“There is reason to rush things,” Modore hissed. “Each day the Light Walker grows stronger, more aware of her abilities, and more tied to that cur.”
A cancerous dread wedged in Christian’s throat pulsed and he covered his eyes with a hand, then let it fall to his lap. “I told you this wasn’t worth the effort or the casualties. Let her go, Modore. We will be able to accomplish our goals—”
He choked, suddenly unable to breathe. Harsh, strangled sounds gurgled from his throat as he writhed in agony on the white couch, where he and Heather had writhed in pleasure just a couple hours ago. The cell phone clinked to the floor.
“Christian?” Heather’s sleepy voice drifted from the bedroom. He struggled harder to sit up, gasping a deep breath as he fumbled for the phone.
“Have I made my point, my child?” Modore spoke low and slow.
Unable to form the words, Christian nodded. He swallowed and rubbed his neck as he regained his composure and settled himself.
“Good. Get on with it. Find a way to get her into Katie’s coven, and I expect you to heel that bitch. I will not be disappointed this time.” The line went dead.
“Christian?” Heather stood naked in the bedroom doorway, her pale skin dappled with the city lights. Her light blue eyes clouded and sparkled at the same time.
“Go back to bed, Heather. I’ll be there in a minute.” Christian’s voice was only slightly rough, but she noticed.
“Are you okay?” She padded to him on exquisite, bare feet.
It wasn’t possible to have such beautiful feet, he thought, but everything about her was extraordinary, delicious, and rare. No matter the cost, to him or to her, he hadn’t been able to deny himself. A century, it turned out, was not enough time to leash the darkness that prowled his soul.
“Yes, I’m fine.” He dropped the cell on the table, wrapping an arm around her waist as she curled up next to him, and kissed her temple. “Everything’s fine.”
Chapter Three
Loti surveyed the empty great room, taking in the bare windows, the clean glass doors, and the glowing floors. The hollowness echoed in her heart. Except for a box of mail and books that she still needed to sort through—and the perishables—everyone had finished emptying her house just in time. The tenants she chose with too much worry and thought would be moving in tomorrow.
A part of her clung to the shadows in the corner, not wanting to let go of what might have been, but she was no longer poisoned by guilt over her husband’s death. She could grieve in a new way—a clear way, like looking through freshly washed windows. It was time to trust herself and the path she was on, and if Modore would leave her alone, maybe she and Wolf could have a real life together.
Wolf stood on the front porch, holding the door open. “Loti? You ready?”
She glanced around one more time. “Yep. Here.” She handed him the box of books. He tucked it under one arm and shifted the cigarette he was smoking into the other hand.
“Let’s go. The others are waiting at the new place.” He stubbed out the smoke on the sole of his boot, twisted the charred bit off and stuffed the rest in his pants pocket.
Lugging a cooler, she followed him down the steps and glanced up at the naked gable, the twinkle lights now retrieved and packed away. She wondered if she should hang them on the front of the new house at the ashram. She and Wolf had built a small cottage near Calisto’s larger chalet and she wondered if there were any rules about that sort of thing. And for the millionth time, she wondered if they would really be any safer there than here.
“Darling, come on,” Wolf urged. She blinked, not realizing she had stopped on the slate walkway and was staring up at the gable.
“Coming.” She hesitated before trotting over to him and handing off the cooler, which he stowed in the back of her Jeep Wrangler. The moving trucks had left with friends in tow. They had stayed behind to finish up the details. Wolf’s warm hand caressed her bare back under her sweater.
“Are you okay?” Wolf kissed her hair. She closed her eyes as he wrapped those steel arms of his around her.
“I will be. I know this is a whole new beginning, but it’s also the end of a very important chapter in my life.”
“I know.” He gazed over her head at the cloudy night sky. “Take your time.”
She rested her cheek on his chest, listening to his new heart beat, still fascinated, still wondering what it would mean. New things happened to them on a daily basis, changes in their physical selves, as well as their abilities—all because of their blood bond. It took on slightly new depths each time they made love.
They tried to stay away from each other for a little while—well, a day—but that was impossible. They were compelled, like frantic teenagers. It was unnerving, but nice. More than nice. Her libido hadn’t been this charged in years.
“Come on. Mitch and Peacepipe were cooking up a storm when we left. They’ll be anxious for us to get back.” Wolf guided her towards the passenger door with a hand on the small of her back. She climbed in, looking over her shoulder at the front door to her house.
They were quiet on the ride to the ashram. A few thoughts passed between them about remembering to turn off the lights downstairs, set the thermostat, and leave the keys on the table. It had been a difficult decision to leave her home, but really there wasn’t any other choice at this point. Modore was still out there, most likely gearing up for his next attempt.
No one believed he would give up, even without Patrick. He had made a puppet out of Patrick Lynch, using his strong magic and family ties to make a grab for Loti, almost killing her and Wolf in the process. But there had to be other warlocks on his staff.
Or he’s procuring a new one right now.
Loti harrumphed at Wolf’s thought. Good lord. Will it never be over? Will we ever be able to relax? I want peace. I just want to live whatever semblance of a normal life that’s available to us.
“Life never settles down, darlin’. You know that, right?” Wolf draped his arm over the back of the seat and she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. “It’s an endless roller coaster ride with brief intermissions.”
She wrinkled her nose and slapped his arm. “Shut up.”
He chuckled and kissed her hair, his hand running over her shoulder.
“Did they ever find anything at the warehouse where Modore held us?” Loti shifted away from Wolf, sitting upright.
Wolf lifted his arm from her shoulder and rested his hand on her thigh. He shook his head. “No, not much. I think Modore took it over temporarily. It wasn’t one of his lairs.”
“No bodies, no cars? Nothing?”
“No. It was cleaned out.”
“Did anyone get in there that first day? After we escaped?”
He nodded as he signaled and looked both ways before turning south onto the main road. “Calisto’s people checked it out thoroughly. Wherever Modore and his vampires went to ground for the day remains a mystery. No one was found.”
“What about the D.C. people?” Loti remembered Calisto mentioning some friends from the Capital who hadn’t gotten back to him before Modore kidnapped Wolf and tried to force a blood bond with Loti.
Wolf looked over at her, as he stopped at a red light. “He said something to you about them?”
Loti stared back, then nodded. “Wasn’t he supposed to?”
Wolf’s jaw flexed a few times, but he said, “What did he tell you?”
“Just that they were friends of yours and his from a long time ago. Who are they, Wolf? And why didn’t they help us when Modore had you?”
The light turned green and Wolf shifted into first and pulled away. He was silent for too long and Loti thought he wasn’t going to answer. She reached out lightly with her mind. She caught an image of a gold ring against a black background, like a solar eclipse, one bright spot glowing on its rim.
“What’s that?”
He flicked his eyes at her and then back to the road. “Something I’m not sure I s
hould tell you about.”
“Why?” She studied his flexing jaw, and felt his doubt, his hesitancy.
“Well, first, I’ve sworn an oath not to reveal their existence.”
Loti’s eyes widened. “Are they some sort of secret society?”
“Worse.” One corner of his mouth rose. “You know how your husband David couldn’t talk about his work?”
“Yes.” She held her breath.
“Like that.”
Blowing it out, she rushed her words. “Something defense related? Intelligence?” Her voice rose an octave.
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” Wolf lifted a single eyebrow.
“Seriously?” Laughing, she squeezed his bicep. “Fine. I’ll let it go.” She fave him a mock serious frown. “For now.”
He reached over and took her hand, kissing the palm. She recognized the exit ramp for Marksville right before Wolf signaled. Forty more minutes along the winding back roads and they’d be there.
“But you’re going to have to talk at some point.” He let go of her hand, and she folded both in her lap, keeping her eyes on them as she asked, “Do you still work with them?”
He shook his head as he glided the jeep down the exit ramp and made a right turn. “Haven’t since the fifties; didn’t like the direction the organization was taking.”
“The fifties? The nineteen fifties you mean?” She had learned to ask.
Every now and then Wolf would mention a decade and Loti would assume he meant in the 1900s, but that was not always the case. This five-hundred-year-old vampire thing was hard to wrap her mind around.
He nodded. “McCarthy really pissed me off.”
Loti laughed. “I’ll bet.”
He grinned, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. She grinned back. That’s what she liked to see. He was way too serious most of the time, but he did have a wicked sense of humor that she loved with all her heart.
They drove the rest of the way in an easy silence as the dark forest curled around them. The nights had turned warm and the cherry blossoms skittered across the road, their short but majestic time in the spotlight over. The ashram had been draped in the soft beauty of the blooming trees.
Now, the spent flowers drifted like snow over the ground and up against the buildings. The petals hid in her hair and her clothes and she was constantly shaking them out at night. A few bits of their used delicacy would turn up in their bed sheets.
Back at the ashram, a swarm of friends greeted them outside their little place. She smiled at the homey yellow light drifting out the windows and the friends crowding around the car. She was surprised they’d already emptied the moving van and were putting away dishes and setting the furniture up as she walked through the front door.
Guided, the leader of the ashram’s healer tribe, slapped Wolf on the back and grinned. “You’re a householder now, old man.”
“I think I can handle that.” Wolf gave him a good-natured slap back as they filed through the front door, although Loti sensed an edge of uncertainty in Wolf through their blood bond. She set the box of books on the floor by the door.
He wasn’t shielding his thoughts and feelings tonight and she wondered why. Maybe he needed her to be aware so he didn’t have to explain himself. Maybe it actually made him feel better to know she knew. He was getting better at that—sharing and accepting some comfort from her. It wasn’t easy for him. Their physical, mental and most likely spiritual bond wasn’t easy for either of them.
“Over here, Loti,” Hammer called from the dining area. “Where do you want your desk?”
“Over there, up against the wall.” She waved a hand at the inner wall.
Peacemaker and Hammer, both members of the Guided’s healer tribe, the Travelers, looked at each other. “You don’t want it by the window?” Peacemaker asked.
She shook her head. “No, if you put it right by the window, I’ll stare out all day and get nothing done. By the wall. Then, when I need to take a break, I can turn around and look out. I might even get up off my ass and walk on the deck.” They laughed as she mimicked holding her back and shuffling around like an old lady.
“Your house, your desk. You got it.” Hammer tipped his hat at her and turned to help Peacemaker slide the black desk up against the wall.
The house teamed with people, which wasn’t saying a lot. It was small with a similar great room to her and David’s cabin in the woods. Lots of glass at the front of the house reflected the gathering. Loti stood and stretched her back as she wandered back to the galley kitchen and breakfast bar. Fiamette stared at her over the buffet. Loti furrowed her brow at the woman, who dropped her gaze.
“What’s wrong?”
It took some effort, but she had learned not to touch the dark-haired Italian healer who bristled at affection. Loti suspected it was a habit born of loneliness and other sad things and not because she disliked being touched. The woman had thick, thick walls.
“Nothing,” she muttered.
“I don’t believe you.” Loti leveled her gaze at the scowling woman.
“Of course you don’t.” She smiled, pushing away from the wall. “How are you doing?”
“Fine, but don’t change the subject. We were talking about you.”
Fiamette wandered away from Loti, snagging a piece of cheese from the table. “They got your furniture unloaded before I even got here.”
“Mmm,” Loti picked a strawberry from the fruit tray as she waited. She knew better than to push or make any sudden movements when she was trying to get Fiamette to talk.
“You’ve got a lot of people looking out for you.” Fia dusted her hands on her skinny jeans.
“So do you.” Loti poured a glass of water from a glass picture with ice and orange slices floating on top.
Fiamette flicked her eyes sharply at Loti. “Not like you. Everyone is looking out for you.”
“I call bullshit, Fia,” Loti said matter-of-factly, handing the glass to her. “Everyone is looking out for you, too. You just won’t let us get too close, so you can’t see it. We want to hug you, we want to kiss you, we want you to want us to.” Loti winked.
“Pfft.” Fiamette gripped the glass with fingers tipped with red, shiny nails. “Stop. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” But she half-smiled.
“And what the hell does hugging and kissing have to do with looking out for me? Or you?” Fiamette popped a strawberry into her mouth.
“I’m just saying the nest and the tribe love you, whether you acknowledge it or not. You’ve just chosen to ignore it. Except maybe for Keane.”
Fiamette rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything, not even a pfft.
“Loti, we have a problem here.” Wolf touched her arm.
Chapter Four
“What’s wrong?” Adrenalin spiked under her ribs as he led her by the elbow towards the bedroom.
“Margarite has been working with Katie and the coven to look for weaknesses in our wards and shields, and they’ve found an oddity.” Wolf pulled her into the bedroom.
Calisto waited for them with his bondmate, Margarite, and Loti’s surrogate grandmother, Katie Brown. Katie was also the leader of the local coven and her best friend’s actual grandmother. The king-size bed and Loti’s antique Chinese wardrobe were already in place. Guided was hooking up the flat screen to the satellite receiver.
“What have you found?” They only got a few brief moments of normality before the whole Modore thing shattered their illusion of safety.
“Something is odd. It’s like an energy imprint. Something was here, but is now gone. I say gone because there really is nothing to detect, just kind of like a warm spot where it was.” Katie worried her earring.
“Where?” Loti asked.
“Here,” Calisto waved around the center of the room.
“In this room or the entire house?” Wolf turned in a circle, sniffing the air.
“Mmm, this room, I think.” Margarite was moving her hands through the ai
r like a mime in a box, bending over the bed. “Around here. The floor, I think.” She actually got down on her knees and peered under the bed. “Here.”
Loti shielded her eyes, her cheeks heating up in utter embarrassment. Oh good Lord. Don’t say a word, Wolf.
Wolf grinned, winked at Loti. “Well, you said it’s gone? Just an afterglow? Did you recognize a magical signature?”
Loti scowled at him but quickly tried to cover when she caught Calisto giving her a funny look. Heaven help her, but she didn’t want to explain the source of what they’d found. Had anyone actually died of notification?
“Well, not really. It’s like pure energy. I’ve never felt anything like it except at the shrine.” Margarite had a unique ability to differentiate energy types, even more so than an ordinary witch or healer could and Loti prayed she wouldn’t figure it out. “This is like the universe itself, unmanipulated, unadulterated. Like it lacks a conduit.”
Wolf snorted and Loti glared at him, Don’t. He grinned wider and she resisted to the urge to punch him in the arm. Calisto and Katie had been watching their wordless exchange, but Margarite was getting up from the floor and hadn’t caught it.
“I think it’s nothing to worry about,” Wolf said, taking Loti’s hand. She wanted to jerk it out of his grip, but took a deep breath instead. She wasn’t sure if she was more mad or more embarrassed over Wolf’s teasing or the fact it might give the other’s a clue to what they understood.
“Well,” Margarite’s eyes were clouded with concern.
“You’re not sensing Modore or a unique signature, like a spell or a caster, are you?” Calisto wrapped his fingers around Margarite’s hand, his tone shifting. Loti’s chest tightened. She looked anywhere but at the 2,000 year-old vampire.
“No, but I’m still worried.” She curled her bottom lip under and chewed on it.
“I think we’re all just a little paranoid these days.” Katie patted Loti on the shoulder and winked as she left the room. Loti covered her eyes with a hand. Oh, dear Lord.
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