by Jess Haines
Meaning, let them know ahead of time about the vampire and Were on our side so they wouldn’t freak out and hunt down or kill their allies when they found out. Or at least keep the inevitable explosion somewhere out of Royce’s immediate vicinity.
“Fine. I’ll tell them.”
Devon put a hand on my arm. “Why don’t you let me do it? They’re more likely to listen to me without instantly condemning the idea of working with these two.”
Chaz coughed into his fist. “Arnold, Shia. Don’t forget Arnold.”
I groaned and brought a hand up to slap my forehead. “Oh, yeah. We’re going to have to tell them we have a mage on our side, too.”
“A mage?” Devon was quite surprised.
“Yeah,” Chaz answered. “Arnold works for The Circle. I’ll be calling around the pack and asking for help from that end, too.”
“I’ll be bringing those of my number who have not turned against me,” Royce added.
“How do you know who is on your side?” I asked, unable to quell my suspicion. “How can you tell for sure, especially if some of them have turned on you already?”
Royce glanced at me, the flash of passing streetlights reflecting oddly in his eyes. Like pieces of black glass instead of the eyes of a thinking, rational being.
“I have ways.”
Shuddering, I looked away, unable to meet that gaze for long.
“Okay,” Devon said, cutting the uneasy silence. “City Island is small, so you can probably drop us off at Jack’s and we can walk to your friend’s place from there.”
“I’ll call Chaz before we leave Jack’s,” I said.
“I’d rather go with you,” Chaz muttered. “I don’t like the idea of you walking around without one of us with you.”
“I’ll be with her.” Devon scowled at Chaz, who flashed him an annoyed look.
“I meant someone strong enough to actually protect her.”
I had to laugh. The hunter looked like he was on the verge of exploding. Their tough-guy macho bull was more funny to me than anything else. I don’t think either of them realized exactly what I was capable of now that I was wearing the belt. Chaz should know better. He’d seen me in action.
“Guys, I’ve got enough weapons on me to make Rambo proud. Don’t worry, I can handle myself if we run into trouble.”
The belt gave me smug concurrence, even as I felt the waves of disagreement radiating from everyone else. The rumbling in Chaz’s chest started up again.
“I don’t want you going by yourself.”
“Hello?” Devon sounded even more irritated than before, if that was possible. “I said I’d be with her. She won’t be alone.”
Royce kept the amusement in his voice to a minimum. “I believe he means he does not want her without an Other on her arm, protecting her. Isn’t that right, wolf?”
“His name is Chaz, not wolf.” I shifted my position so I could look at my grumpy boyfriend huffing in the back seat. “Is he right? Are you worried I won’t be able to handle a bunch of White Hats without you protecting me?”
Chaz glowered at me, one hand lifting to brush fingertips against my cheek. I cradled his hand with mine, even while returning his disapproving look in kind. “Of course he’s right. I don’t want to see you get hurt, not even by accident.”
It was hard to be mad or feel stifled by his overprotectiveness with those sad blue eyes looking into mine. Puppy dog eyes. I had to steel myself against them.
“Well, I feel the same way about you. Trust me, as soon as those hunters find out what you are, their first reaction will be to shoot to kill. It’s best if you stay and wait with Royce.”
I carefully didn’t mention that I was also worried that, thanks to his being hyped up and on edge from his recent run-in with the cops, he might lose it and shift if Jack acted up around me. We had to give the hunters a chance to let the idea of working with the enemy, this one time, sink in. I sorely hoped Devon could get them to see reason and get the rest of the White Hats willing to temporarily work with Weres, magi, and vampires. I had some slim hope, thanks to Jack and Devon’s attitudes toward me, that we might be able to talk some of the others into helping stop Max.
“Fine.” Chaz snarled and pulled back from me, folding his arms across his chest as he glared out the window. “I’ll stay. But if you don’t call or come back within an hour, I’m coming to get you.”
“Okay,” I said, wondering why I felt so bad about this.
‘You don’t want to leave him behind,’ the belt said in answer to my unspoken question. ‘You want him to play knight in shining armor for you, that’s why. You don’t want to take your turn being the knight.’
“Nobody asked you,” I hissed under my breath. Resuming what I hoped was a normal tone, I asked Royce, “Where are we going after this?”
He glanced at me with a grin, and I had to suppress a chill at the sight of his extended fangs. He must be more agitated than his demeanor let on. “To hunt for Max, of course.”
“Of course,” I echoed back hollowly. Of course.
Chapter 23
Royce had pens and paper in the glove compartment. I wrote down Chaz’s cell phone number and the address where we were to meet before Royce dropped us at Jack’s house. Chaz and Royce would pool their resources while Devon and I convinced the rest of the White Hats to join our cause.
All the lights were burning in Jack’s windows, but deep shadows managed to hide any occupants on the wraparound porch from prying human eyes. The benches and barrels and plants were probably no more than dim outlines against the dark brown paint of the house to Devon, but I could make out the details perfectly clearly. Having night vision was odd, but useful in its way.
Devon took the lead. I trailed slowly behind, unable to tear my eyes off the sedan’s tail lights until they disappeared around a corner. The salt breeze wasn’t doing anything to clear my head or steady my nerves, and I wondered dismally if an hour would be enough time to convince the White Hats that Alec Royce could, at least temporarily, be their ally.
Devon rapped lightly on the front door before walking in. Jack was seated in the living room along with Tiny and Nikki. They’d been in the middle of a conversation that died out as soon as we entered the room.
“Good to see you back. We were worried,” Tiny said, smiling at me from his seat by the fireplace. He eyed the stakes on my belt appreciatively. “Decided which team you’re on, huh?”
Devon seated himself on a chair as far from the others as possible. I sat on the opposite end of the couch from where Jack was settled. He spoke, one pale brow arching in question.
“How’d you keep the police and the newshounds off your tail? By the time I heard the reports and sent someone to check, you were gone.”
Nice to know he was keeping such close tabs on me. I kept my gaze firmly focused on my clenched hands in my lap–a precaution against glaring at the arrogant prick. After all, I want him on my side tonight. I think.
“We ran into some trouble, but got away with some help.”
“Help?” Nikki said, the skeptical note in her voice bordering on derisive. “What sort of help?”
Jack shot her a warning look. I didn’t want to appear guilty for this part, especially considering to whom I was talking. Despite wanting to ignore Nikki’s flinty look, and to stay in keeping with my image of badass, I met her gaze squarely and spoke as lightly as I could.
“The kind of help only Alec Royce can give.”
The quiet that descended on the room was deafening, the silence punctuated by crackles and pops from the fireplace. I waited, taut as a bowstring, for one of them to respond. Devon broke the tension, his own voice quiet and composed as he stared moodily into the flames.
“We’ll need him tonight. There’s going to be a hunt, one we don’t want to miss.”
Jack’s voice was empty, flat, more frightening for the lack of emotion. “We don’t work with vampires.”
“This time, we should.”
&nb
sp; There was a teeny, tiny part of me that was relieved Devon was fielding this argument. I kept as still and quiet as possible in the hope I would be overlooked or forgotten by the others as they hashed out the details.
“That doesn’t sound like a very good idea,” Tiny said, masking his distaste with puzzlement. “Why should we turn our backs on everything we’ve ever stood for?”
“I know you don’t like it. I don’t particularly care for the idea much either.”
“So why do it?” asked Tiny.
“The vampire we’re going up against is just as old and just as strong as Alec Royce. The same one we rescued Shiarra from. He doesn’t play by the rules, not like Royce. Personally, just for this fight, I’d rather have one of them on our side instead of two against us.”
“You’re out of your mind,” Nikki said. She rose, folding her arms and glaring down at Devon’s calm visage. “We’ve never needed to work with vamps before. Why start now? We’re supposed to be hunting these things, not kowtowing to them.”
“Who said we were going to kowtow? All we’d do is work together to take down a threat. It’s just a temporary alliance.”
Jack leaned back in the couch, holding out a hand to forestall further argument. He was looking at me when he spoke, though his words were directed to Devon.
“What if we don’t go? What if we decide not to fight this thing, to let the vampires kill each other off?”
Looks like it was my turn to speak up. I met Jack’s gaze squarely, not giving him the satisfaction of showing him how riled I was. Instead, I drew on the strength and certainty the belt was radiating to temper my response and keep myself composed. It was sure that, if I said the right things, these hunters would be just as eager as it was to hunt down Max.
“You know as well as I do that Max Carlyle is after me. You wanted me for something, and if we don’t help Royce stop him, Max might succeed in killing me before you get what you want out of me. Or he might just end up taking over the city, leaving an even bigger threat than Alec Royce in charge of the darkest Others in New York. That’s why you’re going to agree to this and help us tonight.”
Jack’s thin lips curved in a passable imitation of Devon’s mischievous smirk. “Tiny had a good point. How can I agree to such a thing when it would go against all that we stand for? Regardless of who wins, both vampires are nothing more than our prey. Not our friends, not our allies, not even human. We’ve come very close to ridding this world of that parasite, Royce. It would suit us just fine if they killed each other off, or left only one of them standing so there’s less work for us later.”
“Because,” I answered, somewhat unnerved by his cheerfully stated desire for Max and Royce to destroy each other, “you want Max Carlyle dead almost as badly as you want Alec Royce dead. Despite your best efforts, you haven’t succeeded in getting rid of either one yet. This will give you a chance to feel out exactly what Royce is capable of when he fights Max. You’ll be able to see if you can find a way to destroy him later.”
“Sugar, I’ve been killing vampires since you were nothing but a gleam in your daddy’s eye.” Tiny grinned, a flash of white against dark skin. He lightly patted the gun he had tucked into the waistband of his jeans. The Smith and Wesson 500, one of a very few guns I recognized on sight, looked comparatively small in relation to his big hands and girth. “This is all we need to take down even a mofo as tough as Royce.”
Devon laughed. “Stop showing off, Tiny. You know Royce is an elder. You’d never take him down with a peashooter like that.”
Tiny fixed a glare on Devon that would’ve had a lesser man quaking in his boots. Devon pointedly ignored the look, turning back to Jack with a touch more irritation coming to the surface.
“Shia and I are going on the hunt tonight. We could use help, but if you’re going to be assholes about it, we’ll take our chances with the Others and do this without you.”
Hoo boy. Now that the gauntlet was thrown, Jack was getting pissed off, too. Nikki had placed her hand not-so-subtly on the hunting knife at her hip.
“Don’t forget you’re the new kid in town, Devon. We didn’t have to take you in. Maybe you worked with leeches in Los Angeles, but you’re in New York now. We don’t truck with that sort, no matter the cause. We work as a team without outside help, or we don’t go in on this thing at all.”
Enough was enough. I rose from my seat and stalked to the door. The bickering stopped as the others looked at me in confusion.
“Where are you going?” Tiny asked, getting to his feet.
“To take my chances with the monsters. I think I’m more likely to survive that way.” I was pretty sure I hadn’t made myself any new friends with that statement, but Jack’s and Nikki’s narrow-mindedness made it clear this would never work. I didn’t have the time or patience to deal with their mule-headed bigotry.
Someone grabbed my arm. Without thought, I twisted around, shoving my free hand up under his jaw and pinning him against the wall.
It was Devon. I immediately released him, mortified at my violent reaction. He rubbed at the forming red spots on his neck, looking at me with a mixture of fear and defiance.
“I’m going with you.”
Too embarrassed to speak, I nodded, turning around to continue out the door.
Jack came up beside us, staring down at Devon with an unreadable expression before addressing me.
“Shiarra, please wait. You must understand our position on this. We’re White Hats, not police. What we stand for is completely against anything supernatural. We want things to go back to normal, to take these beasts and monsters out of our lives and put them back into the fairy tales where they belong. Not working beside us. Not hunting with us. They’re just animals, vicious animals. Can’t you see that?”
I stopped at the door and returned his cold look. “I can see I made the wrong choice in deciding to work with you. That’s not what I stand for. Sure, I can see taking justice into our own hands in cases like Max. But there are plenty of Others out there who have never hurt anybody, who are innocent, decent people, just like us. You’re lumping all of them together and I won’t be a part of a group who can’t tell the difference.”
His eyes were blue fire, suppressing a deep rage as he fought not to say what was on his mind. I watched the muscle jumping in his cheek subside as he regained control of his temper. As much as I wanted to push his buttons, seeing his bigotry in all its glory, I didn’t think it would be a wise move on my part. Surprisingly, the belt agreed with me.
‘Don’t do anything more to stir him up. If you aren’t careful, he might start seeing you as one of the monsters, too.’
I hadn’t thought of that. Rather than speak out loud, I concentrated mentally to let it know I agreed with it. Holding Jack’s gaze as I was, I didn’t think it would be a smart idea to start talking to myself. Explaining the mechanics of the belt around my waist to a White Hat didn’t appeal to me either. It might be just the excuse he needed to put me in the “Other” category, enough excuse to kill me, now that the belt had so thoughtfully pointed this out. I was sure the only thing holding him back was that whatever plans he had for me would be ruined if I was dead. Or undead, for that matter. I was lucky they didn’t think of me as a willing donor now that I carried bite marks from Peter and Max. If they changed their minds, I’d be only a marginal step up from an Other and have to duck for cover as much as Chaz or Royce would when faced with them in the future.
Jack’s cool demeanor resurfaced. He slowly turned away from me, breaking the stare-down and gesturing for Tiny and Nikki to go back to their seats.
“Don’t bother coming back, Devon. You’re not welcome here anymore.”
Devon stiffened beside me, his anger a palpable thing, tasted on the air. He reached up to his collar and ripped off the tiny white cowboy hat pinned there, placing it with deliberate finality on an end table. “When push comes to shove, Jack, you’re going to regret not taking this opportunity when it came.”
&
nbsp; I arched a brow at that, turning to look at Devon. His eyes were focused on Jack, and he was obviously pissed off. There was something more to what he was saying than what was on the surface. He’d mentioned not following Jack’s orders before. Perhaps that had something to do with why Jack was being so recalcitrant about helping us.
Rather than worry about it further, I snagged Devon’s arm and pulled him out the door with me. He resisted at first, muscles tensing under the jacket before he turned to follow me, slamming the door behind him.
We walked down the street without speaking. I had my hands shoved deep in my pockets, shivering slightly in the bitter winds coming in off the bay. Devon was staring straight ahead, not saying anything. After a couple blocks, I couldn’t take it anymore and broke the silence.
“That went over better than I expected.”
He looked at me askance, too surprised to stay mad. “Did it?”
“Yeah, it did. I had him pegged to go on a rampage rather than just yell at us and kick us out.” I grinned at him, reaching up to brush some stray curls out of my face. He gave a shaky laugh, kicking a few early autumn leaves out of his way.
“He’s such an ass sometimes. I don’t know why I came to work here. Things were going okay with the hunters I was with before. I guess I just thought it was time to move on. Jack never liked my methods. Thought I was too progressive, too willing to work with the monsters instead of against them.”
I shrugged, the leather jacket rustling with the movement. “That makes two of us.”
The silence between us wasn’t so strained anymore. Maybe it was the nearby sound of surf or the wind whistling through the trees that made it easier to bear. Maybe it was the newfound shared understanding between two misunderstood hunters. Whatever it was, I was glad for it.
However, when a voice boomed out behind us, I was startled into giving a little “eep” of surprise.
“Make that three.”
Devon and I turned back, shocked to see that Tiny had joined us. He clapped those huge hands on either of our shoulders, falling into step between us. “I’m not about to miss the fight of the century, no matter what Jack says.”
