by Melody Raven
“So what?” Aidan sat on the bed next to her. “People die every day. Murder, starvation, heart attacks. How many of those are you going to take responsibility for?”
“This is different.”
“Did you know that, legally, the United States government can’t force its people to donate organs?”
Lina frowned. “What?”
“If someone will die without a kidney transplant and you have the perfect kidney, you can’t be forced to donate a kidney. Because it’s not your fucking responsibility!”
She smiled and reached over, taking his hand in hers.
Aidan had to bite back all the curses he wanted to shout.
“You’re very handsome,” she said suddenly.
“Yeah, I know. I don’t need your flattery. I want your head to be in the game. Don’t do anything stupid, Lina.”
“If Scragg is behind this second wave of the invasion, I can help.”
“We literally just had this conversation. You don’t want to get in the middle of this fight, and I promised that I wouldn’t make you.”
“I can’t pretend anymore. I can’t stick my head in the sand. Talia convinced me—”
“Talia is a conniving bitch. Don’t let her tell you anything different.”
“She might be conniving, but she’s not wrong. Besides, I don’t have to die. It’s not like I’m planning to put myself in any more danger than necessary. I just need to find Scragg and get him to tell me where the gate is. I can do that without dying.”
He could tell she was trying to put on a brave face, but even he could hear the fear in her voice. And why wouldn’t she be afraid? She knew more than anyone how hard it could be to get away from the Vopura. She’d been their captive for months after they originally came into Seattle. Who’s to say Scragg would be any different once he had her back?
“I have a few things on my side. I never left Scragg voluntarily. I was taken. And he doesn’t know I knew he was back. I can simply say I ran to him as soon as I heard he was here. Really, in terms of spies, I’m your best bet.”
“I don’t want to bet on you at all. This isn’t a game, Lina.”
“I know that! Just let me help you, okay? Don’t fight me on this. I don’t want to fight.”
Aidan shook his head. “No. I’m not going to let you do this. I’m going to help you. I’m going with you. Tell me how.”
“Do you really think it would work if I show up to my fiancé with someone as handsome as you in tow? I don’t think so.”
“Former fiancé,” bit out Aidan.
“I don’t know if he’ll feel that way,” pointed out Lina.
“Ask me if I care what that son of a bitch thinks. He just tried to kill me. He’s your ex-fiancé as far as I’m concerned. And I don’t think there’s any reason on this planet that would justify you putting yourself within arm’s reach of that bastard.”
“Your grandmother thinks we’re an.... She thinks we’re together.”
“We are.”
“No, I mean she thinks we’re in a relationship. I told her she’s wrong, but I don’t think she believes me. She’s going to try to use me against you if you’re not careful. So it’s important to reaffirm our working relationship to her.”
“We don’t have a working relationship. We have a friendship.” His brows furrowed together. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m trying to warn you that if you’re not careful, your grandmother is going to try to use me against you.”
“No. You’re trying to distance yourself from me. Did I do something to piss you off?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, you haven’t pissed me off. I’m trying to help you!”
“No. You’re trying to push me away. Because we’re not friends. You and I both know that we’re more than that. I don’t care if Talia knows it. And if she wants to use you against me, she’s welcome to try.”
“She said that’s what happened with Gloria.”
He reared back. “She mentioned Gloria?”
Lina nodded. “A bit. She said Gloria fell in love with someone she shouldn’t, and because Talia forbid them from being together, Gloria ended up working with the Vopura. She said she feels responsibility for the invasion because of that.”
“Don’t believe a word she says,” he hissed. “She’s manipulating you. She’s trying to get you to do what she wants and it’s working. You can’t let her win.”
“This isn’t about winning or losing. This is about right and wrong. When I feed off humans, I’ve always insisted on leaving them alive because I believe it’s right. But what use is it to leave a few people alive if I’m allowing people to die when I could stop it?”
“I’m telling you, it’s not your responsibility—”
“It is! Look at the pictures, Aidan! Just look at them! Do you think she made those up? Even if all those photos are fakes, they’re not wrong. People are dying every day and it’s only going to get worse.”
Aidan reached out and grabbed Lina’s face between his hands, forcing her to look at him. He didn’t know how those dark pools of her eyes could show so much emotion. They were basically black. Black shouldn’t hold things like fear or sadness. “I need you to know that if you go on some stupid mission for my family, you’re not going to make it out alive. You’re going to die. How can I let that happen? All those photos you threw down? Strangers. I could give a fuck. But I care about you.”
She reached up, placing her hands over his. “Aidan, you were never supposed to care about me.”
“Tell me you don’t feel the same. Tell me there’s nothing here between us. If you can look me in the eye and tell me to my face that we’re just friends, then I’ll let you do whatever you want to, no matter how stupid. But you and I both know we’re more than that.”
He didn’t want to feel this way. He didn’t want to have her wrapped up in his family’s shit. He didn’t want her to be a pawn in Talia’s web. And he knew more than most that if Talia wanted something, she usually got it.
Lina gripped his hands tightly. “I don’t want to do this. But I’m going to. I’m going to find Scragg and find out whatever I can. And I am friends with you. Whether we’re more... I guess it doesn’t matter.”
Aidan pulled himself away and shook his head. “You’re going to die because of this. And I’m never going to forgive you for that.”
Lina looked down at the bedspread, unable to even keep his gaze. “I hope you’re wrong.”
“Yeah, so do I.”
Aidan was right. She knew it. He knew it. But there wasn’t anything Lina could do about it.
Well, there was. She could run off and pretend she had no obligation to help at all. But that wouldn’t work. She would never be able to live with herself. Eventually that guilt would catch up to her and start eating her from the inside out.
Once she’d agreed to help, Talia had abruptly become so much more hospitable. She’d offered Lina new clothes and a host of magical items to assist her.
At least Lina wasn’t totally defenseless, even if she was all alone.
Talia had given her two things. One, the most important, was a small black stone with some runes etched inside. This was her communicator. Whenever she held the stone in her hand, Talia would be able to listen in to whatever conversation she was having.
Secondly, she gave her a silver dagger. That in itself was a weapon against any Vopura or vampire, but this one was spelled with sunlight. So if she even just cut someone with it, the damage would be enough to stop any enemy.
Lina had asked for something to allow her to teleport away if she needed to escape at a moment’s notice, but Talia had been unable to help with that one. According to her, the ability to materialize from one spot to another was a very specific ability of certain creatures and was off-limits to her. And although there were spells to assist, they were dangerous and frequently went wrong. And those were for the witches performing them.
There was no potion or spelled item Li
na could use to get it done. So she was on her own for the most part. And Talia, for all of her manipulations, didn’t seem to be a liar. She hadn’t made any promises. It was very likely that Lina wouldn’t make it out of this.
Even if she wasn’t discovered as a spy, once the Vopura had their claws into her, they might never let her go. She’d been kidnapped. Scragg had every reason to keep her under lock and key for her own “protection.”
God save her from men who wanted to “protect” her. Lina reached into her bag and held the hilt of the dagger tightly. She tried to remember everything Aidan had told her about protecting herself. Using the other’s momentum against them. Not to telegraph her motions. She knew it wouldn’t be enough to save her in every fight, but it might be enough to give her the element of surprise.
She took a deep, steadying breath before stepping into the bar. One of Talia’s drivers had dropped her off in a shady part of LA. There was activity all over the street, from homeless leaned up against the walls to women wearing dresses that barely covered anything who walked up and down the street in towering heels.
The whole place was designed for discomfort. The smells and sounds assaulted her senses, and every instinct told her to turn back. She was about to do the exact thing she didn’t want to do.
The inside of the bar wasn’t any better than the outside. It smelled of alcohol and bodily fluids. She worked on inhaling through her mouth to avoid the stench, but then she could practically taste the air and it was no better. She looked around the bar for anyone she could talk to. There were a few sullen-looking folks at the bar and in some of the back booths. These weren’t the ones who could help her.
But standing around one of the tables were some men who stood out from the rest. They all stood straight, looking alert and aware. These weren’t neighborhood drunks. These were something else.
Lina bit her bottom lip and straightened before remembering what she was trying to do. She wasn’t trying to appear intimidating and in control. She wanted to look desperate. In need.
That was why Talia hadn’t given her any flowing and pretty clothes that she so obviously had access to. Instead, Lina had a simple black tank top and jeggings. The whole thing probably cost about twenty bucks. Not fancy, but also totally skintight. Talia knew exactly what she was doing.
Lina hunched her shoulders and kept her hand on the dagger. She approached the men cautiously. “Umm, excuse me?” she asked softly.
The men turned and each smiled in a different lecherous way. “Hey there, beautiful,” said the one closest to her.
“I think you can help me. I’m looking for someone.”
“You say the word and I’ll give you all the help you need.”
If she threw up, that would probably hurt the illusion of her desperation. “I’m looking for Scragg.”
The smiles fell off their faces. “What do you know about Scragg?” asked the one closest to her.
Shit. This was her last chance to turn back. But she knew that wasn’t an option. “I’m supposed to be his bond mate.”
Lina hadn’t said another word since. She hadn’t needed to. The men around her had been arguing among themselves in their native tongue until they figured out how to deal with her.
They seemed to suspect she was lying, but they all agreed that she looked like a Vopura. Then they started to debate what types of rewards they would get for bringing her forward to Scragg and arguing how to split said reward. But eventually they’d agreed to take her; she’d been led into a black sedan and was driven out of the shady neighborhood and closer to Hollywood. The posh mansions here were farther and farther apart, and as she got farther from the city, she couldn’t help but think she was being driven farther away from Aidan.
She knew there was no way for him to protect her now. He didn’t have any of his powers, and he’d be outnumbered by far.
Maybe if Talia attacked in force, she could take on Scragg, but it would be pointless if the gate was still open. She was trying to cut off the Vopura invasion at the source. Lina definitely didn’t agree with how she went about getting her way, but her reasoning wasn’t totally wrong.
She’d used the communication rock to try to let Talia know she was on her way to Scragg, but she didn’t really know whether Talia was listening. Was it like a recording device? Or was there a witch listening in at all times? She hadn’t exactly been given an instruction manual.
She leaned her head against the window and thought back to her simple life with Mrs. Anders. It had been easy. Fun. Carefree.
Talia promised she would send someone to look after her former boss. It made her happy that she would be taken care of, but she wished she had a chance to personally say good-bye. She owed so much to that woman who had agreed to take a chance on her, no strings attached.
The car finally came to a stop in front of a large house. It was almost the exact opposite of the old mansion owned by Aidan’s uncle. This was utterly modern and boxy. She could see why a Vopura would be drawn to it. The large building had almost no windows, so it probably offered a lot of protection from the sun.
And Scragg was used to the finer things in life. He was just two positions away from the highest authority. When she’d been promised to him, she’d been so grateful. Her future had been set. She’d never have to worry about having enough to eat. Somewhere to sleep.
As for Scragg himself... well, she hadn’t really cared. He was just a means to an end. A means to securing herself a better future when she had no other options.
And here she was again. Except this time she did have options. She had a really nice option to keep on living her life away from all this. Doing whatever she wanted. With whoever she wanted to do it with.
With Aidan. She’d really been trying to not think of him. He was a really nice distraction for a little bit, but he couldn’t help her now. And as passionate as he’d been, she couldn’t help but feel as though it were all a product of their circumstances. They’d been thrown together so unexpectedly. Sure, he’d been attracted to her before that, but they were never going to be anything more.
Maybe they’d have a fun time together. A few steamy nights. But Aidan wasn’t the type for anything more than that and, to be honest, she didn’t want anything more. The first night they’d met, she told him she didn’t want any type of relationship, and that hadn’t changed. She wanted her freedom. She didn’t want some man telling her what to do and when to do it.
The only thing that had changed was that now she didn’t have her freedom. She was going to hand herself over to another man to jail her.
And if she played her cards right, she might be able to get away from this with her life.
She held that thought close as she stepped out of the car and was led into the house.
The inside was as ugly as the outside. She was sure it was expensive and posh, but it was just so... empty. There was no character here. It was all brown, beige, gray, and hard angles. The tile floor was a beautiful beige marble, and the furniture all flowed seamlessly. It just lacked any and all character.
She wondered whether Scragg had picked any of this out himself or whether he’d just killed the owner of the house and taken over as he’d seen fit. Probably the latter. She couldn’t imagine him coming over to Earth and taking up interior decorating.
One of the Vopura from the bar, who for whatever reason had chosen the name Barry, stopped in the entryway and Lina followed suit. She wasn’t in any hurry to see Scragg, and she wasn’t about to go wandering around alone.
She reached into her purse and held onto her dagger. She’d barely taken her hand off it since this whole thing started. This dagger was officially becoming her security blanket.
There didn’t seem to be any personal effects around the house. No pictures on the wall. There were some black-and-white abstract paintings. She wondered whether the owner of the house had any personal connection to the artwork. Had they looked at the abstract work and thought of their childhood or dreams? Or had t
hey simply thought it would look nice on the wall?
“I can’t believe you’re here.”
Lina’s heart leapt into her throat as she turned around to see Scragg. He looked every bit the royal that he was. His short, dark hair was barely growing out, and he was dressed head to toe in black. It made his dark eyes look even darker and had a menacing feel to it. Or maybe he was just menacing because she knew exactly what he was capable of.
She put on a smile, and she was pretty sure it looked as fake as it felt. “Hello. I heard you were here. I didn’t believe it, but I had to see for myself.”
He was in front of her in a second and was pulling her against him. She forced herself to go limp and not fight it.
She hugged him back, forcing herself to put some muscle behind it. Yet all she found herself thinking about was Aidan. What his body felt like against hers. He was warmer, and when he pulled her against him, it was as if the entire world fell away and he was the only person who existed.
When Scragg held her, all she could feel was trapped.
She pulled away as soon as she felt it was acceptable and put a few feet between her and Scragg. To his credit, he didn’t look totally evil. He seemed... concerned.
“Come.” He held out a hand. “Let’s have some privacy.” He looked over to the Vopura who brought her. “Leave. I’ll see that you get yours.”
That sounded more like a threat than a reward, but the Vopura dutifully left as Lina reached out to take Scragg’s hand.
He closed his fingers around hers and pulled her along until they reached a sitting room with plush brown leather chairs with golden studs. He pulled the double wooden doors shut behind them, and then she was locked in a room alone with him.
It was show time.
“I thought I’d never see you again.”
“Same,” she said honestly. “I.... When I was brought here, I was so scared.”
“I sent out dozens of teams to track down Jackson. I’m not going to rest until he pays for—”
“He’s dead. I killed him.” She debated whether she should’ve kept that fact to herself. She wanted Scragg to underestimate her. To think of her as weak and defenseless and not a threat. But she knew that enough Vopura might know the truth about what happened to Jackson to prove her lie. So she stuck with the truth.
