing with Lark.

Granger met Lark's gaze as the doors shut. Stone was whispering to Lark, and Granger could see the connections being made in Lark's mind. Granger gave a slight nod, there was no use denying or hiding what Shine most likely was. If Shine had held more than a sliver of soul herself, she likely would have sparked to Lark despite the gloves she wore. It was something that they all would have to face in the morning.

"Rumors are that Lark's some kind of sex god," Shine said casually as the elevator music filtered in.

"Really?" Granger said darkly, jealousy welling up inside of him. Had Shine lusted after the image Lark portrayed? Had she hoped to someday meet the dangerous stranger and spend a night with him? If Lark recognized her as his soulmate too, would she get the chance? Granger would never allow it.

Shine turned and looked up at him with her fake blue eyes and a genuine smile. "Yeah, really. But I don't think he's half as hunky as you," she teased, reaching up and grabbing his face. She pulled him down for a deep kiss that ended with him throwing her over his shoulder as he hurried down the hall to their room as soon as the elevator doors opened on their floor.

He dropped her on the bed and undressed her quickly before settling himself, still fully clothed, between her thighs. He lapped up her pleasure until she was screaming out his name and pulling his hair like she was about to come apart at the seams.

Then he stood up with a grin on his face and undressed as she stretched and shivered and looked at him with a satisfied grin of her own. And that's when he felt his heart overflow and he knew for certain in that moment that no soul picked by any god could be a better match for him than this woman, this perfect being with only a sliver of soul. She was inexplicably his everything and he would die to protect her.

Words wouldn't come, and they would have scared her anyway, so he showed her with his body all that he felt for her. He made certain that she came again before he did and when he finally exploded in her for the second time that day, he wondered what the before would have been like. To meet a woman like this and think about putting a baby in her as if it were no big deal. A piece of her and a piece of him. A perfect mix. It could never be. He had a vasectomy in a dirty basement clinic, highly illegal, but he didn't want to bring any other souls into this hellscape.

But if the gods had seen fit to let the world play out its own way, he could have coaxed her into his life with flowers and chocolate. He could have promised to take care of her and love her forever. He could have raised a family and grown old at her side.

It wasn't to be though; he had no idea what to expect for a halfling with so little soul. Would she even live to be old with the best of care? Of all the nosouls he'd ever interacted with, none had appeared to be more than mid to late forties, and that was a worrisome thought.

He held her tight as she drifted to sleep, trying not to let the panic of losing her overwhelm him.