by Lizzy Ford
Vikki nodded and turned away. Tears glimmered in her eyes, but she swiped them away and signaled the remaining members of Team Rogue to follow her.
Left in silence with her thoughts, Zoey crouched once more. “I’m not okay,” she replied to Declan in a quiet voice. “I think you should see this.”
There was a brief silence, followed by, Give me an hour.
Zoey released her breath, unable to summon her anger and afraid that when she did, she’d go on a suicide mission to slaughter every last Sucubatti member there was without any semblance of a plan.
Uncertain exactly what she expected Declan to do, she hoped this was enough for him to find a way to sever the alliance between Olivia and Paul, to give her a shot at cleaning out the Sucubatti and finishing one battle before taking on the Cambions.
Zoey sat with her legs hanging over the edge of the mass grave, sensing the magic of the dead Halflings as it began to disperse and then permanently fade. Closing her eyes, she let the last wisps of their life forces weave in and out of her, dancing with her magic, the only real farewell she knew how to give them.
Declan’s magic reached her a moment before Vikki’s footfalls fell behind her.
“Uh, Z, you expecting visitors?” Vikki called.
“I’m expecting one.”
“He brought a couple of friends.”
“Shit. Who?” Ready to be angry with him again, Zoey climbed to her feet and joined Vikki at the top of the berm.
The Halflings grew silent and made way for Declan, who didn’t spare them a single look. Showing no sign of being electrocuted hours before, he walked with confidence and strength that made her stomach flutter, his stoic features chiseled from golden marble and hazel eyes glowing in the light of car headlights. Infatuated by him, it took Zoey a moment to realize who was with him. Three of his brothers had accompanied him: Aiden, Tommy, the gentle giant and Ginny’s soul-mate, and Liam. Even if restrained, the four radiated sex energy that would suffocate her in an enclosed space and made every one of the Halflings take on dreamy looks.
Normally, Zoey would offer some smart ass comment about Declan needing the cavalry.
No part of her was able to summon a snarky remark. Before he reached her, she stepped aside and returned down the berm to the edge, gazing once more into its depths.
Declan joined her, his heat making her want to inch closer until her skin was pressed to his. She welcomed the intrusion of his magic this night, needing him to calm her. Sensing the thought, he lifted his palm to hers and interlaced their fingers. The current of his magic moved through her, familiar and comforting yet torture in the way it uprooted her determination to get to know him instead of toppling with him into bed, the way she had during their rite.
I want to trust him. Zoey glanced at their clasped hands with some uncertainty then up at his features, afraid at letting down her guard with the man who caused more pain than she’d ever experienced in her life. The lingering agony of what she’d been through couldn’t stop the flutter of her heart or the nervous anticipation, the combination of desire and yearning, she felt whenever she was near him.
His focus was on the trench. He’d gone from cool to cold, emotionless and tense.
Zoey pulled her mind from her body’s reaction to Declan. “Olivia,” she said. “We think we’re the only survivors, which means over eight hundred of them are here.”
“Why?” Aiden’s question was tight. “What sense does it make to kill off the Halflings?”
“And I pissed her off,” Zoey added.
“This isn’t your fault, Zoey or that of anyone on Team Rogue.” Declan’s response was sharp. “This is politics. Olivia’s been keeping her cards close. This overt act is the sign of her plan shifting and unfortunately confirms what we figured out earlier.”
Zoey listened, comforted by the way his sultry voice slid through her.
“Olivia is working on creating a utopia of sorts, one filled by succubae and the Cambions they need to reproduce. There’s no room for Halflings or incubuses or anyone else that might oppose her.”
That’s insane. “It doesn’t matter what she’s doing. I’m going to kill her and the rest of the Sucubatti Council.”
Declan shifted and caught the attention of his brothers. He tossed his head towards the parking area. They left, trailed by Vikki.
“You won’t talk me out of it,” she told him before he could object.
“I have no intention of talking you out of taking out Olivia,” Declan replied. “You make things right. It’s what you do.” He paused, indecision on his features. “It’s also what the Incubatti Council wants, but they’re unwilling to openly state so.”
“I fucking hate politics.”
“I know.” His energy buffered her from the horrors of the trench nearby, but the lingering magic of Halflings compelled to the edge.
Speechless once more, Zoey stared into the dark hole, at a loss as to how it would ever be possible to right this wrong.
“Zoey, it’s not your fault.” Declan was quieter.
“I was so fixated on Cambions, I didn’t see this coming,” she whispered. “The idea she would hurt loyal Halflings never once crossed my mind.”
He squeezed her hand and stood with her in silence. Zoey grappled with the reality of the mess she was in, of how depraved her real enemy was. Olivia made the Cambions look like domesticated house pets instead of the monsters they were.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “Declan, I can’t understand how anyone could do this.”
“We are both stepping into something that’s been going on for at least a hundred years. I don’t think The War ended anything. I think the struggle simply went underground.”
She studied his features. There was darkness in his gaze she’d never seen before, a sign he, too, was learning how deep the secrets of their societies were. It disturbed her to know someone as powerful and capable as Declan was feeling the same pressure she did.
“You are all that’s good, kitten,” he murmured. “There are days when I don’t think that’s enough and days like this when I am reminded how much I wish you’d be brushed off by everyone, because I don’t know how else we’re going to survive this.”
Zoey almost protested, wanting to remind him she was able to take care of herself. Her gaze returned to the mass grave, and the words died on her lips.
“I just need space,” she said, new frustration filtering through her. “I know the Cambions are hunting us, and what’s worse, I know she’s working with them. Two fronts aren’t sustainable and right now, she’s the bigger threat.”
Warmth entered his features. “This conversation sounds familiar. It’s one I have with my father often.”
“What does he say to do?”
“To choose the battle that does the most good and protects our family.”
“And you being chief is the best way to do that.”
“It is.”
I get it now. “Declan, I don’t think it’s going to matter soon,” she murmured. “This is the beginning of something horrible.”
“I will pave the way for you to take out Olivia, on one condition.”
“Add it to my tab.”
He chuckled. “It’s different this time. There’s something you need to know first. If, after hearing it, your mind isn’t changed, then I’ll move heaven and hell to help you. I have access to some information about her travel schedule you may find useful and an angle I can play with my Council and possibly the Sucubatti’s. If pressed, I think Grant can get you information on where Olivia will be and the layout. He won’t do it for me, because I’m Incubatti, but he loves you Hunters for protecting humans.”
Wary yet intrigued, Zoey faced him.
He met her gaze, and her pulse took off.
“Agreed? You’ll hear me out?”
With some dread, she nodded. “I do need your help to isolate her.” Zoey licked her lips nervously. Never having uttered the words to anyone in her life, she found th
em surprisingly easy to say to her soul-mate, who waited for her to continue. Please don’t let there be another woman, she added silently.
“Never,” he replied to her thought. “I swear, Zoey.”
He cupped the back of her neck and leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. His thumb rhythmically traced the sensitive part of her neck, beneath her ear, back and forth. Need spiraled through her with each stroke, and she fought to focus on her mission and not the memories of what else he could do with his hands.
Zoey sighed and gripped the cashmere sweater covering his chest with one hand. His magic flowed freely through her, helping her feel no longer alone in her war, even if he wouldn’t step out of his society to help her.
“First off, tell Grant to hold off on clean up duty until tomorrow afternoon,” Declan said. “I’m going to paint this as an internal Sucubatti war to my Council. I may be able to sway them to distance the Incubatti and issue a decree that I’m obligated to enforce that the Incubatti are to back off from the Sucubatti while the society implodes.”
“Will the Cambions listen?”
“It’s my duty to execute the Council’s directives. I’ll ensure they do. I have a couple more options, but I’ll need to discuss them with my father.”
“Same price as usual, I guess.” Zoey closed her eyes and breathed in his rich, dark scent, shivering as it eddied through her. “I’ve lost track of how much I owe you.”
“I haven’t.”
She smiled. “You can still join me, Declan. Become a member of Team Rogue. Your brothers can come, too.”
He was silent and rested his large palms on her cheeks without moving his head from hers. This time, she welcomed his energizing magic, solid heat and heady scent. Exhaustion was starting to set in, a poorly timed invader when she was getting ready to take on the Sucubatti.
“You’re too weak to face Olivia right now, Zoey,” Declan said softly. “Come home with me.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready for you, Declan.”
“Then I’ll hold you again the way I did last night.”
Every time she cracked the door open to him, he managed to jam his foot in to keep it from closing. As usual, panic stirred, the desire to keep distance between them emerging once more. “I’m not sorry for zapping you.”
“As Liam likes to remind me, I need my ass kicked every once in a while.”
A week ago, she wasn’t able to think of Declan without pain and fury. Learning what Olivia had done to make him cheat softened her emotions, and seeing how far he was willing to help her robbed her of any anger she should still feel. What he’d done during the time they were a part wasn’t lost on her. With some reluctance, she admitted that he’d not once questioned anything she did – but supported her in the way he knew how. It was more than the intense need that always stretched between them, tight and brittle, waiting for one of them to step a little closer so it could pull them both into ecstasy.
He’d had every chance in the world to seduce her and hadn’t. If not guilt, then what drove him to keep his distance?
“Maybe I didn’t know what to do,” he whispered. “Believe it or not, I don’t know all the answers, and when it comes to you ...” He drifted off, a tremor of his conflicted emotion reaching her across their bond.
She settled her fingertips against his smooth skin of his jaw, the simple touch sending a swirl of magic through her. Her heart flipped over in her breast at the thought of him holding her again tonight. Even knowing all she did about what happened, she struggled with pain that ran deep enough to make her soul hurt. A part of her wasn’t yet able to release the accompanying fear.
“But … that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about,” he said, lifting his head.
“I knew it was too fucking easy.” Wary again, she shifted back a step, afraid to hear what he’d say. “If it’s bad, I’m not in the right place.”
“It’s not bad,” he assured her. “But you need to make your decision to face Olivia fully informed of the risk.”
Curious despite her suspicion, Zoey shifted her weight from one foot to the other, seeking a hint in his features. “What is it?”
“It’s more of a … family planning issue.”
“Family planning?” Startled, she almost laughed. “You want to talk about kids right now, before I face Olivia? What does that have to do with being informed about the risk?”
He was quiet for a moment. Her bafflement grew.
“I’m still learning this relationship thing,” he admitted with some distaste. “I don’t know how else to say this except … I’ve got a name picked for our firstborn son.”
Zoey stepped farther back and released him. “Have you lost your mind? Not only is this the worst time ever to discuss this, but I’m having a girl if I ever have kids.”
“Incubuses always bear sons.”
“Succubae bear daughters!”
“You’re a Halfling.”
“I’m a genetically altered Halfling. Whose to say I can’t have girls?” Zoey shook her head. “Why the fuck are we talking about this? I’m still not done being pissed at you for fucking someone else. If I give you the chance to touch me again, and if we survive this shit with Olivia and someday decide it’s the right time to bring children in this horrible world of ours, it’s going to be a girl I can train to fight like a Hunter!”
“I guess we’ll find out in seven months.”
“Damn right …” Her brow furrowed. “What?”
“You’re pregnant, Zoey,” he said gently. “Two months by Chrissy’s count, stemming from our rite.”
Chrissy’s vague blood draws and explanations, coupled with Vikki’s wild story in the van before they were hit, fell into place.
“You need to know that going in to face Olivia. If it changes your mind …” Declan drifted off, searching her features. “I won’t tell you my opinion on the matter, except that I trust your judgment.”
Zoey stared at him. Of all the emotions she expected to feel at such news, she was surprised none of them were negative. The idea of tomorrow, of a time when she wasn’t sleeping in a new place every night to avoid being caught, of a family …
How many times had she dreamt of her own family and being normal? She’d tried to build a relationship with a human because of her desire to live apart from the Sucubatti world. She’d definitely never be like Olivia, who grew her children in a lab and pawned them off on multiple foster parents until they were old enough to be worthy of her attention. No, Zoey would teach her daughters to fight and stand up for what was right, to ignore the stupid rules that made Halflings feel unwanted and like second class citizens. She’d envisioned a more peaceful world when Vikki first told her about being pregnant, where the daughters of all the Team Rogue members trained and lived happily alongside one another.
Her mind began working again, and she blinked. “This is all your fault, Declan.”
“I’m pretty sure you were there, too.” He pointed out.
They stared at each other in awkward silence. Zoey didn’t know what else to say, could barely digest her bizarre day.
“What’re you thinking?” he asked uneasily.
“It doesn’t change my mind,” she snapped. “If anything … holy fuck, Declan! How can I bring someone into such a fucked up world?” She shook her head. “I’m not giving up Team Rogue, not going to call off hunting down Olivia and I’m definitely not going to stop doing what’s right. My daughter deserves a better world, and I’ll build it for her.”
“You’re taking this better than anyone expected.” He relaxed visibly. “And she’s our daughter, Zoey,” he corrected her. “We’ll raise her – or our son – together. I don’t know how yet, but you’re my soul-mate. There is nothing in this world that will come between me and my family.”
Zoey regarded him, touched by his quiet ferocity and determination. The sense she had before their world went to shit, that she had a home for the first time in her life, warmed her from the inside ou
t. She wanted to trust him, to believe him, to know there was a light at the end of this tunnel and a chance at a world where she and her child could be safe.
But she was scared to think so far ahead when day was already too overwhelming.
“I know how. I need to eliminate Olivia, and you need to get rid of the Cambions!”
“Olivia, yes. The Cambion issue is more complex.”
“How, Declan?” she insisted. “Would you want our daughter growing up in a world where those creatures existed?”
His jaw clenched.
“Then how can you tell me that Olivia has to go but they can stay?”
“I’m not saying they stay. I’m saying the immediate threat is going to wipe out any chance we have at destroying the Cambions, once we’re in the position to –”
“Stop with the posturing!” she cried. “Give me one good reason why you can’t take out the Cambions now.”
“Because we aren’t ready,” he hissed between clenched teeth.
Zoey rolled her eyes. “I don’t mind doing the dirty work, Declan, but I do mind you justifying the existence of the Cambions when they’re hurting innocent people.”
“I’m not justifying their existence. I’m saying we need to pick one battle to start with, and if Olivia is willing to do this to loyal Halflings, then I won’t risk finding out what she’ll do to you, if she catches you!” Anger flared in his eyes. “Your life means more to me than the entire fucking human population, Zoey!”
Taken aback by the outburst from the calmest man she knew, she regarded him somewhat warily. He paced a short distance away, rubbed the back of his neck and drew a deep breath, releasing it with great control. The strain of the past few weeks was visible, the lack of physical intimacy and stress of his job rendering his features five to ten years older than he really was. Sensing her soul-mate was at the point of snapping, Zoey centered herself the best she could.
“I guess that explains why I feel fat,” she said and patted her lower belly. “The Professor will shit a brick when he finds out. Think you could handle an army of mini-mes?”
