Afterlife

by Dannika Dark

  “You’ve captured so many bad men,” Viktor went on. “And those children would not be here without you.”

  Blue had taken the job for money, but she’d also taken it because it made her life endurable. She slept better at night knowing that one less person in the world would suffer as she had suffered.

  Viktor’s hand fell to her shoulder. “It is your choice. But you have a place here, and that place cannot be filled by anyone.”

  Christian dipped his chin. “Well, lass? What’ll it be? I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want.”

  Blue somberly lowered her head. “I’ll do it. But if I die anyway with Vampire blood in my mouth, I’m going to haunt you in the afterlife.”

  Christian chuckled darkly. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

  Chapter 29

  After the EMTs pulled Graham from the tracks, they sat with him while everyone got on the train and went about their lives. I waited impatiently while they bandaged his head, checked his vitals, and insisted that he go to the hospital. Graham remained taciturn, but he was clearly upset judging by the look on his face. He didn’t want to go to the hospital and explained that he’d lost his balance and fell. I corroborated his story—the last thing I needed was to have to bust him out of a psychiatric ward. He could have gone with them to buy some time, but he undoubtedly knew it would only prolong the inevitable. And who wanted to spend their last days of freedom locked up in a human hospital?

  Concerned about Blue, I called Shepherd. He sounded grim and said there wasn’t anything he could do but give her pain medication and wait. He’d given her blood thinner and something to absorb the poison, but without knowing what Graham had given her, his hands were tied. Before the ambulance arrived, I’d forced Graham to talk by hitting him with small electric shocks until he finally admitted there was no antidote. The poison was made from a substance unknown to man, just part of a collection he’d inherited from his parents, who once ran an apothecary.

  Maybe some would sympathize with Graham because of his childhood trauma, but I didn’t. Shit happens in life, and if you can’t get justice, you don’t turn into a comic book villain who uses that pain to destroy the lives of innocent, good people. Graham had bottled all that rage until he got the brilliant notion that it wasn’t just those boys who had hurt him—all alphas were to blame. He might have seemed normal and highly intelligent, but only a clinically insane person would poison children and pregnant women. As far as I was concerned, he could rot for the rest of his life in a jail cell.

  And yet that didn’t seem like enough. Three square meals a day and a bed? Graham didn’t deserve to get off that easy, even if Breed jails were worse than human prisons. That was why I had to call Viktor. Since this was my case, I wanted permission to choose his fate. The higher authority wasn’t aware of what we were up to, so turning him in posed a risk. We’d have to break down the details of our case, and they would learn about our mercenary mission. Not to mention the turbulence it might cause among Shifters to reveal someone from the inside had been targeting their alphas. We had already promised them money, and if they discovered it was really a murder spree and we’d lied to them, they would demand a hell of a lot more. No, it seemed far better to send Graham off quietly into the sunset.

  Once the paramedics left, I grabbed his arm and helped him up. “Let’s go. And don’t speak to me.”

  My blood boiled at the idea that I would never see Blue again, that I’d left her on a street corner to die. That would always be my last memory of a fighter who deserved a better death. Graham panted for breath as we climbed multiple stairs until we finally reached the long tunnel leading out. He didn’t ask questions because he knew exactly where he was going.

  Or so he thought.

  We took a long, long walk back to where I’d parked my truck near the hot dog stand. After he scooted inside, I rounded the truck, half expecting him to make a run for it. But he’d relinquished his last ounce of hope prior to jumping the tracks. His behavior baffled me. Some criminals begged to go to jail even though they didn’t want to. They knew there would be a slim chance of escape. But it seemed Graham had no such notions based on his catatonic behavior. His career was over. Even if he could escape, Shifters would put a bounty on his head.

  And so the drive was peaceful.

  I followed the directions on my phone until I reached a turnoff, and it was at that moment that Graham snapped out of it.

  “Why are you bringing me here? What’s going on? Aren’t we going to the higher authority? Where are the Regulators?”

  I turned on the radio, blasting “Kashmir” to drown out his incessant whining. When he reached for the door handle, I gripped his shoulder and gave him a strong blast of energy until he went limp. I had to be careful since Relics were weaker than the other Breeds. Too much juice would do serious damage, and I had special plans.

  Though the location was deep in the woods, there were spotlights all around the white mansion.

  After parking, I got out of the truck and approached three men. “I’m here to see Sambah. He’s expecting me.”

  My entire body flinched when I caught sight of a massive lion padding toward me from the right. His gait was as fierce as his teeth. I’d seen a lot of lions but none as graceful. None with such a beautiful mane or confident step. I backed up, sharpening my light.

  While still in motion, he shifted to human form without breaking stride. One of the men handed him a blue garment, and I averted my eyes while he pulled it over his head. He was a handsome man but very old judging by the steely look in his eyes.

  “You must be Raven. I was hoping to see your friend again.”

  “So am I.”

  Most people would have ignored the remark, but Sambah was perceptive. He approached me and flicked his eyes between me and the truck. “What has happened?”

  “That guy in my truck killed your son. In fact, he murdered a lot of Shifters, including women and children. I think… I think he might have even killed Blue.”

  Sambah’s dark eyes lit up with fire and brimstone. “For what reason would he kill so many?”

  “You can ask him that yourself, but it’s not an answer you’ll like. He used poison. King was taking medicine—maybe you knew about it and maybe you didn’t. The medicine was tainted, and that’s what caused him to fall down the stairs. The poison killed him, not the fall.” When I felt my lower lip quiver, I quickly turned away and stared daggers at Graham. It hadn’t really hit me until that moment that Blue might already be dead.

  “And why bring him here? Doesn’t the higher authority or Shifter Council want him?”

  I lowered my voice. “That’s what I’m here to talk to you about.”

  Sambah snapped his fingers, pointed to the truck, and spoke in a language I didn’t recognize. The three men surrounded the truck and guarded it.

  When I saw they weren’t listening, I turned back to Sambah. “For reasons I can’t explain, turning him in isn’t an option. Hell, even if it was, I’d still be here. I have no sympathy for this man.”

  “What do you expect I will do with him?”

  “Graham once mentioned he wanted to work for you, but he was also afraid of your pride. He said some men killed a lion in your pride and then just… disappeared.”

  Sambah folded his arms. “And you want to know what we did to them.”

  “He suggested you ate them.”

  Sambah threw back his head and laughed. “They were challenged to battle, but we didn’t eat them. We’re not savages.” His gaze drifted back to the truck. “I had a taxidermist stuff their animal remains and return them to their pack.”

  “That’s… a little bit extreme. Isn’t that illegal?”

  Sambah lowered his arms, clasping his hands. “Perhaps that is why they never speak of what happened to their former packmates. They’re embarrassed that they’re sitting by the fireplace.” He smiled grimly. “And that is why you brought my son’s killer to me? How do you know tha
t this man killed my child? He doesn’t look like much of a warrior.”

  “He confessed. I wouldn’t be here unless I was absolutely certain.”

  “Why me? You said there are other victims. Why not their fathers and mothers?”

  I sighed. “He worked for some of them. If this got out, it would cause a rift between Shifters and Relics.”

  “Yes, but how is it that you chose me?”

  I worried my lip and decided to tell him. “Because your son helped us solve the case.”

  He blinked. “King?”

  “One of our people is a Gravewalker. I guess this was King’s unfinished business.”

  Sambah swung his gaze up to the moon and remained quiet for a long while. I could hear Graham rustling around inside the truck, but I’d taken the keys. Finally, Sambah cast his gaze upon me, and I thought for a minute he might go back inside. “Did my son say anything else?”

  “I don’t know. He helped us with the case. I think he really wanted to do right by you. He offered to help us in exchange of delivering a message to you, but we just caught Graham, and no one has talked to King. Once I get home, I’ll have our Gravewalker write down the message.”

  “I would rather him go to his next life. I don’t wish him to linger between worlds.”

  “I doubt he’ll stick around much longer. If he already left, I’ll see if he had a message and make sure it gets to you.”

  “I would very much appreciate that. He must go to his ancestors. I visit his grave each night and speak to him, but I do not want him to be there. This is just my way of coping, you see.”

  “No offense, but you don’t seem upset to find out your son was murdered.”

  “I have lived many lifetimes and experienced great loss. When an accident takes your child, you blame the gods. When a person takes your child, you spend your life trying to figure out why. No answer is good enough, and sometimes it will only make it worse. Even if they are punished, you always live with that hate. Then you spend your life hating yourself, wondering how you could have prevented it from happening. I no longer let those emotions consume me. They are bad for the spirit.”

  After a quick nod to his men, they tried to get Graham out of the truck, but he’d locked the doors. When one of the men raised his fist to break my window, I shouted at him and jogged toward the vehicle.

  Jingling my keys between two fingers, I went to unlock the door.

  Graham was plastered against the driver’s door. “Don’t feed me to the lions.”

  “They’re not going to eat you. Look, I’m doing you a favor. You don’t want to go to Breed jail and face the higher authority’s judgment, and I can’t let you go free. I don’t accept bribes from murderers like you. I’ve got zero sympathy. But hey, if you want to spend the rest of your life in jail, eating slop, I’m more than happy to oblige. Have you ever seen the inside of one of those prisons? Depending on which one you go to, they’re pretty bleak. You don’t have any rights in there. All you have are walls and bars and a lot of free time. Something else to consider: they might give you the death penalty. I hear they behead you right in front of an audience. Is that what you want?”

  Without another word, Graham opened the door and stepped out. He allowed the men to escort him inside, and all things considered, that was probably the bravest thing I’d seen him do. A beheading might have been quicker, but he wouldn’t want to chance getting the life sentence. Or maybe he thought he could talk Sambah into letting him choose his method of death—perhaps by poison. Same as his victims.

  Either way, Graham was ready to meet his maker.

  “Don’t tell anyone about this,” I said, rejoining Sambah. “We could get in a lot of trouble.”

  “I will say a prayer for Blue, regardless if she is in this world or the next. Thank you for the gift.”

  “I don’t think he sees himself as a gift.”

  Sambah tilted his head. “I meant the gift of knowledge. King was stolen before his time, but at least now I know how. Soon I will find out why. Sometimes that’s all a parent wants, even if it never lessens the pain.”

  “I have to go.” When I reached the truck, I opened the door and called out, “Sambah?”

  “Yes?”

  “Just promise me you won’t eat him.”

  All I heard was laughter as he went inside the mansion.

  On my drive home, I wondered if Sambah would execute Graham right away. Would he torture him? Or maybe he was the type of man who would offer Graham a last meal and give him a comfy bed to sleep in, drawing out the suspense. Graham might get one last night to think about the innocent lives he impacted with his ruthless behavior. Something told me that despite everything, he would never truly have empathy for the victims. Usually in the end, criminals only regretted what had led to their capture.

  It was late, I was tired, and as I reached the mansion, a thin fog hovered over the ground like a soft blanket. The truck rolled alongside the stone walls that bordered our property until I reached the black iron gate. The Roman soldier on the arched keystone gave me a stern look as he always did. I swiped my card, entered the property, and drove to the underground garage. The glossy white floors lit up when the automatic lights came on. There was parking to the left and right with a workbench straight ahead. I did a slow turn to the right and then turned right again to park facing the wall.

  Christian was standing in my usual spot, hands in his pockets, one foot propped against the wall behind him.

  I got out. “What are you doing in here?”

  “I had to escape the wee ones.”

  “Aren’t they asleep?”

  He branched away from the wall and then kissed my forehead. “They’re giggling, and it echoes in the lower level.”

  “So go to your room.”

  He raised his brows lazily and looked more exhausted than usual. “Wyatt’s having a private party for one in his bedroom with the pitiful music playing. Unless his ghost friend is keeping him company, but I haven’t heard him bickering.”

  “Ah.” Wyatt playing sad music wasn’t a good sign. I walked to the back of the truck, tossed my green jacket over the edge, and let down the tailgate. “So… what happened?”

  “Not much. We just had a few drinks.”

  “No, I mean about Blue.” I sat on the tailgate, remembering how I left her on the sidewalk without a proper goodbye. “I guess I’m too late. I wanted to tell her about Graham—that I caught him.”

  “You can tell her tomorrow at the breakfast table.”

  I snapped my gaze up. “What?”

  “She’s fine. She’ll be sleeping through the morning like a babe, but she’ll survive.”

  “How?”

  Christian wedged himself between my legs. “I’m tired, Precious. We can talk about that later.”

  I nestled against his chest, a burden lifted from my shoulders. “You’re never tired.”

  He stroked my back. “And where’s the little shite who’s responsible for all this mayhem?”

  “I couldn’t bring him here with all the kids.”

  “Aye, and you couldn’t turn him in either.”

  I smiled against his chest. “I gave him to King’s father. Since King helped us, it seemed like a just reward.”

  Christian braced his hands on my shoulders and held me back. “You fed him to the lions?”

  “I gave him to the lions. I’m not positive they’ll eat him.” I searched his black eyes, wondering if he thought I was a monster.

  Christian leaned in and kissed me passionately, his tongue awakening my arousal. “A woman after my own heart,” he said against my lips, his hands unfastening my jeans. The panties and shoes went with them.

  He branded me with his kiss, deepening it as he consumed me like a tide. His rough hands were around my waist, under my shirt, on my bare thigh, palming my breast, pinching my nipple, grazing my sex, scooting me closer until I was on the very edge of the tailgate.

  His kiss softened but never ceased. It bec
ame lazy and rhythmic until I wrapped my legs around his waist.

  When he slid his cock inside me, he released a shaky breath. “I could kiss your lips for a thousand years.”

  And it felt like he did. My body hummed as he kissed the corners of my mouth while gently fucking me. Then his tongue was inside my mouth, and I moaned.

  Christian pumped faster, the truck rocking back and forth to his rhythm. “Lie down.”

  I did as he asked, gripping the edge of the tailgate.

  Christian devoured my body in a glance. “Lift up your shirt. Hurry.”

  I peeled the tank top up to my neck, my breasts fighting against the bra as I rocked against his every thrust.

  His fangs punched out. “Touch yourself.”

  “Like this?” I gently cupped my breast before tugging down the bra.

  “Aye,” he hissed. “Pinch your nipples.”

  I felt my orgasm sliding closer as I saw the ravenous look in his eyes. When I turned my head and looked up, I gasped. “Christian, the camera!”

  “Aye, love. The camera.”

  “Someone might be watching.” I shouldn’t have said that, because he was seconds away from climaxing. “What if Wyatt’s recording us?”

  He flattened his hands on either side of me and controlled the tempo, reading me like a book as he always did. I forgot the damn camera. I forgot my own name. Pleasure crashed through me as he pumped faster and then made that sexy noise he always made right before coming.

  I rode the pulses, clenching on the final one that snuck up on me when he pulled out. Christian kissed my thighs while sliding his pants back up.

  “Looks like another car wash is in my future.” I sat up and adjusted my shirt. Then I straightened my legs while Christian dressed me in my panties and jeans. “You really don’t care about the cameras?”