Prince of Shadows (6 page)

“Recruits she helped find?”

Annie nodded.

Valin frowned. Everything Annie was saying sounded exactly like what he'd expect from the Gabby he'd met in the mines. Yeah, the vamp played hard and tough, but she'd given away that day just how much she cared about others when she'd attempted to sacrifice her own life for Roland's and Karissa's. What it didn't explain was that dark taint on her.

Annie rapped the desk with her fist, drawing Valin's gaze back to her. “Okay, pretty boy. I've spilled. Your turn now.”

Valin narrowed his eyes. “You called Logan that too. Back at Haven.”

Annie frowned, but then a look of enlightenment crossed her face. “Oh, you mean Gabby's Paladin friend.”

“Yeah…The Paladin friend you had a message for.” A message that had come too late. Poor bastard. The unfairness of the whole thing was something right out of a damn soap, only worse. Because not only had Logan found his bond mate, who was human, but she'd died way too fucking young.

Not
the
only
one. And not the only poor bastard left behind, either.

Annie made a sound like she had something stuck in her throat, her cheeks flushing as she pointedly looked away from Valin, her gaze catching on anything and everything that could be considered halfway interesting, which wasn't much. He didn't think it was his morose thoughts that had made her uneasy, though.

“Gabby didn't actually send you, did she?”

She gave a little lift and drop of her shoulders. “I overheard her talking to my dad.”

“Your dad?”

“Jacob.”

Valin fought to school his face. Jacob did look older, but not old enough to be her dad. Either he was really young when he'd knocked Annie's mother up, or he'd inherited some of the Paladin longevity genes.

“Okay, so did Gabby call him pretty boy to your dad or something?”

“No. I called him that. You have to admit he is damn fine to look at.” She dragged her gaze over him. “I'm thinking most of you Paladin are.”

Valin shook his head. “Fucking twins.”

“What?”

“You and Gabby. You've emulated her so well that you're like her damn twin.”

Annie's mouth thinned, her body going completely still. Nope, despite the fact that she obviously looked up to Gabby's badass attitude, she didn't appreciate being called a copycat. Which had been Valin's hope. Stirring up the pot almost always yielded interesting things in its depths.

Valin folded his arms across his chest to wait. Annie hopped off the desk, letting her agitation out by moseying around the room, touching Gabby's things as she did. It took all Valin's self-control not to leap up and slap her hands away when she started playing with Gabby's weapons. They were Gabby's weapons, not hers. And a weapon was everything to a warrior. Valin would know, since he so often had to do without his when he took to the shade.

“I'm not like Gabby. Despite the fact that you're being an asshole, I'm not running, now am I?”

“Well why don't I just award you some bonus points, since Gabby's not here to do it?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Or should I deduct them?”

“Well, if we're deducting points I have to give you a big fat fail for not answering the question.”

“Oh, which one is that?”

“What did you do to drive her off?”

He ground his molars, his jaw aching he clenched it so hard. The accusation, that
he'd
driven her off, didn't sit well, even if it was true in its own way. “I offered her my vein.”

“Get the fuck out.”

Valin snapped his head around, but she wasn't actually trying to kick him out; her mouth was hanging open with incredulity. She managed to recover, shaking her head as she pulled her mouth back together. “Oh, wow. That would do it too.”

“I take it I'm not the first one to offer.” And why did that piss him off even more?

She shook her head. “Uncle Aaron offered just the other night. Put her in a real weird mood.”

Aaron. Valin took a deep breath. Of course it had to be him. Valin had really been hoping that he wouldn't have to kill the fucker, but this cinched it—Trigger Happy was dead.

Later. Right now he had to concentrate on the more important thing: Gabby's health. “So I'm also not the only one that sees she can't be feeding enough.”

Annie pursed her lips, looking uncertain. “I don't know. I thought that too, and I do think it contributes—that and the inconsistency of her feedings—but that theory isn't settling.”

“Why not?”

“Because sometimes after she feeds she seems worse.”

“Worse?”

“Yeah, I mean she has more energy, sure, but it's not a good kind. And then when it fades?” She shrugged. “Well, she looks worse than before. Like housing all that yucky energy is draining the life right out of her.”

“Fuck.” He shook his head as the enormity of the problem hit him. It wasn't a onetime incident that had put the stain on Gabby; it was an ongoing thing. Whatever or however Gabby was feeding, if this accelerated aging was the result, then she was destroying herself when she did. “Fuck me.”

“You know what's wrong?”

“Not exactly,” he pushed up off the cot, checking to make sure his knife was strapped on tight, “but in the end it doesn't really matter, does it?”

“Doesn't matter? Why not?”

“Because I'm going to put a stop to it.”

“How?” Annie asked, following him to the door.

“Easy.” He stopped, knuckles white as he gripped the doorknob. “Tonight she'll be feeding from me.”

Bennett sagged down against the tree, thankful for the strong hardwood and its supportive capabilities. He'd only had a couple of shielding sessions with Karissa, and reaching out across such a great distance to find her and link up had not been easy.

Would have been easier with his fucking phone, but though he'd been allowed to stay in the base, his phone and knife were locked up tight somewhere. He was sure it was Jacob's idea of an insurance policy. The man wasn't stupid, and there were enough gifteds with the sensitive aspects here to know the knife they'd taken off him had power. Bennett wondered if they knew it wasn't the average everyday magical kind but rather power bestowed on the weapon by the Almighty One Himself. More so, he wondered if any of them could actually draw the power from the heavenly blade without getting hurt. That right there might convince the council these soldiers weren't as inferior as Senior Calhoun seemed to think.

The council's stance on these part-breeds frustrated Bennett. He had too much of his own diluted blood to consider these soldiers anything less than lost cousins, and as such had taken the assignment as much to prove Senior wrong as anything else. He bloody hell wasn't a kidnapper, that was for sure, so if Senior Calhoun thought Bennett would actually take the pointed suggestion to obtain the null and bring her home by any means necessary, the elder was as warped as the rest of them were.

Speaking of warped minds…Bennett lifted his head, squinting against the dappled sun pouring through the maple tree to focus on a stretch of grass in the center of Fort Greene Park. And sure enough, he'd been right earlier when he'd about dropped the link in shock. That was Annie soaking up the warming rays of the fall sun as she sat in the clearing, sipping something out of a straw cup as she dug her bare feet into the blades of grass. The question was where were her guards? In the thirty-six hours or so since he and Valin had forced themselves into the status of unwanted guests, Bennett had noted that she was rarely alone—at least when he or Valin were around.

Think
maybe
there
might
be
a
reason
for
that, like, oh, maybe her father doesn't trust you?

Well, he supposed there were a couple ways to earn the man's trust, and bringing his daughter home seemed like a good start.

Pushing back his exhaustion, he straightened and made his way across the park to her. She didn't notice he slipped up behind her until his shadow fell upon her, cutting off her sun rays, making her shoulders tense.

“Does your da' know you're out here?” he asked and watched those shoulders relax again.

She tipped her head back and wrinkled her nose as she shaded her face to look up at him. “Hopefully not. But he probably knows by now that I'm gone.”

Which meant she
was
alone. Crap. “Why are you out here?”

“Why are you?” she asked, stuffing her feet into a pair of Converse. She stood, gesturing for him to walk with her down the path that led toward the north end of the park. “I find it hard to believe Dad would have sent
you
outside the base to look for me.”

He shrugged, falling into step beside her. “I had some things to take care of.”

“Things…” She pursed her lips, eyes narrowed. “Things like contacting your buddies back at Haven and telling them where we are?”

The only thing about the question that surprised him was that he hadn't heard it from any of them before. But no grilling had occurred yet, leaving Bennett to assume that Valin had somehow either managed to pull some charm out of his arse or Jacob had been even more desperate to cut a deal than Bennett had figured. And if that were the case, Bennett just hoped it was a deal that he, and the other Paladin, could live with.

He sighed. There was really no reason not to tell Annie what he was doing out here. And the first step on the road to trust was truth, and the truth was he wanted to find some way to make this a win-win for everyone. Whether the council saw it or not, he knew deep in his gut that he and his brethren needed these distant cousins of theirs on their side in this war. Just as he knew the way to winning them over wasn't by forcing their hand, but by showing them they could bend, even go so far as to give if the need arose.

“No. Like contacting Karissa and telling her.”

Annie gave him a hard stare.

“We've been gone longer than normal without checking in. I thought it prudent to avoid any sort of search parties. Karissa has no allegiance to the council. She will pass the message to Haven that we're safe, but she won't tell them where we are.”

He waited for that to sink in, figuring she was smart enough to read between the lines and realize he was playing in shades of gray for them now. “I'm not going to give up your safe house. If your father determines he's willing to open the lines of communication, then I hope he'll consider me a mediator. Meanwhile, I am satisfied being given the opportunity to live amongst you.”

“Hmmm…” She tapped her cup. The sides were dewed from the exceptionally warm fall day. A perfect day, really. He almost hated having to begrudge her being out in it, but on this point he, the council, and her father all agreed: Annie's safety came first.

“So why are you out here?”

She raised the cup. “I wanted a slushee.”

“And that's a good enough excuse to worry your father?” Not to mention putting herself, and thus everyone else, in danger.

“I know, I know. I'm just so sick of being a prisoner. I know I'm being selfish, but occasionally I just have to get out of there. Otherwise I think I'm going to just start screaming.”

“I understand.” He did. With his gift there were more occasions than not that he wished he could just take off and drive, not stopping until he was completely alone. He didn't, though. Not when so many others counted on him. So he got his outlet in other ways: fast cars, fine clothes…women. Still, if catching some rays were so important to Annie, he didn't get why she risked her safety for it. “But why don't you bring someone with you? Doesn't your dad give you guards?”

“You think even with a dozen guards my dad would let me out? Especially now, after you guys burst his little safety bubble the other day?” She shook her head. “I'm lucky he hasn't locked me in my room and posted full-time guards.”

That was a point. And because it was a good one—not to mention a likely possibility once he brought her back—Bennett decided not to rush her and slowed his pace slightly. She didn't comment, but threw him a smile in thanks, tipping her head back to catch some more of those rays. The sun caught in her short tussle of hair, teasing the color from pure red to blond, chestnut, and copper. It made him itch to touch it. Touch her. Sink into her mind and steal just a little bit of the pleasure she seemed to be indulging in. What would it be like to be able to wall off your worries, if only for a moment, and simply enjoy?

But he couldn't, now could he? She was a null, which meant that the moment he touched her, his gift would go dormant. And because of that fact, the urge to reach out and touch her became almost unbearable. Contact always increased his gift. When he touched people he tended to take on their emotions. It's one of the reasons why he both craved and hated sexual encounters. The high he got off a woman's desire was fucking amazing, but it also made him feel sleazy. More often than not when he left their realm of influence, he realized that there had been no actual attraction on his part and he had simply been feeding off theirs. Yet he was definitely attracted to Annie. If he reached for her now, would he experience the same sexual zing as he did with other women? And if he did, would it be better or worse because it was his and his alone?

But
is
it
your
own? Isn't it possible that she's turned her gift off and you are feeling her attraction?

He tried to reach out but felt nothing. In fact, he was either more exhausted than he'd thought, or she was running hot. He couldn't sense anyone anywhere. And wow, wasn't that amazing. “I thought you were on orders not to use your gift, especially outside the base.”

“Ugh, sorry. It's because you're so close. I'm not trying to pull, but it's hard to be a perfect island.”

He nodded, knowing he should be concerned about his lack of the extra sensory input, but it didn't seem to dampen his innate satisfaction that his attraction was all his own. He glanced over at her, the insane thought to touch her rising back to the forefront. How many other opportunities would he have? The moment they walked back into the base there would be guards and the overprotective shadow of her father.

They came to a fork in the footpath. Without even making the conscious decision he reached out and cupped her elbow, pulling her slightly toward him as he directed her onto the right fork. And damn if that wasn't a zing. A pretty huge zing that ran straight up his arm, bounced up to his brain, then headed south fast to Mr. John Thomas.

She sucked in a breath, her gaze flying to his face. He immediately let go, making an excuse of scanning the area so he wouldn't have to answer the question in her eyes.

That had been stupid. Right fucking stupid. Like eating just one sweet…you always wanted more. And though Annie certainly was of age, she was bloody young.

While he was berating himself, his gaze caught that of a man who'd stopped on the footpath a dozen or so yards in front of them. As tall as Bennett, but bigger, more like his brother Alexander's type of muscle mass. He had dark hair, dark olive skin, and the type of face that women would probably drool over. He was also staring at them like they were Hollywood celebrities or some such nonsense.

Bennett leaned closer to Annie so that his voice wouldn't carry further than her ears; trying to keep their pace steady, they approached the man while also using his body to edge her off the footpath. Annie looked over at him, a question in her eyes.

“Know him?”

Annie followed his gaze, then chuckled.

“Well?”

She leaned in toward him, lacing her arm through his—damn bloody distracting—and put her head together with his. “I think maybe I should be asking you that. He's checking you out, not me.”

“Huh,” Bennett grunted, noting that Annie was right. The man was definitely focused on him now and he supposed Annie's assumption that he was gay and “checking him out” might explain it. But the unease running up his spine wouldn't pass. “Seems awfully interested considering we're walking through the park together,” he said when they were fully by him.

“Maybe he swings both ways.” Annie shrugged and lifted her slushee, sucking hard on the straw so her cheeks dipped in. And wouldn't you know, Mr. Thomas responded to that too.

Focus
on
the
job, mate. Like figuring out what that man is about and getting Annie home safe.

By the time he'd reprimanded his dick and looked over his shoulder, the man had moved on, taking a shortcut across the grass toward a cluster of trees. Bennett frowned, torn between the urge to race Annie out of there or get far enough away from her to make sure there was nothing beyond just a bit of strangeness to the guy.

“What's wrong?”

“It occurs to me that for all I know he could be a demon or a merker. In fact, for all I know we're surrounded by them right now.”

She shook her head. “We got close enough to him that if he were a demon, any glamour would have fallen.” She nibbled her lip, her brow furrowing. “What
is
a merker, anyway?”

Bennett sucked in a breath. Cor blimey, these people knew nothing, did they? What had Valin's little vampire been teaching them anyway?

“Uh-oh, I said something really naïve, didn't I?”

“You have no idea.”

She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed as she tracked the progress of the man walking in the other direction. After a moment she sighed.

“Well then, there's no hope for it.” She chucked her drink in the nearest garbage can and tugged on his arm, directing him off the path and cutting toward the western side of the park.

“Where are we going? I thought we were heading back.”

She nodded. “We are, but first we have to cover our asses by making a few stops on the subway.” She leaned in, her breath fanning across his ear. “You know, just in case hottie over there is a demon in disguise.”

***

“Hey, watch it!”

Christos growled, flashing enough fang to send the rude human who'd had the gall to not move out of his way scurrying back from the edge of the subway platform. Not that the human's hasty retreat mattered now, for the train carrying Christos's object of interest was already pulling away. He narrowed his gaze, air sucking through his teeth as he watched the young, redheaded woman lean in closer to her companion as their car slid out of sight into the tunnel.

What would a Paladin be doing this far from their normal stomping grounds, unless…the woman. A gifted human. Though perhaps the more accurate terminology would be a gift thief. Christos had almost missed the fact that she was a null when he'd first looked up from his brooding mosey through the park and seen her. That hair…cut short, but the color? A deep red that practically glowed. For a moment his heart had skipped, until the woman's height registered. Walking shoulder to shoulder with her companion, she was way too tall to be Gabriella.

Christos's disappointment at having his reunion with his vampire-child postponed was quickly tempered when his gaze had moved on to her companion. He'd been stunned into inaction, his fangs throbbing with the memory of another Paladin with the same strong jawline who'd stubbornly refused to give up the hiding location of his wife and son, even though he must have known it was only a matter of time before Christos's vampires tore the house apart to find them—time that was quickly slipping from the Paladin as Christos bled his life force away. Maybe that stubbornness had been worth something, as his coven had never found the son, though at least the mostly human woman had been a tasty dessert.