by R. E. Butler
“Yep.”
Cyrus hauled the human to his feet and sat him in a chair that Donovan brought over. Grasping the male’s throat, Cyrus leaned close and stared into his eyes. “Let’s see what we can find out. Who are you?”
The human male was no match for Cyrus’s power, and quickly said his name. “Anthony Fielding.”
“Why were you taking pictures of the ambush?”
Without hesitation, the male spilled his figurative guts. “Sean Finnegan brought me here from our sister location in Baltimore as his right-hand. I’ve watched the club since the bomb to look for abnormalities, and the only new thing is you.”
“Abnormalities?” Cyrus asked.
“New additions to the club. You were working with the tigers during the construction, but after the bombing, it was apparent you were living in the club. Jason said it was because you had taken a vampire girlfriend. I was tasked with following you anytime you left the club, and when I realized last night that there was a ceremony today, Sean told me to stake out the whole thing and take as many pictures as I could.”
“To what purpose?” Midas demanded.
“Allies of the vampire coven are enemies of the church.”
“Fuck me,” Benecio said.
Cyrus frowned. “The church knew the tigers were working on the club, but they didn’t send anyone to spy on them until now. Why?”
“It was business before. Jason isn’t against people wanting to use the vampires for their own gain, but when someone marries into the coven, they become an enemy, as do their family members. I was to take photos of everyone in attendance at the ceremony tonight, as well as video of the ceremony itself.”
“Why?” Cyrus asked, having a hard time controlling his vampire’s desire to snap the male’s neck for interrupting the festivities.
“Retaliation.”
“Silence,” Cyrus ordered the male, who snapped his teeth together as he closed his mouth. Cyrus straightened and rubbed the back of his neck. “This is not good.”
Cella nodded. “When the church attacked the newest beloved mate – Angie – when she was on the way home, the worry was that they might attempt to follow her to the pack’s territory and attack. It seems as if we weren’t just speculating – Jason has decided to make that a reality.”
Cyrus turned his attention back to the male and, instead of asking questions, he compelled him to share his memories. As if he were watching a movie, Cyrus could see the male’s memories from the moment he joined the church all the way to him staking out the ambush’s territory and hiding his scent with a tiger essence, the same that had been used in the restaurant bombing. “Sleep.”
The male slumped in the chair and Cyrus rolled his shoulders and let out a growling sigh. “Jason sent his brother Sean to rebuild the Cleveland church, sending his most active members for support. This male doesn’t have any inside information aside from what he already shared. He was on a video call with Jason, detailing following me and documenting everything with emailed reports, photos, and videos.”
Jorah frowned. “Who the hell is Jason anyway?”
Cyrus forgot that the ambush didn’t know all the details about the church. Midas did, because Mishka had shared that information with the leaders of each supernatural group in the alliance. “Jason Finnegan is the leader of The First Church of Humanity. He’s in hiding somewhere, and up until this point, he was with his brother, Sean. He had a sister – Olive – who was killed by Mishka’s mate Harmony, along with a chunk of their Cleveland supporters. They rebuilt their membership, but we took out one of the cells that was responsible for the restaurant bombing, and sicced the human authorities on the leader and followers and shut them down. Clearly Jason has sent his brother here.”
“We’re so careful,” Cella said. “We take numerous security precautions when we leave the club.”
Cyrus stared at the sleeping human. Cella wasn’t wrong – the coven was extremely careful with the safety of their people – but the church was also very determined. Since he’d joined the coven, they hadn’t been able to thwart any attacks, always seeming to be a step behind.
At least he’d caught this intruder before he’d sent any incriminating photos back to the church leader. He drew close to the human and caused him to awaken, then he asked the question that had been niggling at the back of his mind.
“How did you follow us here?” He and Cella had driven here themselves, but they’d been escorted by the coven, who had twisted and turned them around downtown Cleveland for ages before they headed toward the ambush’s territory. Their guards were trained to be able to tell if they were being followed. It was inconceivable that they were being tailed and it had escaped the guards’ notice.
Anthony’s eyes were a little glazed over, but he straightened in the chair and said, “There are trackers on the vehicles the vampires use regularly.”
“No way,” Cella said, shaking her head. “They’re swept for devices before they leave the garage and when they return.”
The human rolled his eyes. “The trackers can be turned off and on at will.”
“How?” Cyrus asked.
“We placed sensors at the gates of the garage where the coven’s vehicles are stored. When the vehicles pass by the sensors, they turn the trackers on, and turn them off when they return.”
“Smart,” Midas said, rubbing his chin in thought. “Where are the trackers on the vehicles?”
“Behind the license plates.”
“How long have they been there?” Cyrus asked.
“Since the bombing. There was a girl who showed up sometimes, and she could make herself invisible. It’s freaky as hell. She’s gone though, and the rumor was that she was taken into another realm by her people.”
“What is he talking about?” Midas asked.
“It’s a fae, right?” Cyrus asked Anthony.
“Yeah. She’d been with Jason and stayed hidden, but she came to the Cleveland location to help out.”
“Do you know where Jason is?” Cyrus asked, in case he’d missed something in his memories.
“Nah. Only the higher ups do, like Sean. I’ve talked to him by video, but he’s always in a plain room. The scuttle is he’s underground somewhere, but it’s a tightly guarded secret.”
Cyrus turned to Midas. “I’m going to remove the memories of his time here. I can plant a false memory.”
Midas nodded. “He needs to report back to his people that he watched the ambush and saw a party and nothing more. His conclusion is that you work for the tigers and not the vampires, and the ambush has nothing to do with the coven outside of business.”
Cyrus nodded and gazed into the human’s eyes, erasing every memory of himself, Cella, the coven, and the ambush, and replacing them with what Midas suggested, and then he sent the male into a deep sleep. Midas ordered several of his males to take him to his vehicle, which Cyrus had been able to see through memories was stowed away on a roadside a few miles away. They were to drive him out of the territory and put his car on the roadside and disable it, so when he woke he’d believe he just fell asleep after breaking down.
“I need to call the coven,” Cyrus said.
Midas nodded. “We’ll need to upgrade our own security here. It’s disconcerting that a human was sitting in our woods recording our movements and no one had any clue. It’s a good thing that you have such good senses.”
“Thanks to me being a tribrid.”
Midas smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, then left him and Cella alone in the clearing. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
She gave him a curious smile. “What was that for?”
“We got distracted by the damn intruder and I didn’t get to love on you properly.”
“I don’t mind.” She brushed her fingers through his hair and he shivered at the pleasurable arc of sensation that wove through him at her touch. “Call Brone, then let’s go celebrate.”
He kissed her once more and lifted his phone from hi
s pocket. He didn’t loosen his grip on her waist, anchoring her to his side so that he could feel her heat and softness. As the phone rang, he whispered, “I love you, sweetheart. You’re the sun in my sky.”
“I am?” Brone asked dryly.
Cella giggled and Cyrus let out a grunt. “You know I wasn’t talking to you, man.”
“If you say so. What can I do for you?”
Cyrus explained what had happened, giving the head of coven security every detail he’d gleaned from the human’s mind. Brone let out a deep, frustrated growl. “I’ll take Rage, Ven, and a few others with me and we’ll comb every vehicle as well as locate the sensors that activate them. I’m going to ground everyone in the coven from leaving the building for the next forty-eight hours.”
“Do you want us to come back tomorrow night to help?” Cyrus asked.
“No, take the time off you’d planned. I know you were anxious to get away. This is handled, Cyrus. You did well. Thank you.”
Pride swelled through him as he ended the call and put his phone in his pocket. He was thankful for a lot of things right then, but particularly that he’d been able to help keep the coven – and the ambush – safe. Because Cella’s safety was the most important thing to him, and the coven was her family, keeping them safe also helped to keep her safe, and that was worth any price.
“Let’s go,” he said, looking down at Cella. “My beloved. My mate. My bride. My world.”
She beamed up at him, the gleaming tips of her fangs visible. “Let’s.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
As March’s snow and sleet turned to April’s rain and warmer temperatures, Cella finally found someone to take over the coat check position, which freed her up from dealing with the cranky vampire bitches who thought taking coats from people was beneath them.
She walked into the reception and smiled at Angie. “I’m ready for a drink.”
Angie nodded. “Me too. I’ll see you up there in an hour.”
After coming back from her short honeymoon with Cyrus, she’d suggested that the females in the family get together for a drink during the meal break once a week. Arissa, Harmony, and Angie had been thrilled with the idea, and Cella looked forward to the time with the girls each week. Even if it did mean that she had to miss seeing Cyrus.
Cella turned and faced one of the overstuffed chairs, where a petite human female sat, drumming her fingers on a worn purse.
“Hi, Avery, it’s nice to see you again.” She extended her hand and shook hers. Avery rose to her feet and smiled.
“Thanks, it’s nice to see you too.”
“I’m going to have Angie take your picture for your ID badge first, and then we’ll get some papers signed, and go on a tour.”
Angie took a picture of Avery, and then Cella laid out the employment papers. She went over her hours and gave her a sticker to put on her windshield that would allow her to park in the employee lot. By the time they were finished, Angie had printed out the ID badge. On the tour, Cella showed her the employee cafeteria and restrooms, and the interior of the club.
“What’s that?” Avery said loudly, pointing to the glass-enclosed family room.
“Mishka’s inner circle is called the family. That’s the family room. It’s off limits to anyone but the bartender on duty, the family members, and their mates.”
Avery nodded. “I’ve never been to the club before. I’m not... much of a dancer. And I wasn’t sure if I could come here if I didn’t want to feed someone.”
Cella understood. Humans had a lot of misconceptions about vampires. “Remember what we went over in the interview. Don’t ever wear white, because that’s the color that our paid food wear. They also wear red ribbons on their necks or wrists, depending on where they prefer to be fed from, but there are vampires who wouldn’t necessarily care to notice if you had a white top but no ribbon.”
“Right,” Avery said, blowing out a breath. “I promise I won’t.”
Cella nodded with a smile. “Good.” They finished the tour at the coat-check, where Vivian sat on a wooden stool with her phone in front of her face. Cella cleared her throat and Vivian slowly lowered the device. “You’re not supposed to be on your phone while you’re on duty.”
Vivian placed the phone on the counter and folded her manicured hands. “I don’t want to be here at all. What do you want?”
Cella inhaled, thinking that Vivian was the most unpleasant female she’d ever met. She’d been part of the coven for the past several years, joining from another out West. Of the unmated females in the coven, Cella found her to be the least willing to work and the most interested in finding a male to attach herself to. She seemed to prefer the males in the family, but none of them were interested in her and secretly Cella was happy about that. She didn’t think she could handle being around her any more than necessary.
“This is Avery,” Cella said, gesturing to the human beside her. “She’s been hired to fill this position.”
“Great,” Vivian said, rising swiftly to her feet. The micro-dress she wore hardly covered her, and Cella bit back the comment she wanted to make about how to dress more appropriately for the position.
“Where are you going?” Cella demanded as Vivian walked out of the booth.
“I’m out of here.”
Feeling like she was channeling her beloved, Cella growled angrily and Vivian paused, her eyes wide. “You’re not leaving; you’re going to train Avery for the evening.”
Vivian sneered at Cella, her eyes narrowed to slits, and then she sighed so loudly and with such aggravation that Cella was immediately embarrassed for her behavior. “Fine. It’s not like it’s hard.”
“It’s not, but it’s necessary. Mishka wants the club to have a coat check, and that makes this job just as important as any other.”
“You keep telling yourself that.”
Tempted to rip her own hair out in frustration, or perhaps Vivian’s, she turned to Avery and said, “I’ll come get you in three hours for your meal break.”
“Thank you,” Avery said as she moved behind the counter to stand next to Vivian.
“You’re welcome. And welcome to the club. There’s another stool in the back, behind the coats.” Cella smiled sweetly at the human and when she turned her back to go get the stool, she leveled a glare at Vivian. “Do your best or I’ll report you to Mishka. You’re part of the coven by invitation, and that can be rescinded at any time.”
Vivian sniffed, opened her mouth as if she would protest, and then snapped it shut.
Good. Cella didn’t want to have to haul the female out of the booth and give her a beating, but she would. She was feeling pretty primal, and she knew part of that was her beloved bond with Cyrus. As she’d given him her immortality and need for blood, he’d given her a healthy dose of his tiger, and that beast did not like to be ignored.
“See you soon,” Cella said, a polite promise to Avery, and a stern warning to Vivian.
Tugging gently on the bottom of her silky vest that she’d paired with a skin-hugging tank top, she turned and headed into the club. She stood for a few minutes near one of the long bars and watched the crowd dancing, the laser lights painting their bodies with flashes of color. The tables were full, and she could see the white shirts of the paid food as they wove through the crowds and offered themselves to the vampires.
Her fangs throbbed a bit as she thought about feeding, her need for Cyrus rising high and hard within her. She was tempted to text him for a quick tumble but put aside the thought. Not only was she meeting the girls for a drink, but he was busy at the restaurant and needed to focus on his work. And not her crazy-at-times libido. It absolutely wasn’t her fault that her beloved was super sexy.
With a chuckle at her train of thought, she sent him a quick text. Love you.
He replied quickly. Love you too, gorgeous.
Can’t wait for our meal break.
Thinking sexy thoughts of me already?
Always.
He s
ent her several heart emojis and she returned them to him, her heart swelling with emotion. She made her way to the stairs leading up to the family room, smiling at the guards as they parted for her. Her heels clicked on the stairs as she made her way up, and she paused mid-way and looked at the crowd. She’d been so lonely for such a long time. Now she’d never be lonely again. No more nights by herself in her chamber, wondering if she’d ever find her beloved. There were moments when she’d considered that perhaps not every vampire got a beloved, that perhaps it was only a lucky few. Now, with Cyrus firmly in her arms and heart, she truly hoped that every vampire would find their beloved, their one right person. For sure, she wanted that for the family members who were still alone – Temple, Traz, and Ven – as well as the others she’d come to know and care for in the coven.
Someday. She hoped.
She had her happily ever after, and she wanted that for everyone else too.
* * *
Cyrus stood on the club’s roof and watched the sunrise as a rainstorm brewed in the distance. He stood underneath a tall pine tree that sat in one of the decorative containers and drank a cup of heated shifter blood. He caught a few raindrops on his hand, the cold water heating quickly against his skin. He watched the drops slide from his hand and disappear into the stone pathway below his feet.
How quickly the seasons had changed, winter’s roar giving way to spring’s softer features. The days since he’d met and mated Cella had passed by at a quick pace. He was busier than he’d ever been in his life. Mishka had appointed him the manager of the coven’s construction company, which meant he now had an office – right next to Cella’s – where he oversaw every project the company was part of. Once he’d taken over, he promoted Merrix as his assistant, giving him a nice bump in pay and upgrading him to one of the larger suites in the coven’s apartment complex.
