Chapter 2

Two

P hillip studied Cody's trailer.

"He fought them."

"Of course he did. He's Cody Fucking Knight." Thack sounded worried but also proud. Phillip understood. Cody never went down without a hell of a fight.

His back to Thack, who stood just outside the door, he closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of Cody. His body clenched, and his hands tightened into fists. Gods, he missed that smell, missed the vampire who carried it, with every fiber of his being.

He'd chosen his demon family over Cody one time, and it had been the worst mistake of his long life. Cody had never forgiven him, and he was still paying for it by always having to see Cody's name, to hear it on other people's lips, without getting to have the man himself.

He took a deep breath. Okay, he was here to find Cody, not to play woe is me, reminiscing, and recrimination.

"Anything?" Thack asked.

"Mmm." He scanned the trailer, noting the overturned knickknacks, the pillows and bedding strewn about, the desk, which he knew Cody preferred psychotically neat, disarranged. Then he went to lift the mattress on the box bed, relief flooding him when he saw that Cody's earth was still there.

"You're right. They didn't know about his dirt. Or they didn't care. I want someone on this trailer twenty-four seven, guarding it until he comes back."

"Yessir. I'll put January on it."

He closed his eyes again, this time trying to pick out any scent that wasn't Cody. There was a big cat, but that was probably the security person who worked for the rodeo. There was a deep, earthy scent that was no doubt Kyler Dean, who had come by for a drink. That wicked fae man had an affinity for the dirt that kept him on the backs of bulls and horses like no one except maybe Raven Walkingman.

No one rode like that bastard. No one ever?—

What was that?

There was a drop of blood on the mattress.

He leaned down, sniffing.

Demons.

Not just demons. Demons from his own goddamn clan.

Phillip stood, whirling to stride to the door of the trailer. "I have some calls to make," he told Thack. "Get someone on guarding his earth."

"What is it?"

His jaw went tight as frozen rope. "My family."

"Aw shit." Thack shook his head. "This is gonna bite you in the ass."

"It already has." He was going to rip heads from bodies. He was going to kill anything that had touched his mate.

But first he would try the diplomatic approach and see what the hell they wanted.

It wouldn't work.

It never worked, but he had to?—

Selena screamed, and Thack blinked at her, staring but carefully not touching. "What is it?"

She ignored Thack altogether and screamed for him again, zooming back into the trailer, hovering over the floor on the far side of the desk.

There was a ring there—simple and solid, a gold band, a big cabochon ruby set in the center. That was the ring he'd given Cody, years ago.

Rage filled him, and he picked it up, grasping it as if he could feel Cody through it. "Someone left a message, I think."

"Definitely. He still wears that, man."

Phillip glared at Thack, advancing on him. "What did you say?"

Thack didn't back down. "Every motherfucking day."

"Then did he leave it for me?" Was it supposed to be a clue? Or was Cody just hiding it from Phillip's family?

"I wasn't here. I just know I've never seen him without it."

He squeezed the ring, and he heard Cody's agonized yell ringing through him.

"I will kill every one of them, Thack. I swear it."

Selena screamed again, shrill, witnessing his promise. She understood. She felt what he felt.

"How you gonna find him?"

"I'm going to start by calling my fucking uncle."

"Well, you let me know where we're going, and I'll rally the troops. Cody's ours. We're not letting him go."

He nodded. That had always been the way. Cody was a cowboy. The rodeo people had chosen him, and Phillip had been relegated to the cold corporate offices. He understood. If anyone was accustomed to it, it was him. He'd always favored a suit to boots and hats. But he was sick to death of being banished.

It was time to get back into the bloody game.

Thack grinned at him, as if he heard. "We're not letting you go either, you know. We never have."

"Yeah, yeah." He wasn't sure he bought it. Just because Cody hadn't let him sell out of Darque and Knight didn't mean he was part of anything but paying the bills.

"This is Darque and Knight Rodeo Company, you son of a bitch," Cody had told him. "Kind of stupid without the Darque."

Thack just stared him down again, completely unafraid. Phillip loved that about the stubborn asshole.

He just didn't care.

"I need a place to set up an office, Thack. Not here. I need to be without the distraction of— of feeling him."

"Not a problem. I can put you in one of the storage trailers. Unless you want to sit with the bulls. Those assholes are searching for a reason."

"Nah. Selena would just terrorize them." And he needed her focused. He handed her Cody's ring. "We need to find him, sweet. But you must be careful. They can't know about you."

She purred, chirruping softly, and wrapped around the ring. She adored Cody, even if she didn't know why.

"That's right, sweet. Go. Find him for me. And then bring me to him. And we will rain terror down on them."

She spun, pure joy emanating from her. Terror and chaos were her favorite things.

She zipped off in a puff of black soot, leaving the ring in his palm.

Thack looked at him. "I almost feel sorry for whoever took the boss. Almost." Then Thack smiled, and there was row after row of those sharp teeth, like a sentient shark. "But not quite."