by Dannika Dark
My mouth traveled down to his neck and the vibration tickled my lips.
“Would Justus ever purchase an apartment?” he asked.
I lifted my head, panting and wiping a swath of hair away from my face. “Why do you ask that?”
“I want to take you on my couch, in my bed, and on my floor.”
“The floor, huh?” I kissed his chin and he kissed my nose.
“We could secure an entire building. Levi knows some people who can renovate small buildings into apartments.”
I lightly drew in my bottom lip and studied him. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
He shifted beneath me and I pulled down my shirt as we both sat up. Logan dropped his right foot on the floor and faced me.
It was a thought-provoking idea. I’d never been a fan of the underground bunkers—Leo sure didn’t live in one, and he was also a member of HALO. Justus loved his cars, but surely he could secure an oversized garage somewhere in the city.
“I don’t know, Logan. He’s so set in his ways.”
Logan threaded his fingers through my damp hair. “Imagine it, Silver. We could renovate spacious living quarters—large enough that my brothers could raise a family of their own. Chitah siblings live in the same building, if possible. When families become too large, we move to the suburbs in the Breed district and purchase a street. Justus could have his own place and we could have ours. But you would still be close enough to train with him and live under his guidance.”
“Justus won’t listen to me. I’ve asked him a thousand times to move into the city.”
Logan smirked and it crinkled the outer edge of his golden eyes. He draped his left arm over the back of the sofa and stroked my knee with his other hand. “He could still live in the Stone Age if he chooses. We don’t have to run electricity into his apartment.”
I belted out a laugh and curled up beside him. “Maybe Simon could talk him into it.”
“Perhaps Leo is in a better position to convince him. Leo could give him peace of mind in the security that kind of living situation will offer a Mage. Not just with alarms and owning the entire building, but living with Chitahs. Most HALO members in the past have been attacked by one of their own, not other Breeds. A Mage would be foolish to attack a dwelling where Chitahs live.”
“Sadie could have her own place. And Finn.” The idea was growing on me with each passing second.
Logan kissed the palm of my hand. “Then it’s decided. I’ll speak to Leo and we’ll begin scouting for locations. I know you come from the human world, Silver, but family should not be separated by miles. You can only build something great by putting smaller pieces together.”
“I love you, Logan Cross.”
He cupped my neck and planted a sweet kiss at the corner of my mouth. “My heart beats only for you, Little Raven.”
“Forever?”
He paused for a moment and disappeared into my eyes. “I will love you until the stars burn out and we are nothing more than cosmic dust.”
***
The next morning, I woke up on the rug with Finn’s wolf lying on top of my legs. We had stayed up half the night talking about the idea of moving in together. Logan had pressed his lips to my forehead while I curled up beside him, listening to his heartbeat. But Finn’s wolf kept nipping at Logan’s arm and trying to wedge between us. When the growls became savage, I made popcorn and sat on the rug with Finn before he started pissing on the overpriced leather. I couldn’t figure out why he kept trying to separate us, but I’d never understood much about animal behavior.
Finn was very much an alpha wolf when he wanted to be. Logan said many alphas remembered the time during their shift, but not all. Finn didn’t seem to have much control over his animal. I don’t think I’d want to see everything from a wolf’s eyes. Knock me out.
A deep growl snagged my attention and when I opened my eyes, flashing lights were going off.
“Logan?” My adrenaline spiked.
I sat up and Logan leapt to his feet—alert and ready to attack. Finn’s wolf trotted toward the door and when it opened, Justus wedged in.
“Learner, come take away this animal,” he said gruffly.
“That’s Finn, not an animal.”
I joined Logan’s side while Justus hung his new car keys on a small hook in the hall, murmuring about how the retinal scanner needed to be looked at.
Suddenly, Finn shifted to human form and before I could say anything, Logan slapped his hand around my eyes.
“Finn, go downstairs and put on some clothes,” Logan shouted.
“No sweat,” Finn replied. I listened to his bare feet smacking across the floor.
When he left the room, Logan uncovered my eyes and murmured, “We need to tell him about his father.”
“Now?”
“Learner, I want you dressed appropriately.”
I wasn’t sure if Justus was more offended by my shorts or the T-shirt with writing on it. “Ghuardian, no offense, but this is my house too and I’ll wear what I want.”
Which didn’t go over well. Justus folded his muscled arms and presented me with a stern face. “That is not appropriate attire for me to look at.”
Logan took a step forward. “But the skimpy outfit you make her put on in the training room is?”
“The clothes I provide for training give her the ability to move around freely,” Justus said, eyes still on me.
“Perhaps you should dress her in what she would be wearing in a real fight so she can feel the limitations that clothing can bring.”
When I saw a muscle twitch in Justus’s cheek, I knew this was going to turn into an unnecessary quarrel. They each played an important role in my life and they were vying for the position of top dog.
I wrapped my hand around Logan’s arm and lightly squeezed. “I’ll go change. It’s too cold around here to be in a pair of shorts anyhow. I think that’s why Finn’s wolf was lying on my legs last night,” I said with a chuckle.
It only took me a few minutes to slide into a pair of comfy jeans and combat-style boots. My sense of humor was running amok as I headed upstairs. Justus glared at me briefly while sipping his gourmet coffee in the living room chair, looking sleepy and in need of a shave. He preferred me in feminine clothing, but dressing up is something I only did for fun when I went to a club or a party.
Logan’s hungry eyes watched me strut into the room. He sat on the sofa, his legs widening and his eyes sliding down to the heavy treads on my boots. He sexily wet his lower lip with a sweep of his tongue. The heated energy from his gaze rippled through the room as he devoured me in a glance, and damn if it didn’t turn me on that he got aroused no matter what I was wearing.
Finn ambled in the room with a plate in one hand and a piece of bacon in the other. He stopped in front of me and faced Logan. I peered around him to see what was going on. Logan slid his eyes up to Finn’s and narrowed them. Finn widened his stance and continued munching on his bacon.
What was going on with all this male posturing?
“Finn, we need to talk to you about something serious,” Logan began. “Sit down.”
A flokati rug covered a space in front of the fireplace and Finn sat Indian style with his plate on his lap.
“So, what’s up?” he asked, biting into a buttermilk biscuit.
I sat in the chair beside Justus and crossed my legs. Logan leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and hesitated before dropping the bomb on Finn.
“Your father paid Leo a visit.”
Finn swallowed hard and wiped his hand against his jeans. The sleeves on his shirt were short enough that it showed the deep scar on his right arm. The one Nero had put there with a branding iron in the shape of the letter N. He had a habit of covering it with his hand whenever something was bothering him. His fingers briefly wandered there and then he put the plate to the side and stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankle.
“And?”
“He wants you back.” Logan main
tained eye contact and rubbed his chin pensively. “I don’t know what your home life was like before he sold you, but this is not our decision to make. It’s yours. We want to know what your thoughts are so we know how to handle him.”
“Why don’t you tell that feebleminded asshole to go to hell where he belongs?”
“Because under the circumstances, he might gain support of the Packmasters and forcibly remove you from our home. We want you to stay, but there’s no guarantee he won’t find a way to take you from us. I don’t know his motive—”
“Money,” Finn confirmed with a despondent look in his eyes. “That’s all he’s ever been about. Filling his pockets with dead presidents.”
“What’s his line of work?” Justus asked, propping his chin against his fist.
“He used to own a few bars but was never a good businessman—just an extortionist. He sold me to pay a debt and I never saw him again. I was just a kid, and the last thing he ever said to me was ‘Quit crying, you big pussy.’ I don’t know what he’s been up to since, but he’s sure not on easy street if he’s trying to hustle money from you guys. That man didn’t give a crap about me. Maybe it would have been different if we had lived in a pack.” Finn’s shaggy hair covered his eyes as he lowered his head.
“Your father was testing us to see what our motive was for keeping you,” Logan said. “Word gets around, but everyone knows Chitahs are loyal to those we take in. Little Wolf, I’m going to ask a question and I want you to think carefully before you answer. If you need time, then I’ll give you that. But honesty is what I want, and remember—I can scent a lie.”
Finn’s cheeks were mottled, his lashes wet. “Yeah?”
“Do you want to go back to your father?”
Without hesitation, Finn replied. “No.”
“Then it’s settled.” Logan sat back and crossed an ankle over his knee.
Finn resumed eating the biscuit he had stuffed with bacon.
Simon had promised me he would help dig up something on Finn’s dad, just in case he tried to blackmail us. I hoped Simon would pull through. Finn didn’t need to know what we were up to—it was a precautionary measure, and I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. Especially if he harbored any kind feelings toward the man despite what he told us.
Max sauntered in the room and flicked his black tail in serpentine motions. He had an aristocratic expression—as much as a cat could—and lifted his regal chin as he stepped across Finn’s legs. Finn snatched his tail and Max swatted him, scratching him on the wrist.
Finn snapped his arm back and tiny bubbles of blood pooled on his skin.
“I’m not a cat person,” he muttered.
Max growled and leapt onto Logan’s lap, rubbing his face against Logan’s stubbly chin. Logan made a peculiar chirping sound that was so low it could scarcely be heard. Max responded and grew less agitated, curling up beside him.
I looked at Justus and couldn’t help but notice he seemed a million miles away. A vertical line etched between his eyes and his mouth formed a grim line. The floor lamp accented the blond highlights in the short hairs across his scalp. He was a man who didn’t talk just to fill the silence; when Justus De Gradi had something to say, people listened. I’d come to realize Justus had a side to him that was thoughtful and gentle, and it often made me wonder if those were the pieces of the human I was seeing—the man he was before he became a Mage.
“What did you find out from Cedric?” I asked.
“Nero is a resourceful man. They’ve been working together exclusively for years, and he paid Cedric well for keeping it that way. Do you recall the bomb attack at Novis’s home?”
“Yes.” How could I forget?
Justus rubbed his chin as he spoke. “No one has ever managed to get liquid fire into an aerosol form. It has unique properties and often breaks apart when tampered with. Cedric’s inside man in the Special Forces is a scientist. He received a large sum in exchange for the canisters used in the attack but wasn’t given the details on how he achieved such a feat. Now that Nero has seen the magnitude of destruction, he wants to acquire the knowledge for himself. He’s been using the metal to chain his captives, but these trinkets are not enough. Cedric was given orders to find out the identity of his insider, but he’s not skilled enough to complete such a task. Nero wants war—he wants our world to be the way it was before Councils and Breed laws. It’s not just the Mageri he’s after.”
“Does Cedric know where Nero lives?”
“He has a phone number which Simon is researching, and he also gave us a location. This is not my concern.”
“What is?”
Justus slowly turned his head and leveled me with his blue eyes. “That Nero will remain elusive until he coordinates an attack.”
“He already did that,” I pointed out. “He’s attacking the Council.”
“No,” Justus interrupted. “Something on a grander scale. He’s testing our weaknesses and creating a stir of panic. He doesn’t want anyone to feel safe. People want to feel protected by their leaders, and he’s trying to shake the very foundation we stand on. During their last communication, Nero asked Cedric to speak to his contact about artificial venom.”
Logan’s eyes flashed up. “That would be cruel.”
“Indeed,” Justus said in a rough voice.
“What would be cruel?” I looked between the two, not understanding.
Logan stood up and crossed the room, pensively looking at the floor. “If he found a way to extract Chitah venom or have it artificially engineered, it would become a weapon. Depending on the quantity, it can do everything from paralyze to kill a Mage. But one Chitah can only provide so much—it works a lot like adrenaline where our bodies only produce it as needed. Imagine tainting the wine at a Mageri gathering with every elected official present.”
I gasped and sprang to my feet. “We have to stop him, Justus. He’ll do it. Are you going to raid his home?”
“Nero has many homes,” Justus reminded me. “Christian scrubbed Cedric’s memory and we supervised, making sure that in conversation, Nero will never suspect he’s been tampered with. One of the homes is upstate and in a rural location. With luck, we might even find the stolen boxes from the lab. They could reveal the locations of other labs or even names of those involved. I’m willing to bet there are facilities on the property that would allow him to house his captives.”
His captives being the other humans who had been given their first spark by Samil. The ones Nero had kept chained in a cell. The unique metal suppressed the light of a Mage so they couldn’t use their powers, but it didn’t prevent Nero from extracting their energy.
“It’s important this plays out so innocent blood is not spilled.”
“We can’t waste time sitting on it,” I pointed out. “He’ll find out we’re onto him. How are you going to do this?”
“We’re not initiating a raid without knowing the lay of the land; it would be foolish and impulsive. Leo knows someone who can provide blueprints of the property. He works in construction, among other things. We’ll have an idea how many men Nero has guarding the property. We’ll have to present this to the Mageri to obtain a warrant and utilize their Enforcers. But it’s too risky to go to them now; our plan could leak. We’ll wait until the last minute to approach them. We don’t know what we’re up against and I won’t have our men going in blind. This is something HALO does with those we hunt down, and patience holds value. If a man runs into a river to catch a fish, he will scare them away and create ripples that reach far and wide. If he eases in slowly and stands very still, the water will remain clear. He’ll see the depth, know where they congregate, and with skill, he’ll reach in and catch one with his bare hands.”
“I didn’t know you liked to fish,” I said absently.
Humor accented his expression. “How do you think I survived before takeout?”
Chapter 19
Finn played video games for the remainder of the day until he discovered Justu
s owned an extensive collection of literature. Finn lit up with excitement and disappeared into the study.
Tonight was the dinner party and Logan believed it was his obligation to prepare the meal for his sister, so he refused to let me help in the kitchen. Leo couldn’t attend due to work, but Lucian swung by and hung out in the garage, admiring Justus’s extravagant cars. Justus was proud to give him the tour and the last time I’d checked the monitors, they had the hood open on the Mercedes and were deep in conversation. Lucian was an introvert by nature, but they’d found a common interest and it just so happened to be the one thing Justus obsessed about.
Cars.
I selected an elegant dress for our gathering. It had an empire waist with a V-neck that showed off a little cleavage without going overboard. I loved the thin fabric, so delicate and not sheer at all. Justus had given it to me few months ago, despite the fact I made my own money and his purchases were excessive and unnecessary. I’d occasionally find a white box on my bed with something special inside—it was just his way of showing affection. The dull green dress made my dark hair and bright eyes stand out. Justus believed a woman should wear a dress that complemented her eyes without outshining them.
I was nervous about making a good impression. I would be seeing a lot more of Sadie and wanted to make a positive connection with her.
As I walked into the kitchen, Logan burned his hand on a hot pan and slammed the cookware against the stove. A curse flew past his lips and he licked his wound, immediately healing the raw skin.
“Need help?” I offered.
“It’s under control.” He leaned on the counter with straight arms, staring at the pan.
I stayed close to the door and noticed how tense he was. “Smells good. Look, why don’t you relax for a little while and let me take over? You’re wound up like a ball of yarn.”
“Because it has to be perfect,” he murmured, sampling the fresh-cut potato chips he’d baked.
