by Dannika Dark
I leaned on the counter and listened to the men pour in through the front door. I turned to look when I heard the boisterous sound of Levi’s voice.
“Hot damn, someone is cooking in here. And I don’t mean you, Lo. Have you checked out your female over here?” He looked approvingly at my dress and I beamed a little, giving him a hug. “Not a fan of the perfume,” he said, sniffing my neck, “but I guess it’s a chick thing.”
Logan turned around and admired me with apologetic eyes. “Silver, you’re stunning, as always. I don’t mean to ignore you; there’s much to do.”
“Well, let me help,” Levi said with a chuckle, strutting through the room in denims and a T-shirt that hugged his body in unimaginable ways. He was the Cross brother who owned his swagger to the nth degree.
“There’s nothing to do,” Logan said, eyeing him as he approached the fridge.
“Bullshit. You know I’m the best damn cook in this family, and if we’re meeting my sister, I’m not about stand around and let you take all the credit. Step aside. What’s on the fire?”
“I’m making our mother’s favorite.”
Levi glanced at him and lowered his voice to one of nostalgia. “Chicken casserole, peas, and cucumber salad. Are those her chips?”
Logan knocked his arm away when he reached out to grab one. “They’re for later.”
“Did you make the dip?”
Logan straightened out a wrinkle in his black shirt. He wore a pair of dark trousers with a leather belt. But he stayed true with his trademark sneakers. These were black with black laces.
“Move it, brother.” Levi reached in the cabinet for a bowl. “You better have all the ingredients here or I’m going to the store. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right. Mom would have loved it.”
Tears touched my eyes unexpectedly as I thought about Logan’s family in a different way. These hardened men had once been boys who had a mother they’d cherished and lost. Who never knew their sister, but loved her anyway.
Logan cut across the room and cupped his hand behind my neck. “No tears,” he whispered. “You look elegant. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“I don’t believe in coincidence. If not for Adam rescuing you on the night you were attacked, I would not have met my kindred spirit. If not for you, I would not know Adam, who found my sister.”
“So, does this mean you two are going to bury the hatchet?”
He laughed darkly and offered a handsome smile that deepened the laugh lines on his cheeks. I loved falling into those dangerous, bright eyes with inky rims. He’d styled his hair neatly tonight—still fistably long, but not haphazard.
“I wouldn’t go that far, but we’ll see,” he said.
Logan stood at a proud six and a half feet, so I stretched up on my tiptoes and kissed his chin.
“Smooth,” I said, landing another small kiss on his shaved face so as not to smear my lipstick on him.
“Just as my female likes.”
“Can you two take that somewhere else? You’re throwing off my sense of taste,” Levi said, crunching on one of the chips.
When Adam sent me a text that they were getting close, I slipped on a thin jacket and hurried up to the garage to let them in.
“Party?” an Irish voice said from behind.
I spun on my heel and caught Christian leaning on the hood of the black Porsche.
“What are you doing in here?”
“Came in while the Chitah and Mage were tinkering about with their toy cars. Justus still isn’t speaking to me. Knowing him, I suppose that won’t change.”
“Do you blame him? You scrubbed a Relic so she’d forget she was artificially inseminated in a lab. Why would you do that?”
“Aye, the silly whims of a Vampire,” he rattled on, stalking toward the garage doors.
“Have you ever done that to me, Christian? I mean, aside from the hotel thing when I walked in on you and that slut?” I hugged my arms.
He threw a glance over his shoulder and watched me with liquid black eyes. “No. Care to explain why a woman who seeks my companionship must wear such a colorful title?”
“I don’t think it’s your companionship she was seeking.”
A crooked smirk touched his lips. “To be sure.” Then his eyes slid down and noticed my dress. “You look fetching tonight,” he said in a dark voice. Not just dark, but possessive, and it made me shudder.
“I’d ask you to join us, but it’s a family thing and you have too much fun stirring the pot.”
“You have a tongue that could clip a hedge.”
“This isn’t the night for a cauldron of wicked Christian. Logan’s human sister is coming over to meet the family for the first time.”
Christian pinched his chin, eyes locked on my dress. “Is she now?”
I could hear Adam’s motorcycle thundering up the road and an awkward moment passed between us.
“They’re here.”
“Who?” Christian suddenly blinked as if snapping out of a haze. “Ah, here comes Adam on his mechanical horse. Have a sublime evening,” he said, ducking beneath the garage door as it opened.
He gave me a backward glance and I knitted my brow, soon forgetting the oddness that is Christian and waving at Adam and his female passenger. She had on Adam’s helmet and leather jacket, but her poor legs had been exposed to the frigid temperatures and were pale against her white dress.
Then I noticed her cowboy boots. Brown, soft leather that looked good on a girl, but it made her stand out in a city like Cognito.
Adam pulled into the garage and threw open the kickstand. He looked pissed as she held on to his shoulders and got off the bike, shivering. “You could have put on the sweats and changed when we got here.”
Sadie pulled off her helmet and a blanket of hair spilled down her shoulders in beautiful waves of soft blond. “I may be casual, Scratch, but I’m not country.”
“Could have fooled me.” Subtle humor edged his voice as he stared at her boots.
“Hey, this is stylish,” she said, tossing him the helmet. “Showing up in a pair of sweatpants or ripped jeans is not.”
I grimaced. “Your hands are red. Come inside. Justus cranked on the heat and you can sit with a blanket in the living room while we set the table.”
“Thanks, Silver.”
But she didn’t move. Her eyes roamed around the spacious garage from floor to ceiling.
“Hey, you nervous? We can go,” Adam said quietly.
Sadie took a cleansing breath and gripped the sides of her dress. “Show me the way.”
I pointed toward the open elevator and she went ahead of us.
“Should I be upset she’s calling you Scratch?” I whispered to Adam with concern. I didn’t care for the word, given the implied meaning behind it.
He chuckled and rubbed at his whiskers. “It’s not what you think. It’s how we first met. Don’t say anything to her about it. I… I kind of like it.”
“Well, Razor, I see how it is,” I said, swirling around and flouncing toward the elevators. I threw him a smile over my shoulder and he put the helmet on the bike and joined us.
I couldn’t help but notice Adam’s body language. They didn’t walk together, but when we passed through a set of doors, he held his hand behind her back without touching it. His hand sure didn’t fly around my back, but other than that, the banter between them seemed casual, as if they’d known each other for years. In a strange way, Sadie reminded me of Adam. He’d always seemed like an old soul.
We reached the main door to the house and when it opened, Logan and Levi hung back in the hall. Levi rushed forward and without a word, gave her a bear hug that startled Sadie so severely she let out a squeak.
“That’s enough,” Adam said, closing the door behind him. “Give her some space.”
“Space?” Levi said in a bewildered voice. “This is my sister, Mage.” Levi backed away and studied her overwhelmed expression. “You’re right, Lo. She looks a
lot like Mother… only shorter.”
Sadie cleared her throat. “I’m guessing we’re related, but I don’t think you’ve managed to spit out your name.”
He snorted and winked at me. “She’s a Cross, all right.” Levi bowed and locked eyes with her. It made her blink and she looked away. There was a pregnant pause before he spoke again. “I’m Levi Cross, the best-looking male in this family.”
“I’m Sadie Howell, the best-looking female in this family.”
He rocked with laughter. “Girl, you’re the only female in this family.”
She slapped him on the arm and walked toward Logan. “Exactly.”
Sadie’s face sweetened as she looked upon Logan. An intangible connection seemed to exist between them—a familiarity in the way they looked at each other. Perhaps from those moments when he’d held her as a baby and whispered her name, she somehow remembered him. It seemed impossible, but I wondered if she had any Chitah instincts as I did.
Sadie didn’t speak but slyly looked up at Logan and tilted her head. A single braid hung from her right temple and beaded bracelets the color of Justus’s eyes adorned her wrist.
“You look lovely,” he said, bowing as gentle as a breeze.
A graceful smile touched her lips as she looked down. “Love your shoes.”
Logan’s cheeks reddened and he flicked a worried glance my way. He must have thought she found them absurd until he stopped and pulled in a scent. His shoulders relaxed and he held out his arm.
“Come sit and warm yourself.” He shot a hostile glare at Adam who threw his hands up in defeat, conveying he’d tried, but she wouldn’t listen.
After she settled on the sofa with a blanket, I brought in a few cups of coffee and Levi proudly set his cheese dip on a table with the homemade chips. Everyone dug in and Logan disappeared into the kitchen.
Lucian emerged from the study and lingered in the doorway behind the sofa.
“These taste amazing,” Sadie gushed, dusting off her fingers and looking between us. Then she caught the direction of our stare.
When she turned around, Lucian took a step back.
“Lucian, come meet your sister.” Levi stalked toward him, swinging his heavy arms at his sides. I got up from the chair and walked close enough to hear their low murmurs.
Levi leaned in tight. “You need to let that shit go, brother. Come say hello.”
Lucian’s lips curled angrily and he flicked a glance at Sadie. “She killed our mother.”
Sadie continued munching on the chips, oblivious to the friction that pulsed in the room like a rapid heartbeat. Their energy spiked enough that it bristled me, and even Justus leaned forward in his chair with concern brimming in his eyes.
“You are not going to blame an infant for the death of our mother. She’s a grown woman and part of this family, now get your sorry ass in there and show her you’re a Cross,” Levi demanded.
Levi made no attempt to physically force him, but fire blazed in his eyes until Lucian conceded defeat and stalked into the room, stopping short of the sofa.
“I’m Lucian Cross.”
Sadie moved the blanket away to stand up, but the apprehension on her face was evident. This wasn’t a guy who was going to give her a Levi bear hug.
“So… you’re my youngest big brother.”
Lucian tucked his hands in his pockets and lowered his bright eyes. The angled line of his cheekbones sharpened as he clenched his jaw.
She stood up and gently touched his onyx hair. He didn’t have the height of a Chitah and was just shy of six foot. Among Chitahs, his traits were undesirable.
Finally, Sadie spoke. “You have the most distinguished features. I’ve seen a few Chitahs before, but they’re all blond, like me. But your dark hair paired with those brilliant eyes—it’s stunning. I guess you get that a lot. Sorry, I didn’t mean it to sound cheesy, but you’re a striking young man.”
Lucian drew in short puffs of air as Logan often did when tasting an emotion. Confusion spread across his face and he threw a brief glance at Levi, who simply shook his head in disbelief.
Sadie didn’t seem like the kind of girl who bullshitted, so Lucian was taken off guard by an unexpected truth.
His sister thought he was a handsome man.
After an intimate pause, he stiffly bowed his head and moved across the room, looking about as comfortable as a balloon in a porcupine pit.
Levi scratched his chin and noticed Sadie’s outfit. “Adam, we’re going to have some words later on,” he promised. “I don’t want my sister going anywhere on a bike if the temperature is below eighty.”
“Gotcha,” Adam said from the chair beside Justus. The two of them faced the fireplace with everyone standing to their right. “I may take up Sunny’s offer on the Jeep Commander to drive Sadie around.”
“That sounds a little long-term for my taste.” Levi wrinkled his nose and it made me smile.
Sadie sat on the arm of the sofa. “I own a van.”
Levi’s brow arched. “If no male looks after you, how do you survive?”
Her face brightened. “I sing. I would have brought my guitar over, but we had the bike. You should come hear me perform sometime. I still get stage fright when it’s a new club, but all those fears melt away the moment I’m in front of a microphone.”
“No shit. I’ve never seen you.”
“I don’t sing in Breed clubs. I’ve had too much trouble getting in because I’m human.”
Levi’s neck reddened and his lips drew tight. “You let me know where you want to play and I’ll make it happen. That’s bullshit. You can make some serious cash in Breed clubs.”
She shrugged and nodded all at once. “I know. I found that out from the Mage I lived with. I guess you guys have centuries’ worth of money stuffed in those deep pockets.” Her gaze floated about the room and I could only imagine what this place seemed like to her, especially with all the monitors plastered on the wall.
Justus kept staring at the floor with a vacant look in his eyes. He could often be a quiet man, but he wasn’t as engaged as he normally was. I began to worry something was going on with Nero’s case.
Logan returned and his face glistened from the heat in the kitchen. “Ten more minutes,” he announced. Levi began talking about a sweet red sports car he saw on the way over.
I sat beside Sadie and she spoke privately. “So you let Logan do all the cooking? Nice work.”
“It’s a Chitah thing,” I whispered back. “It’s an honor to have a male prepare a meal for you—it’s their custom.”
“What about your custom? Do you like to cook?”
“No, I prefer eating, so it kind of works out.”
She snickered and touched one of her bracelets. “I’m right there with you. I’ve never been able to find a man who would cook for me though. Do you like being a Mage? I haven’t seen many women like you.”
“It’s not easy, but I’m proud of who I am. I can’t imagine being any other Breed. It’s a challenge because I have to learn how to use my energy, so it takes time.”
“You don’t… juice others, do you?” she asked warily.
“Sadie, we’re not all like Cedric. It’s not just rogues you have to worry about. Light is addictive, and a good Ghuardian or Creator will train his progeny not to become dependent on healing light. I think they’re afraid because when we’re young, sampling it more frequently will form an addiction. Besides, I’d never resort to juicing. I’ve gone through a few bad experiences and I know what it’s like to be used.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
I looked up at Logan and his eyes were fixed on mine as he continued talking to Levi. It reminded me of the night I ran into my ex at a bar and how in tune Logan was with emotions—how he always kept watch over me.
“Don’t ever let a Mage take light from you, Sadie. Consensual doesn’t make what they’re doing right.”
The silent alarms suddenly flashed and Justus vaulted out of his chair. He rus
hed into the security room—a tiny space with a few monitors and a computer station, all hidden behind a secret panel in the hallway.
The lights didn’t seem to alarm Logan and Levi as much as Justus’s scent did. Logan blocked the hall and looked over his shoulder. “Stay where you are. If we need you to move downstairs, then I want you to do it fast.”
I approached the hall where the lift was, Sadie close to my side. Adam took a position several feet in front of us, keeping his eyes on the entrance that led to the front door. His fingers were splayed, ready to fight.
A cell phone rang in the living room and Justus picked it up. “Yes, I see them, Christian. Did you ask their business?”
“What’s going on?” Sadie asked in a worried voice.
I shook my head.
Justus tucked his phone in his pocket and walked toward the front door. “Regulators are on the property,” he bellowed. “Stay here and be on your best behavior.”
Regulators were similar to Enforcers, only they served as officers for the higher authority. Technically, there was no organized form of government comprised of all Breeds, but Regulators were connected with operations within the Breed jail.
Logan crossed the room to stand in front of us and I scarcely breathed. Lucian remained seated in a swivel chair near one of the monitors to my left, gripping the armrests. The men were strategically positioning themselves in different areas.
“What’s going on?” Finn said from the hall behind me.
“Finn, go back downstairs,” I said, glancing over my shoulder.
His hair looked a mess—all scrambled and covering his eyes a little.
“I fell asleep reading and the lights woke me up. Why are they blinking?”
“It’s the alarm that lets us know someone’s on the property.”
Murmurs sounded from the hall and Christian floated in, his black trench coat flapping behind him. He slanted his eyes to locate my position and when he reached the center of the room, he pivoted on his heel and folded his arms. His expression was grim and I nervously gripped Logan’s arm.
“Under what premise?” Justus barked out.
“By order of the higher authorities of the court,” a crisp, loud voice replied.
