by Raven Steele
I stared at her as she brushed past me and followed Vincent down the hall. She had gotten here pretty fast. She was also wearing the same outfit we had trained in earlier, which meant she hadn’t gone home. Weird. The tight, black, stretchy pants and black tank top were something she only wore when sparring. The moment she got home, they were replaced by what she called practical-everyday-living clothing. In other words, boring clothes. She rarely wore color or anything that might stand out, despite how hard of a time Lynx gave her. Personally, I liked boring-black-clothed Samira. It matched her cold personality.
After getting as comfortable as possible in what used to be Dominic’s office, I explained the problem to Samira. She stared straight ahead in her usual dead way not saying a word for a long time. I hated when she sat like that. Her unearthly stillness made her look like a waxed figure.
“Samira?” I asked. “You know them best. Is there any way around this?”
Instead of answering me, she turned to my uncle. “Will you not reconsider joining? We could use someone with a conscience on the Ministry. There are so few of them.”
“Maybe if I was more powerful or had some kind of influence in the supernatural world, but I’m a nobody. First chance someone gets, I’d be a dead man. I’m sorry, but I’d prefer to live out the remainder of my life trying to take care of this pack. They’ve been through so much.” He tapped his fingers on the desk in front of him. “But what about you, Samira? You’re well known and a highly skilled fighter.”
Her jaw flexed, and a hint of emotion ignited in her eyes. “There is too much history between me and several members of the Ministry. It’s in everyone’s best interest if I stay away.”
“Then who?” I asked. “I have to choose someone else or some terrible fate awaits me.”
Samira returned to her oddly still position, staring at the wall. I rolled my eyes and looked at Luke. “What do you think?”
“We may be able to get an Alpha from a neighboring pack to join, or I have a few connections with the Razor Teeth back west. We just need to find someone power-hungry enough that they won’t pass it up, no matter the risk.”
“No!” Samira snapped, startling all of us. “We need someone brave enough to make a difference among them, but they need to do it under false pretenses. Make the other members believe they share their same self-serving interests.”
“Who the hell do you know that might do that?” I really wanted to know the answer. It sounded like a suicide mission—pretending to be something you’re not to a group of the world’s most evil monsters. I chuckled inwardly, not lost on the irony.
“Aris Crow in Coast City. He did it. If we can get one more…” Her words trailed off and she returned to looking deep in thought.
I slapped my thigh. “Great! Get me a name before the Ministry shows up, and we can all put this behind us.”
I was glad she was so willing to help, especially since I had no idea what to do. I didn’t know anybody. I stood up to leave, but before I did, I turned to my uncle. “Hey, how are the supernaturals Dominic was messing with?”
After I had killed Dominic, Samira had gone back to the warehouse with my uncle to make sure the drugged supernaturals were secure. The last thing we needed was a bunch of them running around wild, searching for their next hit. Samira wanted to cure them, but she was having a hard time getting her hands on more holy water from the Vatican. High-level members at the Vatican knew she’d snuck in to get some for me, and supposedly had a hit out on her. She had laughed it off—well, smirked it off, anyway.
“We are taking care of them,” my uncle said. “I’ve asked Jerry and Samantha to discreetly make sure they are fed every day until we can cure them. Who knows? This drug is so new that maybe with enough time, it might work its way out of their system.”
“I don’t think so,” Samira said. “The drug’s reaction to the supernaturals’ DNA won’t leave them. At least, so far as we can tell.” The glazed look in Samira’s eye made me think she was still a million miles away.
“Well, I hope so,” I said. “I can’t imagine a worse fate than to be locked up, always thinking about Scorpion’s Breath.” Chills broke out over my skin, causing an involuntary shiver. No one said anything, though I was certain they all noticed.
I would never admit it out loud, but I still thought about Scorpion’s Breath. The way it made me feel, like I could take on anything and anyone. The way it took away all my painful memories. And I had too many for someone my age. My body no longer craved the Scorpion’s sweet breath, but my mind thought of it as a long lost friend. A toxic one, but a friend nevertheless.
Samira stood abruptly. “I have some calls to make. Vincent, is there a private room I could use?”
“You can have my office.” He came to his feet and headed towards the door. Luke and I did the same.
“I need to go,” Luke said to me. “There are a couple of people in the city I want to talk to.”
“I’ll go with.”
“No. It’s best I do it alone. They aren’t the nicest crowd.”
“I’m not the nicest woman.”
“Don’t I know it.” He grinned before his face darkened. “Serious, though. Stay here or go home. These men were fiercely loyal to Dominic. They won’t want to meet his killer.”
“Fair enough.”
He kissed me on the cheek and hurried out of the room.
My uncle followed, saying to me in passing, “Don’t worry. We’re going to figure this out.”
When he was gone, I looked at Samira. She had somehow moved behind my uncle’s desk so quietly and quickly, I hadn’t noticed. “I hate when you do that.”
She didn’t look up at me as she stared down at her cell, tapping into it. “I’m sorry you hate perfection, Briarpatch.”
I narrowed my eyes. “If that was an attempt at a joke, it was pretty bad.”
She finally looked up. “I don’t know what you mean.” Her deadpan face was more dead than usual. She placed the phone to her ear and her eye twitched.
I smiled. “You’ll do better next time, but you’ve nailed the expression. I’m going to head home. Maybe I can come up with some names, too. I know a few foster parents who deserve to make the cut.”
She didn’t respond and, as I headed toward the living room, I texted Roma, my favorite and only Uber driver. I could’ve kept one of the motorcycles, but I’d grown close to Roma these last several weeks, despite her eccentricities. She was a witch, a pretty powerful one from what I’d seen, but she kept to herself, which I dug. She was also someone I could talk to when I needed nonpartisan advice away from the pack and my roommates. Basically, she was my own personal curvy, hippy-loving enchantress that didn’t take shit and was always there when I needed her.
Plus, it helped that my uncle was now giving me a salary from the pack’s funds. I could’ve quit my job at Sinsual, but I decided to keep it. Eddie was good about letting me keep my own schedule, and it was always nice to use it to blow off some steam.
Roma showed up twenty minutes later, red faced and sweat dotting her forehead.
“Why are you so sticky?” I asked as I slid into the passenger seat next to her. I wrinkled my nose; she didn’t smell so good either.
She drove away from the mansion. “Sorry I can’t be a princess for you today, but my body is sick. Can’t seem to get it to do what I want.” She leaned back in the seat and grimaced as if her stomach hurt.
“Pull over,” I ordered. “I’ll drive. I don’t know why you came all the way out here. You should’ve told me you were sick.”
She grimaced again and parked along the shoulder of Fire Ridge’s long driveway. “I sensed something was wrong when I got your text and wasn’t sure if you were in trouble. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”
I opened my door and hurried around to help her. She leaned into me and hobbled to the other side. I carefully eased her into the car, taking in her pale face and her weak body. I hoped she was just sick an
d this wasn’t some kind of black magic affecting her. Although, she seemed to keep a low radar, so I didn’t think anyone would’ve cast a spell on her.
“That’s nice and all,” I said, “but it seems trouble surrounds me.”
She groaned and leaned back. “What is it now?”
I waited until I was behind the steering wheel, the car speeding down the road, before I answered her. “Have you heard of the Ministry?”
“Of course. Bad people, that lot. What do they have to do with you?”
“Apparently, because I killed Dominic who was a member, I have to either take his place or choose someone else.”
She whistled low. “I’ve heard of that rule, but I didn’t think they enforced it. Probably because I don’t think anyone’s ever turned down the position before. If someone’s brave enough to try and kill a Ministry member, it’s because they want it.”
“Well I don’t, and now I have to select someone. But whoever I choose will have a target on their back for the rest of their life. It’s not really something I want to be responsible for.”
“Can’t you choose a person who wants the position?”
“But do I really want someone to be on the Ministry that wants to be there? That means they’re just as douchey as the rest of them.”
She sighed, then groaned in pain.
“Are you okay?”
“I will be.” She patted my hand. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I bet you’ll be surprised how easy it will be.”
“Maybe.” I changed the subject, wanting to talk about something else. “So, tell me about your new puppy.”
She grinned, looking a little bit lighter, and proceeded to tell me all about how his ears were so big he would trip over them when he ran. The image made me laugh and by the time we arrived at my house, I had almost forgotten the terrible chore I’d been tasked with.
“As usual, Roma, thanks for the lift. I hope you get feeling better.” I moved to get out of the car, but she stopped me.
“Don’t worry so much about who you put on the Ministry. They’ve had too much power for far too long. I have a strong feeling it’s about to end.”
Something about the way she said it, with bite to her words, gave me a chill I couldn’t shake. Roma had depth, and I was afraid to see what power lay at the bottom of that deep hole.
Chapter 4
I walked into the house, listening to the quiet sounds of Roma’s car pull away. Maybe I should look into her past when I had a chance. I bet she’d led an interesting life, especially since she seemed to be hiding from it now.
“I’m in here!” Lynx’s voice called from the kitchen.
I pulled out the ponytail from my long hair and rubbed at my scalp as I walked into the kitchen. Lynx wore an apron and had her red hair pulled back into a loose bun. Flour dusted her cheek and hands.
“What are you baking?”
“A Texas sheet cake. It will be done in a few minutes.”
“It smells amazing!” I dropped onto a chair at the table. Moving out of this house was going to be tough. Out of all the foster and group homes I’d ever lived in, Lynx was by far the best roommate. Not only could she cook, but she wasn’t annoying and never got in my space. She was also awesome at fashion and not afraid to share her opinion on my fashion choices. I appreciated that. Most people were too afraid of me. Go figure.
“Why are you up so late?” I stretched my long legs.
“Couldn’t sleep.” She turned her back to me and placed dishes into the sink. Her fingers trembled on the edge of the counter.
“Still?”
Lynx had been upset for the last several weeks, and it wasn’t hard to figure out why. She had grown close to Ryder before he was killed. She also had seen me nearly die and had been tortured herself. All these terrible things she’d experienced happened since I came into the house. I hated thinking about that.
“I’ll be okay.” She continued to busy herself with cleaning the kitchen.
“Maybe you should go on a vacation. Get away from here. Away from me.”
She whirled around. “Why would I do that?”
“Oh, come on. Ever since I’ve moved in, you’ve had nothing but trouble.”
She joined me at the table. “That’s not true. I’ve had so much fun with you and Samira. It’s been a long time since I’ve had friends.”
“You? But you’re freaking gorgeous, super nice and put up with my shit. I bet you have a lot of friends!”
Her countenance darkened a bitter shade. “You forget I’m a Morgan. How many friends do you think I had in high school with that last name?”
I frowned, focusing on the aged wooden table. “I’m sorry. I had no idea it was such a curse.”
“It is a curse, but having you guys as roommates has made my life not so bleak.” She paused and looked toward the hallway.
“What is it?”
She stood and wiped her hands on her apron. “I got you something. One sec.”
She disappeared but returned a moment later with a small bag. “I was going to give this to you for your birthday, but what the hell. I’ll get you some clothes instead. God knows you need them.”
“My clothes are awesome. Although I did lose a bra somewhere in the house.”
She sighed, raising her eyebrow, but the edges of her lips were slightly tilted upwards. “It’s clipped to a hanger in the laundry room.”
I grinned as I reached into the bag, emotions warming my chest. I had received so few gifts in my life. I removed a small box.
“I hope you like it.” Lynx was staring at the box, chewing on a nail.
I removed the top cover. Inside was a beautiful silver-chained necklace with a green stone pendant wrapped in what looked like a silver dragon’s claw. “Wow. It’s beautiful! What kind of stone is it?”
“It’s jade. It’s meant to help you find fulfillment in your life. I figured you could use some help with that. Now that Dominic’s dead.”
Heat flushed my face, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Is it that obvious?”
When she didn’t answer, I picked it up. It felt cool against my skin, and I swear it even tingled. “Help me put it on?”
She moved behind me and swiped my hair to the side. I handed her the necklace. She hesitated briefly before clasping it around my neck.
It fell to the top of my cleavage. “This won’t bring more attention to my boobs.”
She kept her back to me and walked to the counter. “Is there such a thing?”
I chuckled and admired the necklace again. “Thank you so much for this. I really do love it.”
She had no idea how much this meant to me. The only other piece of jewelry anyone had ever given to me was on my finger, my raven ring. When she didn’t answer, I looked up. Her back was still to me. “Are you okay?”
Before she could answer, the timer on the oven beeped. She promptly busied herself with removing the cake, but I noticed she swiped at her eyes. Was she crying? Did having me as a friend really mean that much to her or was it something else?
After enjoying a healthy slice of Texas sheet cake, I said goodnight to Lynx and headed to bed. By the deep ache in my bones, the last few weeks had finally caught up with me. I was exhausted. I’d hoped to talk to Samira again, but I fell asleep before she came home.
At exactly eight a.m., my eyes flew open. Sunlight spilled through the slit in my curtains, capturing dozens of dust motes as they floated through the air. I rarely woke up this early so decided to take advantage of the time. Maybe go for a normal run as a human.
I dressed in running clothes and tied my hair back quickly. Stretching my arms high, I couldn’t believe how good I felt. Energetic. Pumped. It was almost like I’d already had my five cups of coffee in the morning. Maybe I was finally starting to mentally heal from everything that had happened with Silas and Dominic.
The house was strangely quiet. I couldn’t hear Samira, but I caught her recent scent in the living room. She must’ve come
in just before sunrise.
After I inhaled a breath, I opened the door. And nearly fell over backwards.
Cassandra Morgan was standing on my front porch.
“Good morning!” Her voice was strangely cheerful.
She had never been cheery before. I rubbed at my closed eyes. Maybe it wasn’t her. I opened my eyelids. Nope. Definitely her.
“What do you want?”
“May I come in?” She brushed past me without waiting for a response. I let her by, figuring it was probably her house to begin with.
Her red hair hung loose to her shoulders in big curls, and she wore a dress that made her look like she stepped out of a fifties fashion magazine.
“Lynx is still sleeping.” I glanced nervously back out the front door, hoping I wouldn’t have to make small talk.
“I’m not here to see her. I wanted to talk to you.”
“Huh.” We stared at each other for several seconds. I wondered why this woman would ever want to see me, and she probably wondered why I was staring at her as if she was Marilyn Monroe. I finally shut the door, giving in.
“I know this seems strange, my coming by to see you like this, but I assure you, my intentions are good.”
Over a hundred really good comebacks came to me, but my mouth clamped shut. Lynx had suffered enough for me. The least I could do was play nice with her mother.
“Please, take a seat. I would love to talk with you.” I swept my hand towards the couch, cringing at my actions. When did I learn manners?
“Thank you, Briar. I really appreciate it.” She lowered herself into a chair, sitting with her legs crossed and a Cheshire-cat grin on her face. She patted the seat next to her. “Join me?”
More insults came, but they stuck in my throat. Maybe I felt more gratitude toward her for saving my life than I had thought. I jumped to join her on the sofa. “What’s up?”
She looked down at her hands, twisting them in and out of each other. “I think we got off on the wrong foot, Briar, and I wanted to apologize. We could be allies, you and I.”
I was intrigued. “How so?”
