Overworld Chronicles Books 1-2: Sweet Blood of Mine & Dark Light of Mine (56 page)

Vallaena shuddered delicately and pursed her lips as if she'd just tasted a lemon. "If you knew anything about our inner politics, you would know how distasteful it is to even speak with Castratae. I believe, however, this situation can be redeemed and your mate's status can be raised a notch. Perhaps even to Denae should he work hard to earn it."

It was Elyssa's turn to shudder. "Not to be impolite, but you people are disgusting and your politics belong to the dustbin of history. I won't do anything to help you. In fact, I'll do everything I can to keep Justin out of your hands."

"What if we were to offer rescission?"

"Of what?"

"The death mark upon that." She nodded toward David, a look of revulsion on her beautiful features.

"You're the ones who put out the hit?"

"I did not, no. Nor do I know who did or believe it originated from our house. But we are very good at finding information. We could find the party responsible and arrange terms for a rescission of the contract." She raised an eyebrow. "What do you say now?"

"Still no."

Vallaena sighed and gave a sad shake of her head. Men at the center table had been eyeing her for some time now though most of them looked well past their prime years, not to mention overweight and out of shape. One took out a comb and touched up his comb-over, as if it did any good. But Vallaena's beauty trapped their gazes, captivating them like flies in a glue trap. A column in the middle of the room kept David and Shelton from seeing her, and Elyssa was certain the woman purposefully arranged it just so.

"Is there anything I can say to change your mind?" the other woman asked.

A frown tugged at Elyssa's face. "Tell me why he's in danger. I want specifics. If you're so concerned about his well-being, help me protect him." It seemed unlikely the woman had specific dangers in mind and was hoping to scare her into cooperation.

"I wish I could give you specifics but our information is rather nebulous at this point."

"Nebulous information somehow indicating Justin is in danger?"

A hint of uncertainty crossed Vallaena's face. Elyssa wasn't sure if the woman meant to do it or if the question really had dislodged a nugget of honest emotion.

"He is in danger. I'm sure of it."

Elyssa's senses prickled. She looked up in time to meet David's burning glare from only a few feet away. He bared his teeth and clenched his fists as he stared at Vallaena. The other woman followed Elyssa's gaze.

She sighed. "I think this will be rather unpleasant."

Chapter 15

Stacey woke me with a gentle nudge. "I think your Mr. Smith is here."

My eyelids stuck together, or maybe it was that I craved sleep so badly they just didn't want to open. But the urgency of contacting Mr. Smith pried them open and gave me enough energy to pull myself into a sitting position in the back seat of the car. I didn't remember going to sleep. The last thing I remembered was Stacey leaving the vehicle to go for a walk, and Ryland doing the same thing shortly thereafter.

They seemed to be competing for the gold star of good behavior, but I wasn't handing out any gold stars or smiley faces until my dad was safe from assassination. At that point they could let the fur fly for all I cared and beat each other silly. I sat up, massaging the god-awful cramp in my neck which just wouldn't go away. My super-recuperative abilities could take care of such things in a hurry. I hoped my blood regenerated fast so I didn't have to put up with feeling like crap for much longer.

The store wasn't open yet, but a medium-sized guy with pale skin and dark brown hair was sitting on a bench outside, a
Popular Magic
magazine open in his hands. I rubbed my eyes and looked again, because I'd never heard of this particular magazine. My eyes wandered instead to Stacey. She'd cleaned up and was wearing black yoga pants and a long-sleeve pink workout shirt which hugged her every curve. Ryland wasn't in the car. I noticed him across the road, leaning against a building, his eyes locked on Stacey. He caught my gaze and looked away.

"Where'd you get new clothes?" I asked Stacey.

"Our gym is nearby, lamb, so I ran over and cleaned up. I rent a permanent locker there."

"How 'bout you put your hotness to work and go find out if that's our Mr. Smith."

She beamed, her face flushing. "I would be delighted." She turned and left without even trying to squeeze something sexual from my compliment.

Yep, she was definitely going for a gold star.

Ryland strolled across the road and put his head in the car window. "Least that woman has some use."

"You think she's cute, don't you?"

He snorted and scratched one of his mutton chops. "Yeah, right." His eyes drifted to Stacey as she sauntered her way toward Smith, hips swaying, arms swinging.

I tore my eyes off her rear end and noticed Ryland was still looking at her as she reached Smith and started talking with him. Smith gawked at her chest, his big nose and thick glasses joining forces to put the 'n' in 'nerd'.

"Kid ain't got a chance," Ryland said.

He might be a wolf at heart, but even he couldn't deny Stacey was a spectacular-looking woman.

I pulled myself to the door and reached for the handle. Even with the door unlatched, my muscles felt like useless lead weights. "Give me a hand?" I asked Ryland.

He walked around, opened the door, and hauled me out with one of his muscular arms. I was jealous of his good health. My formerly puny arms had sprouted muscle over the past few weeks, but it was all decorative at the moment. At least the pain hadn't returned. I limped toward Smith under my own power, pulling out my phone and checking it on the way. My heart raced when I saw a missed call from Elyssa. I must have been conked out when she called.

Redialing her sent me to voicemail after five rings. I hoped she was okay. She had to be fine. Her father's Templar compound was probably one of the safest places to be. I doubted she would see much active duty for a while after my little encounter with Thomas. I tucked my phone away as I reached Smith's bench and took a seat next to him.

"—and a protein shake will give you extra energy," Stacey was saying. "Within a few months I think you could definitely put on some muscle."

"Giving workout advice?" I said with a smile. It was probably the last thing I'd expected her to be talking about.

"This is my friend, Justin," Stacey said.

Smith tore his eyes off Stacey and glanced at me. "Oh, hi."

"TP sent me," I said.

He flinched, looking at me with wide eyes. "TP Shelton?"

I nodded.

"I haven't heard from him in—hey did you send her over here to distract me?"

"Did it work?"

"Of course it worked. What straight male wouldn't fall into those beautiful amber eyes and feel his heart beat a little faster at the sound of that musical voice?"

Stacey's fluttered her long eyelashes. "Oh, do go on, Mr. Smith."

He took her hand and kissed it. "My dear, I cannot believe they would so callously use such an angel."

"Who are you?" I asked. "The Casanova of the nerd community?"

"He's so charming," Stacey said with an appreciative sigh.

Smith winked at her before turning back to me. "So, TP sent you. What does he want?"

"Actually, I'm the one in need of help."

He held up a hand. "Best if you don't say anything else just yet." At that moment, the storekeeper unlocked the front door and flipped over the 'Open' sign. "Let me grab my comic." Smith vanished inside.

"I like him," Stacey said with a purr.

"Figures, all it would take are a few pretty words in that empty head to impress you," Ryland said.

Her eyes widened. "How rude."

I glared at Ryland but he already looked abashed.

"Sorry. I'm kind of grumpy this morning."

"Maybe you should go home and clean up. I'll bet Thomas is wondering where you are."

"I'm good," he said, giving one armpit an experimental sniff.

Stacey wrinkled her nose. "Really, now, that's just disgusting."

"I'm sensing conflict again," I said, feeling more like an arbitrator than a teenager who was going to be late for school.

Several minutes passed and I wondered if maybe Smith had scooted out the back door. Panic shoveled a fresh load of worry into my heart and I realized I'd made a horrible mistake by not asking Ryland to cover the exits.

Ryland seemed to notice something was wrong, probably thanks to the sweat beading on my forehead as I tried to think of what to do next. "He's still in there, if that's what you're worried about."

"You see him?"

He nodded. "He's buying a comic now."

I sighed in relief and wiped my forehead. Stacey wandered a few doors down from us and was looking with interest at a dress shop displaying steampunk outfits and dresses with designs straight out of the Victorian Era. Seeing as how she was born around that time, it probably made her feel nostalgic.

"Can you keep an eye on Smith?" I asked Ryland.

"Sure thing."

I pushed myself up and hobbled down to Stacey. A black dress with laces, frills, and all sorts of accessories was on display in the window. "You like it?"

"It reminds me of home," she said. "Those dresses were rather uncomfortable in comparison to what passes for a dress code these days, but it's a bloody shame everything is so informal." She smiled at me. "I do so miss the days when everyone dressed up for a proper to-do."

"Like a party?"

"Oh yes. Going to a ball was one of my favorite things in the world."

"I hardly know anything about your past. I'd like to hear about your younger years."

Her smile faded. "My childhood doesn't make for a wonderful story, Justin. In fact it's rather grim."

"So you'd rather not talk about it?"

She took my hand in hers. "I believe I would tell you. If only because you are the closest thing to a true friend I have in this lonely world."

"Don't talk like that. Maybe if you play nice, you can be friends with Shelton and Ryland."
Hey, it could happen
.

A giggle burst from her lips. "You're such the optimist, dear. If the world worked the way you see it, we'd be living in a fairy tale."

"Jeez, I'm not that delusional am I?"

"No, my lamb, just idealistic."

I glanced back at Ryland. Smith had just walked out of the store. I turned to Stacey again. "Are you trying not to get along with Ryland? It seems like you two keep saying stuff just to annoy each other. It's almost like you want him to hate you and vice versa."

Stacey looked at Ryland. "Wolves and felines do not mix. I've had nothing but trouble with wolf packs and I don't expect that to change."

"He's not with a pack."

"Ah, a lone wolf. They are a rare type, but the instincts are still there."

"Have you ever considered you two might be more alike than you think?"

Her eyebrows rose. "Another fairy tale?"

"You're a loner. You have your companions, but none of them are your true equal. Ryland's a loner too. From the way his story sounds, he's not much for pack politics."

"I prefer to determine my own fate inasmuch as it is under my control."

"He's kind of the same," I said, hoping I wasn't completely misjudging a man I'd only just met. Sure, he was with the Templars, but the story of him leaving his pack instead of taking leadership made me think he wasn't much for politics either. Of course the Templars might be consumed by rules and simpering politicians for all I knew.

"I know you just want me to be friends with him, Justin. You're a sweet person—"

"Ugh, don't call me sweet, girl. You want to completely ruin my dangerous rep?"

She smiled and took a deep breath. "For you I will try."

"To be friends with him?"

"To be civil. Please do not expect more than I can deliver, my knight in shining armor."

"That's all I'm asking, Stace. I'll ask him to be more civil too. The comment about you having an empty head was totally uncalled for. You may be pretty, but you're no ditz. In fact, I think you're a lot smarter than you let on sometimes."

Her mouth fell open and she drew in a delighted breath. "You know just how to make a woman feel good, you dear thing."

"Yeah, I'm a real charmer. Come on." With that, I made my way back toward Smith.

"I'm having a dilemma," Smith said as he dithered outside the comic book store.

"Why?" I asked.

"I'm sure Shelton told you I'm something of a conspiracy hound. And I don't usually take strangers to my house."

"How about bags over our heads or blindfolds?"

He laughed. "Are you kidding? People would freak out if they saw me leading a group of people with bags over their heads, and I don't doubt for a second your friends here could sniff out the route even blindfolded."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Let's grab some coffee down the block. You tell me what's going on and we'll go from there."

We walked down the street to Java Hippo and grabbed an outside seat next to a kerosene heater. I noted with a bit of nervousness we weren't too far from the warehouse-styled lofts the rogue vampires who'd kidnapped my father called home. Stacey sat across the table from Smith and I sat next to him while Ryland remained standing and leaned against the black metal railing bordering the dining area. A young girl with tattoos on her arms and a green bandana on her head took our order.

"Do you have a computer with you?" I asked.

Smith nodded and pulled a tablet out of his backpack with a flat icon in the shape of an orange emblazoned on the back. A stem with a single green leaf protruded atop the orange, and a strip of the peel was gone. It looked a lot like the one Meghan had been using, and reminded me of the familiar Apple logo. Suppressing a stream of questions about his odd tablet, I handed him the flash drive and waited for him to retrieve the spells on it. He had a spell program like Shelton's so it displayed the spell script pretty much like it had on Shelton's computer. Smith blew out a whistle.

"Wow. Who wrote this?"