He stepped up to Christian, placing a hand on his shoulder. “There is no offense intended in this, but I’m well aware of your sire.”
If vampires could blanch, Heather was positive Christian would have.
Calisto gripped both of Christian’s shoulders holding him captive with his gaze. “I knew Reginald years ago, many years before he turned you, and I know the kind of rhetoric he spewed.”
Christian didn’t so much as twitch, but through their bond, Heather detected a sagging sense of relief. She didn’t understand what had changed, but she was glad of it.
“Despite what he may have taught you before he met the sun, you can be the way you want to be. You can control yourself. It’s a matter of dedication to the practice.” He searched Christian’s face. “You do not have to be a slave to your impulses.”
Christian grinned in that way that stopped Heather’s heart. That grin embodied everything she loved about him—and she did love him, she suddenly realized. Way too much for her own good.
Chapter Nine
Loti brushed a strand of hair from her face as the Pentagon whizzed by. The tension in the car was so thick she felt like she couldn’t breathe. A broody, gravely voice spilled from the speakers.
Is that the Russian guy, again?
Vladimir Vysotsky
Is he the dissident or the clown?
Wolf huffed. He was never a dissident, but liked to play the part.
His jaw flexed.
“What is wrong? I can’t take the broodiness anymore.” Loti’s tapped the off button on the car stereo.
Wolf captured her fingers, tugging them up and pressing her palm to his lips. “Sorry,” he murmured. Cleared his throat. “This could blow up in our faces.”
She slid her fingers up the back of his neck, running his long, heavy hair between them. He didn’t elaborate and she left it alone. His swirling feelings tightened her chest: trepidation, frustration, wariness and even suspicion. By the time they pulled through the widening gates of the Anderson House on Massachusetts Avenue, it was almost midnight.
“Wolf Arrighi! It’s been a long time, my friend.” A tall, black man with white hair cut close leaned in through the open car window and shook Wolf’s hand.
“Bill. Good to see you.” Wolf’s eyes sparked and Loti took notice.
“Ma’am,” Bill saluted her with two fingers and a kind smile.
“This is Loti Dupree.” Wolf curled a protective arm around her shoulders. She leaned over the center console to smile up at the white-haired gentleman.
“Nice to meet you.” There was something about him, something she felt you could trust.
“I’ve made up the Virginia Room.” Bill opened the car door and Wolf eased his arm off Loti’s shoulders and slid out of the seat. He walked around to open Loti’s door, but she was already climbing out.
“The Virginia Room?” She gave Wolf a puzzled look as Bill climbed behind the Mercedes’ wheel.
“Yes, Ma’am. There are fourteen suites on the third floor, one for each of the thirteen original colonies, and France, of course.” Bill revved the engine. Grinning, Wolf winked at Loti while he opened the trunk and unloaded their bags. She leaned back and smiled at his sudden mood change. Anyone who had that affect on Wolf was good people, as far as she was concerned.
“I’ll park the car. Lily will help you get settled.” Wolf barely had the trunk closed when Bill sped off, spinning out a bit. Wolf chuckled as he watched the black Mercedes disappear through the exit gate.
“Mr. Arrighi. It’s so good to see you. My, it’s been a long time.” A slender, young-looking woman appeared beside them. Loti jumped, certain no one else had been in the high-walled courtyard just a second before.
“Lily. You look wonderful, as always.” Wolf’s smile turned stiff, but he took her hand, kissed the back of it. Her smile was more artful than Bill’s. It had Loti on her guard.
Lily’s eyes slid over to Loti. “And this must be Loti.” She retrieved her hand from Wolf’s grasp, offered her hand to Loti. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear.”
Loti didn’t like the way the woman inspected her from head to toe and back again, but she shook her hand. “Nice to meet you,” she said, working politeness into her tone with an effort.
“And I look forward to getting to know you.” Lily’s smile left her eyes blank.
“Lily,” Wolf’s tone was sharp.
She blinked and her laugh tinkled. This time the smile lit up her hazel eyes, and it suddenly occurred to Loti what the woman was.
“You’re fae,” she blurted.
Lily nodded, still chuckling. “Yes. And you are a Light Walker, for sure.” She cut her eyes at Wolf, who rolled his.
“Don’t mind her, Loti. She’s, well, fae. You know how they are.”
“I could say the same about your kind.” Lily winked at Wolf.
“Were you supposed to show us to our room?” Loti crossed her arms over her chest.
Lily’s smile broadened. “Yes, of course. This way.”
She turned around and flicked a wrist. Two imposing doors opened silently, revealing the marbled foyer. Wolf followed Lily, bags in hand. Loti could have smacked herself for taking the bait. She paused on the porch, taking a deep breath to compose herself and glanced up at the square light above their heads.
It hung down from the over thirty-foot-high portico. Her eyes traced the tethers that kept it from swaying too much in the wind, as she counted to seven and then released her breath in a slow, steady exhale. She searched for something to be grateful for, because that always brought her back to peace.
It was a windless and comfortably cool night. There, that was something to be grateful for because all too soon the humid heat of the summer would catch up with them. She looked over her shoulder at the high walls and watched the gates close noiselessly. A chill culminated in goosed flesh as she trotted to catch up with Lily and Wolf. Without a sound, the doors closed of their own accord behind her.
Lily was bent over an antique desk in the lobby, tapping on a keyboard. She straightened up and grinned at Loti. The smile said she knew things Loti didn’t and that perturbed her. Loti chewed the inside of her cheek as her gaze swept the room for something else to focus on, annoyed at herself for letting the insufferable fae steal what little peace she had.
“This way, please.” Lily spoke in efficient clips that matched the click of her kitten heels on the multi-colored marble tiles arranged in nested squares. She slinked more than she walked in her body skimming blue dress. It wasn’t tight, but it clung at just the right places.
“How old is this place?” Loti slid the om charm on her necklace back and forth. Haunting echoes of their footsteps bounced off the high ceilings and marble floors.
“It was completed in 1905, I believe. There are one hour tours two or three times a day, if you care to learn the history.” Lily didn’t bother to look at Loti as she spoke.
“There will be people touring in here during the day?” Loti squinted at an oil painting of an eighteenth century military man.
Nodding, Lily led them through the foyer past a red carpeted staircase to a narrow door built to almost disappear into the wall. She pressed the red call button. A mechanical grinding and clunking came from behind the wall. When it stopped, Lily unlatched the door, revealing a retracting cage and the tiniest elevator Loti had ever seen. Lily stepped to the side, holding the cage open. Wolf stepped in but Loti hung back gripping the om charm between her thumb and fingers like a talisman.
Wolf turned around and frowned. “Loti?” He held out his hand. She glanced from his hand to Lily’s amused expression, her heart fluttering in her ears. Wolf tilted his head, as if to ask what was wrong, but he caught the images flashing through her mind: dark, stuffy close space; hard to breathe; soft and scratchy fabric brushing against her cheeks and nose; a child’s exhausted hiccup after a crying jag. Wolf’s heart thumped harder and he slipped out of the elevator.
“Let’s take the
stairs, Lily.”
“No, it’s okay, Wolf.” Loti gripped his forearm. She looked up at him with a shaky smile.
“You don’t have to,” he breathed into her ear.
Yes, I do. It’s something I’ve been working on.
She squared her shoulders, hesitated, then followed Wolf into the little elevator. He yanked the cage door shut and tucked it back in place, Lily barely getting out of his way in time. Her nostrils flared. Crossing her arms over her slight chest, she shifted one hip out and turned her back on them, staring up. Wolf circled an arm around Loti to guide her away from the elevator door.
It’s okay.
Loti slowed her breath by counting the inhale—one two three four—then pausing before the exhale. She gave Wolf a grateful smile as her breath slipped out of her mouth without a sound.
Every click, grind, and stray mechanical clatter stiffened Loti’s spine. Wolf wrapped his hand around Loti’s as the miniscule car rattled to a stop. He popped the gate and opened the outer door. Lily jumped out of the way as Wolf barged out, luggage and Loti in tow.
When he led her past the top of the staircase, Loti glanced down at the spiraling rectangles of white walls, black wrought iron railings and red-carpeted stairs. The affect was like one of those psychedelic geometric patterns that wavered and danced, making you dizzy. She closed her eyes, but that was a mistake. Her equilibrium dipped and she gripped Wolf’s hand hard. He pulled her into his side and guided her around the corner and flipped a switch. A series of wall sconces glowed, reflecting off the polished wooden floor. Loti’s beat-up dance shoes padded quietly over the wood in sharp contrast to Lily’s clacking heels. Portraits in gilded frames hung in regular intervals between the antique sconces. They were paintings of more military officers. She strained her eyes in the low light to see the engraving on the brass plaque of one solemn looking gentleman.
“This is our room, Loti,” Wolf said.
She glanced at him, straightening as Lily trotted past her. Wolf stood in front of a white set of double doors, holding one of them open. Lily breezed past him. Loti rolled her eyes and one corner of Wolf’s mouth crooked up. The thought passed between them that fae were indeed insufferable. Loti felt like she had stepped back in time when she crossed the threshold. A large white fireplace and graceful upholstered chairs and a settee from an earlier era sat under the reflection of beveled mirrors and the portraits of turn of the century women in gilded frames. Lily busied herself checking the thermostat and fussing with magazines and throw pillows.
“You’ll find anything you need in the bathroom, and there are extra pillows and blankets in the closet in the bedroom, which is through that door.” She spun on her heel and addressed Wolf, “It’s light tight, but you know all that. The Wi-Fi password is in the welcome letter I’ve left for you on the desk.” She regarded Loti with a business like demeanor. “Breakfast will be available in the morning room, just outside this room. If the weather’s as nice as it’s supposed to be, you can take it on the veranda. Or we can have something brought to you in the room, if you prefer.”
“I’ll most likely be asleep by then.” Loti said, pursing her lips.
“Of course,” Lily folded her hands in front of her, “how silly of me.” She turned back to Wolf. “I thought you had just recently bonded?” Her voice rose as if she wasn’t sure, the first time she displayed any lack of confidence.
“Fairly recently, yes.” Wolf narrowed his eyes. “I take it you’ve been briefed on us.” He placed their bags on the coffee table.
“Of course.” She sniffed. “Anyone you will be dealing with inside will have been briefed on your status.” Lily relaxed her stance, leaning a manicured hand on her hip. “Really, Wolf, you should know that.” He stared at her until Loti could have sworn the fae flinched. Lily averted her eyes, adjusting the elegant watch on her slim wrist.
Wolf brushed past her and through the door that led to the bedroom, leaving the women alone to stare at each other. Loti resisted the urge to look away when the green-eyed fae lifted one corner of her mouth. Instead, she concentrated on the woman’s small, bow-like mouth and wide set eyes. They were set just a little too far apart below a high forehead. Loti lifted the mental veil she used to filter out the distracting, flowing prana—the life force she saw all the time.
She learned to let it fade into the background, but could bring it forward when she wanted to. One of the things she had been training with the healers to do. The fae’s energy was like a pulsing, sparkling nebula. It was quite beautiful, actually. It flowed from a vivid green to a soft lavender and deep violet, and glinted with bits of phosphorescence.
“You’re true fae.” Loti took an involuntary step closer, “One hundred percent.”
Lily blinked, the smirk melting. “Yes.” She drew the word out as if expecting something, but stood her ground.
“Which community are you from?” Loti couldn’t help herself. She knew she was being intrusive and downright rude, making the fae woman uncomfortable, but she took a little perverse pleasure in it.
A coolness filled Lily’s eyes. “That’s none of your business.” She turned away from Loti and searched the desk, her fingers touching things as if accounting for them. Loti was struck by an overwhelming urge to flee, but realized it wasn’t hers. A subtle gasp escaped her when she realized it was Lily’s feeling. What the hell? When had that ability manifested?
She spoke, her words too fast. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me. I am perfectly aware the fae like to keep their private matters to themselves. I apologize.” Loti spun away and made for the bedroom, running into Wolf as he emerged. He gave her arms a reassuring squeeze with a quizzical look, then glanced up at Lily, who was opening a laptop on the desk. She pressed the power button and straightened, hands clasped behind her back.
What is it?
I can feel her, Wolf. Her emotions, I mean, when I concentrate on her.
Wolf’s eyes widened, but he didn’t think anything else. He reached for Loti’s hand, brought her palm to his mouth.
“Lily, would you give us an hour to get settled and clean up?” Wolf worked his fingers between Loti’s as he lowered their hands to his side.
Lily made a crisp turn, all business like. “Of course.” She gestured at the laptop. “I was just going to test your password and make sure you had access to the files. “
Wolf cut her off. “I’m sure it’s fine. Give us an hour.”
Lily twisted the silver watch around her wrist, her delicate nostrils flaring. It reminded Loti of horses and she smiled and giggled slightly without meaning to. Lily’s gaze snapped to Loti, who tamped down the mirth. Swallowing, Loti licked her lips and turned her smile into something polite. This woman was going to take some getting used to, and Loti sighed quietly at the thought.
It had become so easy to get to know the people at the ashram—part fae, vampire, witch, or human. It didn’t matter what or who they were, they were like family before she even knew their names. She had forgotten that most people in the “real” world weren’t as open.
“Of course,” Lily finally said. She returned her attention to the laptop, tapping on the keys. “Password works. Roger will want you to look over the most recent files after your briefing.” She was still bent over the keyboard when there was a knock at the door. She straightened too fast, with a stiff scowl on her face. Her heels clicked where there was no carpet on her way to the door.
“Roger,” she exclaimed as she held it open, stepping aside. “I was just getting them settled. You needn’t have come—” Her eyes flared with surprise.
An average sized man with nothing extraordinary about his appearance at all stepped into the room. There was nothing wrong with the way he looked, other than he was forgettable with no distinguishing features. His hair was a non-descript shade of brown and so were his eyes. He smiled in a plain way at Wolf, but when his eyes fell on Loti, the corner of his mouth twitched. His white, collared shirt was neatly tucked into dark grey slacks.
“Mrs. Dupree.” He offered a hand, as he walked across the room. Loti raised her eyebrows as she shook his hand. “Roger Wheaton.”
“Good to meet you,” Loti released his hand and gave Wolf a worried frown.
“Wolf Arrighi, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Roger held out a hand with a bland smile. The men shook hands as duty dictated, but regarded each other with equal amounts of skepticism and indifference.
Loti fingered her lips as she tried to figure out what was bothering her about the man. She was positive he was human, but there was something off about his energy. His chakras weren’t as bright as they should have been, for one thing. It was like she was seeing him through a camera lens smeared with Vaseline. She let the feeling roll around in her mind, kneading through it like bread dough.
“What was so urgent you needed to come up here, Roger?” Lily asked, returning to the laptop to tap a few more keys. She sounded like she was trying not to cough.
“I just thought I’d stop by to introduce myself.”
Loti gasped as she realized what was wrong. Roger was somehow disguising himself. What they were seeing wasn’t really the way he looked. Wolf morphed into a black blur. The next thing Loti saw was the director of the Culper Ring pinned to the sitting room wall, his feet dangling a foot from the ground. Wolf held him there with one hand around his neck.
“Drop the glamour,” Wolf snarled.
“I’m not-” Roger choked out.
“Don’t fuck with me. Drop it, now.”
The non-descript, brown-haired, brown-eyed man shimmered and the air wavered around him. Wolf relaxed his grip until Roger slid down the wall and his feet touched the oriental carpet. He gasped and choked as Wolf let go of his neck, but stayed close. The cloud of energy dissipated and an elegant man dressed in a tailored charcoal three piece suit emerged.
His jet black hair was swept back from his face in a style meant for the cover of GQ. Queer, dark blue eyes snapped excitedly as he regained his composure. Brushing a shoulder and adjusting his tie, he trained his eager eyes on Loti.
Shattered Page 10
