SIXTEEN

FIFTEEN

TO MY ETERNAL disappointment, I learned that when Liam said he'd arrange it, he didn't mean him and me alone in a car. Instead, Thomas and Connor decided to tag along. Oh joy.

The only consolation was that I was relatively sure Liam hadn"t informed Thomas of the main purpose of the trip—finding the captain and seeing how involved he was with current events.

Hopefully, Liam had a plan for getting Thomas out of the way before Travis showed up. Although, I wouldn"t put it past Liam to help Thomas blunder into the truth.

Kind of an "oh, your sire killed your captain. My bad. I had no idea that"s how he"d react" situation.

This was going to take some interesting footwork to balance truth with lie.

In the end, Liam chose to drive, Thomas sitting beside him as Connor and I climbed into the back seats. It worked out since it gave me a chance to shoot a message to Travis letting him know I was enroute.

Moments later I got a reply.

Be there in twenty.

I released the breath I was holding. One problem taken care of. A dozen others still to go.

Nathan and Makoto shadowed us in a rear vehicle. Another surprise I hadn"t anticipated.

I should have known Liam's lack of argument was a cover. If he couldn"t steer me clear of this course, it seemed he planned to have his enforcers watch my back.

Smart man. I couldn"t even argue with his logic.

With Callie"s addition to the fray, we couldn"t be sure how many people were after me. One thing that was clear—the umbrella man wasn"t the only one.

My hands shook with leftover adrenaline as we pulled out of the park and onto Highway 23. I stuffed them under my legs, feeling adrift and exhausted now that the fight was over.

I wasn"t a violent person. I didn"t get off on hurting others. Yet that was exactly what I"d done to Kat. I"d enjoyed it too and was already anticipating the next fight.

What did that say about me? That I would so willingly reach into my darker self? That I was looking forward to it?

My stomach rolled uncomfortably. I leaned forward, staring at my knees and taking deep breaths.

Don"t throw up, Aileen. Not now.

"None of that," Thomas said, not looking back at me. "You acquitted yourself well. Kat and the rest of her disciples will think twice about challenging you again."

"So glad I could make you proud," I told my knees.

I sensed rather than saw Thomas"s smile. "You pretend you"re still human, but tonight proves you"re one of us."

I got my stomach under control, forcing the fine trembling away as I breathed deep. I sat back, forcing my chin up as I met Thomas"s stare. "I didn"t do it for you."

The corners of his eyes crinkled. "And that"s what makes it so perfect."

His attention shifted to Connor. "You did well. Though I"d argue your solution was a little bloody."

"Since when?" Connor asked.

Thomas faced forward. "It"s a new era. The violence of our past doesn"t always get the best results these days."

I rested my head against the headrest. "What made her challenge me?"

There was a niggling voice in the back of my mind whispering that Thomas had a hand in events. Prior history with my sire made it hard to ignore that voice.

"She"s jealous of you," Liam answered, turning onto the ramp for the highway.

"Why?"

Liam"s nod was small. "You have what she wants, and you achieved it with little obvious effort."

"What"s that?"

Thomas looked back at me. "Power. Respect."

That last one surprised me more than anything else they"d said.

"Whose respect exactly?" I asked, not concealing my skepticism.

"The enforcers." Thomas cast a sidelong look at Liam. "Kat petitioned for a position on Liam"s team a few decades ago."

Liam"s hands tightened on the wheel.

He didn"t like Thomas pointing that out. Good to know I wasn"t the only one who tired of my sire"s schemes.

"She wasn"t a good fit," Liam said in a controlled voice. "It"s easy to abuse the power we"re given. The council trusts our opinions and often lets us act unilaterally. I couldn"t risk having someone I didn"t trust in a role like that."

Thomas"s laugh held genuine amusement. "Nothing about how you despise her and everything she represents."

Liam"s mouth tilted up a tiny bit on one side. "That too. Nothing I"ve seen since has led me to change my mind."

Thomas sent him a sly glance. "No, your tastes run more toward the stubborn and honorable."

It didn"t take a genius to know he meant me. Only difference was I had no intention of joining Liam"s merry band of enforcers. I liked being my own boss and making my own schedule. If I screwed up, it was only my ass on the line.

But, it was cute to see them try to lure me to the dark side. Especially when only I knew it was a wasted effort.

Thomas guessed at the direction of my thoughts. "You should know Liam is quite good at playing the long game."

I made myself more comfortable in my seat. "He can play all he likes. I"ll still win in the end."

Liam"s eyes met mine in the rear-view mirror. "Challenge accepted."

There was a quiet tingle in the pit of my stomach. Anticipation. Nervousness. Some part of me was looking forward to this.

Good lord, their crazy was catching. I was becoming more like them every day.

"Did you learn anything of interest tonight?" Thomas asked.

"Many things." I watched the city go by outside the window as Thomas waited.

I tapped the window and wondered what all the humans in their dark houses were dreaming of right now.

"Like what?" Thomas asked, finally losing his patience.

"There"s something Arlan is not telling us. He"s connected to the Scattered in some way," I said.

"How?" Thomas asked.

"The Fae handing out drinks is one of the Scattered." I folded my arms and looked at Thomas.

"What makes you think that?" Liam asked.

"The way Callie reacted to her. The two have a bond. There was real affection, like that of an older sister with a younger, weaker one," I said.

My words felt true. I was on the right track.

"Also, the Fae"s arm was glamored to hide the tattoo," I added as an afterthought. I never would have thought to check if I hadn"t seen the way Callie interacted with her.

"That is interesting." Thomas tapped the side console in thought.

"How so?" Connor asked.

"Arlan is from the High King"s court. For all intents and purposes, he"s considered a loyalist. He"d know the consequences of harboring any of the Scattered, since the High King is the one who put an assassination order on them," Liam explained.

Thomas and Liam shared a look.

"If he"s flouting the king"s order, it could mean he"s not as loyal as everyone assumes." Thomas sounded intrigued by this prospect. Schemes and plans were already forming.

"Well done, Aileen." Thomas"s voice was filled with praise.

I glared at the back of his head.

"One last thing—I think he suspects that I can see magic," I said grudgingly.

The atmosphere in the car went arctic, emanating from the two in front of me.

Yup, that"s about the reaction I expected.

"Why would he suspect that?" Thomas asked.

The feeling of a blade poised above my neck made me choose my words carefully.

"He mentioned Niamh. He seemed to think the manner in which her enchantment was broken seemed interesting."

Thomas blew out a harsh breath. "That isn"t ideal."

He was telling me.

Thomas turned toward Liam. "We may need to send her away for her own protection."

"Like hell you will," I spat.

He quirked his eyebrow at me. "Would you rather the Fae burn out your mind, leaving your body as their own personal tool and plaything in their endless dominance games?"

No, of course, I didn"t want that.

"All I"m saying is let"s not be hasty. I"m sure there are other, less dramatic solutions we can try first," I said, backpedaling.

"Oh?" Thomas asked in an arch voice. "Please enlighten us as to what you mean. By the time they learn the truth, it will be too late. We"ll either have to kill them and risk a war, or you"ll lose that precious freedom you value so much. Make no mistake—what they do to you will be so much worse than the infringement you accuse me of."

"Sending her away will only arouse suspicion." Connor didn"t look away from the scene outside his window. "They"ll take it as a sign you're hiding something."

Thomas"s face was set in unhappy lines as he looked at his first born. "What would you have me do? You know what life is like among them. Would you sentence her to that fate?"

Connor didn"t answer, slowly pulling himself away from the scenery outside to focus on Thomas. I wasn"t sure I liked that look, especially in light of the throat ripping incident an hour prior.

Connor wasn"t defenseless, despite the strange circumstances that had led to him being unfamiliar with the modern world. He had proven he was comfortable with violence.

"If Arlan is really working against the High King, it stands to reason he won"t reveal my little secret. He"ll want to use it to his advantage," I said, interfering before either man could do something only I would regret.

"He does seem to be building a power base," Liam said.

Thomas looked contemplative. "You have a point."

Sensing the danger had passed, I relaxed into my seat. Thomas could very well be right. Maybe one day I wouldn"t have any choice but to let him send me away. Thankfully that day wasn"t today.

Sometimes it was the small wins that got you through.

"How do you plan to handle this threat from the Scattered?" Thomas asked.

Liam"s eyes met mine in the rear-view mirror. "If my enforcers can trap the medusa, we can see what they"re hoping to accomplish by going after Aileen."

"They want to hire her," Connor said.

The car fell silent as we all considered him.

"What makes you say that?" Thomas asked.

His head tilted. "They said as much."

"Twice," I added.

Don had tried that line too.

"What do they want you to do that they can"t do for themselves?" Thomas asked, echoing my own skepticism.

"Maybe they want her to return a lost pet," Liam suggested.

"You"ve been having me watched," I said, outraged.

Through the rear-view mirror I caught a glimpse of Liam"s smile. "Indeed. Did you really expect anything else?"

Thomas turned to better see me. "Is that what your business consists of?"

I fought the urge to sink down in my seat. "Not always. Sometimes I find lost bracelets too."

The incident Liam mentioned wasn"t my finest moment. It had mostly consisted of me chasing a Pomeranian through a sewer. When I finally caught the dog, its fur morphed into tiny porcupine quills. It took days to get all of them out.

"I have video," Liam murmured.

"No," I breathed.

"Oh, yes."

Thomas looked at him askance. "I"d be interested in seeing that video."

"That can be arranged."

I kicked the back of Liam"s seat. Hard.

I leaned toward him, saying into his ear. "Just remember, lover. I have my own ways of getting revenge."

"I look forward to it."

*

Twenty minutes later, Liam pulled onto my street. I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn"t see any unknown cars waiting in front of my building.

If the captain was here, he wasn"t being obvious about it.

That was some consolation.

At this hour of the night, the bars were long closed. Their patrons would have already stumbled home to their beds.

We were in that between time when the night owls were finally asleep, but even the earliest of risers had yet to wake.

When I"d been human, sunrise was my favorite time of day. That quiet stillness of a world in the throes of a new beginning. There was a beauty as dark transitioned to light.

Not to mention, I liked the brilliant display of the sun as it started its ascent.

Now, I found that same quiet stillness with its wealth of possibilities. In this hour, it felt like I was the only one in the universe. The beauty of this moment was different, but no less important.

A ringing came over the car"s Bluetooth, disturbing the calm.

Liam hit answer. "Go."

Anton"s voice came through the speakers. "Something is going on. She"s stopped moving."

"Do you still have eyes on her?"

"Yes, she"s standing in a clearing and talking to air," Anton said. "You might want to get over here. I think something is about to happen."

"I"m on my way," Liam said.

There was a beep and then the call dropped.

His eyes met mine. "You sure you don"t want to come?"

I hesitated, the pull to find answers strong.

Instead, I shook my head. There wasn"t only one set of answers I needed, and Liam and his men could handle this. If I went, I"d be forced to stand on the sidelines, whereas with the captain, I was the only one who could get him to talk.

Sometimes you had to divide and conquer.

"You go ahead. I"ll meet you back at the Gargoyle," I said.

"I want Nathan and Makoto to stay with you." He didn"t give me time to protest—not that I would"ve. Even I understood the benefits of having two enforcers at my back. "They won"t interfere. They"ll simply be on hand if needed."

He waited, giving me time to argue.

Instead, I shrugged my agreement. Always keep them guessing. It wouldn"t do to be too predictable.

I glanced at Connor. "Are you going with him or staying with me?"

He looked briefly uncertain. His expression firmed. "I"ll stay with you."

I shoved my door open. "Let"s go."

Connor got out on his side, taking a long look around as he straightened. Tonight, the shadows seemed deeper and darker than usual, every small pocket capable of holding an unknown amount of surprises.

The SUV holding Nathan and Makoto had turned off before we reached my apartment, disappearing before I"d even realized they"d gone. It made me wonder where they were hiding. It had to be close. Otherwise they wouldn"t be of much use in a confrontation.

Sneaky little bastards.

They would have had to set up in advance to disappear this thoroughly. If I examined the apartments and rental houses around me, would I find one that acted as a crash pad for Liam"s enforcers? Were they even now watching me through one of the many cameras I knew Thomas had set up around this area?

Liam"s driver side window slid down. "Aileen."

As always, seeing his face was like getting a punch in the chest. Sometimes I hated the hold he had over me. Other times, I didn"t know what I"d do without it.

Emotions warred in his expression. I wasn"t the only one who felt this breathless draw.

That thought warmed me, soothing some of my uncertainty. I wasn"t alone.

His face told me all I needed to know. He"d mourn if I was gone. More importantly, he"d avenge me.

Call me twisted, but the knowledge that there was someone out there who would rain down bloody death and destruction on those who harmed me was comforting.

I set one hand on his window. "I know."

He took a deep breath, his struggle obvious. "Don"t be reckless."

"That"s like telling a cat not to sharpen its claws on the furniture. Mostly pointless."

His look turned irritated. "Sometimes I think I should have been much tougher on you in training."

Not in this lifetime. If he ever stepped up training, I was taking an extended vacation to somewhere warm and tropical.

"We"re agreed then. I"ll do what"s needed and you"ll be there to catch me if I fall," I said, hoping to ease some of his tension.

"Stay safe." There was a rare uncertainty in Liam"s expression.

He always seemed so untouchable. Nothing and no one could breach that impenetrable wall he kept around him—except, apparently me. It was both heady and terrifying at the same time to know my actions and choices held that sort of power over him.

Love could be a cage. It was one of the reasons I"d never sought to lose myself in its grasp. Giving someone the power to destroy you was a scary thing.

I loved too deeply and completely to risk myself in that fashion.

What I"d forgotten was that love could also sustain you in the dark times. The right partner made you a better version of yourself. Only time would tell whether Liam and I were the former or the latter.

Impulse prompted me to lean down and kiss him. I tasted his surprise for only seconds. His hands reached up to hold me closer as he deepened the kiss, the desire that always sat within my middle kindling in seconds.

My lips were swollen and tingling when I finally pulled back, mourning the fact we couldn"t finish this. "Hell of a sendoff."

My words banished some of the shadows in his eyes. Not all of them—but enough.

"You remember that the next time you decide to go it alone," he said.

I straightened, catching Thomas starring out the windshield, his normal arrogance missing, replaced with the same tiredness I'd seen last night, as if he was an outsider, yearning to be on the inside.

For the first time ever, I felt sorry for the man who"d had a hand in making me what I was.

A small part of me whispered that I"d misjudged him. That maybe I"d cast blame in his direction a bit too quickly.

Yes, he was manipulative, cocky, and arrogant, but so was Liam. The only difference was Thomas had been the one with the poor luck of choosing me as his target that night.

Even then, I couldn"t entirely blame him, knowing the curse had a hand in that too.

So where did that leave me?

Forgiveness was a choice, but that didn"t make it easy.

I"d held so tightly to my bitterness for all this time that it was hard to let go. I needed someone to blame for the shitty turn my life had taken.

I"d forgotten life came with its own set of knock-out punches.

Even if I"d remained in the military, there was no telling where I would have ended up. There were any number of outcomes that could have been worse than my current situation.

Thomas could have chosen someone else, but he didn"t. He chose me.

I liked the life I"d built for myself. It suited me in a way the other hadn"t. I"d been kidding myself then, forcing myself to conform when I"d never been particularly good at pretending.

"Thomas." I stopped, unsure what to say.

Thomas"s barriers snapped into place, his mask impenetrable and haughty. Once upon a time, it would have made me itch to force a reaction.

I resisted. Maybe it was time to let go of the past.

"Thanks." I didn"t explain what I meant, leaving it at that. He didn"t have to know I was thanking him for his role in my life.

The sound that left his mouth was more of a huff as he gave his head one shake. "Don"t thank me for this, Aileen."

"You"re allowing me to be my own person. I appreciate that." Then, because it was still me and I had a feeling Thomas would be insufferable otherwise. "I know that"s hard for you."

His gaze flared, but I was already straightening from the window and stepping back.

Connor studied me. "You"ve forgiven him for his wrongs against you."

I arched an eyebrow at my sort of brother. "Would that be so bad?"

Connor considered. "It gives him leeway to wrong you again in the future."

I hummed as we walked toward my apartment. "I don"t think so. Forgiveness isn"t quite the right term either. I like to think of it as moving past my anger."

I stopped at the base of the steps and faced him, sensing this conversation was about more than just my problem with my sire. "Maybe vampirism isn"t the life choice I would have made before, but I can"t deny I don"t appreciate the benefits."

Connor digested my statement.

"That doesn"t mean you have to do the same," I pointed out. "Give him as much hell as you want. I"ve no doubt he deserves it."

"It doesn"t feel quite right if you abandon the fight."

That startled a snort of amusement from me. "I fully intend to be as difficult as possible with our sire. Don"t get me wrong. Tweaking his nose is the highlight of my afterlife. I"ll just be doing it without a whole lot of baggage dragging me down."

I knew myself, and troublemaker was practically stamped in my DNA. That wasn"t going to change just because I conceded Thomas wasn"t the devil incarnate.

"It"ll be a whole lot more fun this way," I told him.

"Fun?" he muttered as if never hearing the word before.

I hid my grin as I let us into the house, stepping aside as Connor walked in first. He disappeared down the hallway, checking the bedrooms and bathroom.

I let him, checking my phone. Just in time. The captain should be here any moment.

"Inara, Lowen, you around?" I called.

No answer.

"I have a situation I could use your input on," I said, looking around.

That should bring them out. Inara loved weighing in with her opinion.

Connor appeared in the hallway. "Nothing looks disturbed."

"Have you seen the pixies?" I asked.

He looked around the apartment as if searching for the answer there. "No?"

I bit my lip. This wasn"t right.

Inara and Lowen greeted me on my return nine times out of ten. Even if this was the tenth time, as soon as I mentioned trouble they should have been out here.

"Something is wrong." I could feel it in my bones.

I moved toward my bedroom and the window overlooking the street there. It had a better angle than the living rooms. Shoving several books and decorations aside, I pulled back the blackout curtains, scanning the ground below.

Connor peered over my shoulder. "What are we looking for?"

"I"m sure we"ll know it when we see it."

Nothing was there that I could see. It was my normal parking lot, the street beyond it. The row houses that lined the other side were calm and still.

I checked my phone for the time. The captain should have been here by now.

"Where is he?" I said quietly.

"Who?"

"The person I was supposed to meet."

Connor"s eyebrows pulled down in a frown. "I thought we were only picking up a few things."

I aimed a look his way. "You should know by now I don"t always tell Thomas everything."

"But Liam does." To himself, he said, "Or at least he did."

I couldn"t explain that, so I didn"t even try. Liam was his own person. He knew sharing my business with him wasn"t easy for me. If he chose to keep my secrets to himself, that was his decision.

I never asked him to, but I appreciated it all the same. I knew he and Thomas had a long history.

I leaned against the dresser under the window and faced Connor. "How much do you know of my story?"

"Not much. I wanted to let you tell me."

One side of my mouth lifted up. A man after my own heart.

"When Thomas made me, he was under a curse that prevented him from making young. One of the ways it did that was to make him lose control of his bloodlust when he fed."

Connor frowned, pensive lines forming on his forehead.

I waved at my chest. "I"m the result. When I woke after he lost himself, I was in a morgue. I had no idea what I was. That"s when Captain Travis Spencer found me. He helped me navigate my new reality, got me a job, and sent me home. He"s who I"m planning to meet."

"He didn"t alert the local clan about you?" Connor asked.

"Nope."

"He left you alone to face this with no one to provide company or support?"

I paused. I hadn"t really thought of it that way, but I guess Connor was right.

The captain had done the bare minimum to ensure my survival. Jerry had been more integral to educating me to the facts of vampire life.

The captain hadn"t even called to check in until now.

Connor was silent as he contemplated the view. "I don"t mean to speak out of turn, sister."

That brought a smile to my face.

"But I don"t think he had your best interests at heart," Connor said with a serious expression.

"Funny you should say that," I returned. "I"m beginning to think the same. That"s why we"re here. To separate fact from fiction."

That seemed to mollify him somewhat.

"At least, that"s the plan if he ever shows up," I added.

Connor frowned. "But you"re worried because your pixies are gone and he is late?"

"That about sums it up."

"Could this be an ambush?" he asked.

I didn"t immediately answer. The thought had crossed my mind and the sinking feeling in my stomach was making that reality seem more and more likely.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught movement. A shadow darker than the rest snaking across the ground.

I straightened, my attention shifting to my window and the outside.

"What"s that?" I asked, our conversation forgotten.

An umbrella snapped open as Don stepped out of the shadows. A splash of red followed, making me question the fact I hadn"t seen him before that second.

"Looks like you were right," I told Connor.

"But maybe not the way I thought," Connor said as Nathan and Makoto raced down the street toward Don.

I was already dialing Liam as the two sprang toward him. The phone rang and kept ringing. Liam didn't answer.

The splash of red disappeared, the umbrella Don had been holding floated slowly to the ground.

The vampires barely avoided crashing into each other. They paused, looking around with caution.

A warm chuckle rolled through the night, audible even inside my apartment.

He was playing with us.

"We need to get out there and help them," I said.

I darted for my closet and the .45 long colt I kept there, affectionately known as the judge.

I grabbed the judge from his locked safe, hitting the lever to release the ammo cylinder. I shook it free, using the de-tent rod to eject the bullets that were already in there.

Made with vampires and werewolves in mind, the silver nitrate in them would be useless against a Fae. No, I needed cold, hard iron for them.

Some myths had an element of truth to them. Iron was poison to their skin.

I could only hope this wasn"t one of those exceedingly rare types capable of handling iron with no problem.

I pushed that thought away. Worst case scenarios weren"t likely to help right now. Focus on what you could do. Then worry about the rest later.

After a brief debate with myself, I pushed a silver nitrate bullet into the last cylinder. Better to cover all my bases. Just in case.

The gun loaded, I was up and running for my door. Despite my head start, Connor got there first.

He flung it open, stepping on to the landing before stopping. I nearly bumped into his back.

Moving to the side, I took in the parking lot and opposite street, noting Nathan and Makoto searching the shadows.

Damn it, where was he?

I stayed where I was, knowing my position offered me the advantage of an unobstructed view.

There.

Atop the two-story row house across from mine.

"Up!" I pointed.

Nathan"s head lifted like a hunting dog. He ran up the side of the building, landing on the roof and crouching.

Don doffed an invisible hat to him as he danced along the building"s edge.

I squinted, but like Callie, his magic was cloaked in impenetrable darkness. It was a struggle to catch anything. I strained, trying to force my way through that darkness with brute force.

He disappeared before I could catch much of anything.

Nathan landed in the empty space where he"d stood a split second ago.

"Fuck!" Nathan shouted. "Where"d he go?"

There was no answer.

"Aileen, you see anything?" Nathan finally called, an edge to his voice.

I knew he didn"t mean physically. Even knowing it likely wouldn"t help. I sank into my magic sight, sifting through the auras and colors, looking for anything that didn"t belong.

I found nothing.

Still, I kept at it.

This wasn"t over. It was simply the calm before the storm.

Darkness stirred at the end of the street.

"There." I pointed.

Nathan and Makoto flashed in that direction. I started to follow, but Connor caught my arm.

"Wait. It"s safer here."

Nathan paused. "He"s right. Stay there. We"ve got this."

He raced after Makoto as Don stepped into view with a quirky smile on his face.

This time he didn"t try to evade, his gaze lifting to mine instead. His smile grew wider.

See you soon, he mouthed.

"Stop!" I screamed.

Too late. The trap was sprung. Darkness speared up, wrapping all three of them in a ball.

It vanished, taking them with it.