by J. L. McCoy
I chuckled as I sat back on the Victorian couch and crossed my legs. Quickly, the smile slid off my face and was replaced with a worried frown. “In your honest opinion, do you think Atticus Frost will execute my father for his crimes against him?”
Hagan drew the bag of blood away from his lips and stared at me pensively, his brow furrowed slightly with sympathy. “From what I know of him, Atticus is a pretty ruthless man. No one that has ever gone up against him has lived to tell their side of the tale. You need to prepare yourself for the possibility, Morrison. There is a very good chance your father will die tomorrow night.”
Strangely, I felt my eyes tear up, and I looked down at my now clenched hands, swallowing thickly. I was beyond angry at Lucian for planning to use me, as I had every right to be, but part of me was obviously feeling the impending loss of him in my life. To say I was confused would be a massive understatement. I was heavily conflicted, and the emotion did not sit well with me.
“What if I’m not ready to let him go?” I asked in a whisper, picking at one of my cuticles, deep in thought.
“Sometimes things are out of our hands. You’re not Dark, so I doubt your wishes or opinions will have much weight with Frost, unfortunately.”
I considered his words as I chewed on my bottom lip. My father had committed a crime, and his punishment was completely out of my hands. I needed to come to terms with the fact, and fast.
Knowing I couldn’t put it off any longer, I sighed and picked up my cell phone, hitting Corvus’s number.
“Were your ears burning, kitten?” he answered silkily. “Master and I were just discussing your impending visit.”
Not wasting any time with small talk or preamble, I asked the question that had been on my mind all day. “Will Atticus be kind enough to grant me a private audience with my father before the trial?”
Silence filled the air as I waited for an answer. I picked up muffled speaking before Corvus came back on the line. “He wishes to know why.”
“Because I want answers, that’s why,” I said tiredly, rubbing my right temple. “I deserve to hear it from him after everything he just put me through.”
Corvus briefly considered my words before putting me on hold again. After almost a full two minutes of silence, he came back on the line. “Master has agreed to allow you a short pretrial visit with Lucian.”
Sighing with relief, I told him to thank Atticus for me.
“It is me you should be thanking,” he said, lowering his voice. “My father was completely against it, but I lobbied for you. You’re lucky I’m his favorite son.”
Corvus actually went to bat for me? “Well, in that case, thank you, Corvus,” I answered, surprised. “It means a great deal to me.”
“Good,” he said with a chuckle, his voice back to normal, “because now you owe me.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.” I frowned. I most definitely did not want to be owing favors to a Dark One.
“Oh, you will, kitten,” he purred seductively, and I rolled my eyes.
“What time is Lucian’s trial?” I asked, desperate to change the subject.
“You will need to be here at sundown if you wish to visit him before the proceedings. I’m assuming you are already in the city?”
“Yes. I arrived a short time ago.”
“Very good. I’ll have a car pick you up at six tomorrow evening.”
I gave him the address to Aoife’s building, and we quickly said our goodbyes.
“Until tomorrow, beautiful,” he bid before ending the call.
Setting my cell phone on the couch beside me, I looked up to find Hagan scowling at me. “What?” I asked, confused.
“I don’t like how chummy you are with that bottom-feeder.” He glared at me.
“I wouldn’t call my nonexistent relationship with Corvus particularly ‘chummy,’ sir. I tolerate him because I must.”
“I don’t care.” He frowned, folding his arms across his broad chest. “I don’t like the way he talks to you, and neither would Archer.”
Just then the doorbell rang out, saving me from an argument with Hagan. How Corvus talked to me was completely out of my hands. Sure, he was a flirty bastard, but I was almost 100 percent positive it was all for show. The Dark wanted to keep me close, and I was sure the way he talked to me was part of their strategy. Either way, I saw through it, so it didn’t affect me.
Marco, my feeder, turned out to be exquisite. His blood was like heaven, and I drank deeply from him, satisfying my craving. After he left, Hagan and I settled down on the couch together and caught a UFC match on pay-per-view before calling it a night.
Chapter Seven
“I don’t like this, Morrison,” Hagan growled for the hundredth time today as he escorted me down to the lobby of Aoife’s building. He’d been in a grumpy mood for most of the day, but I understood why; he was worried about me going to the Dark colony without any form of protection or backup.
“I’ll be fine.” I rolled my eyes as I smoothed down the side of my floor-length, fitted, black lace gown and patted the cold, silver blade on my thigh. “I’ve got my dagger with me.”
“I want you to check in with me as soon as you are able,” he huffed, looking down at me with concern.
“You know I will. Please stop worrying about me. I know you mean well, but you’re making me a nervous wreck. I’m going to a trial, Hagan, not a battlefield. It’s a black-tie event, for crying out loud. Who wears formal wear to a fight?”
“Can’t help it. I’ll always worry about you.”
I noted the barely masked affection in his gaze and had to look away. It was no secret Hagan had feelings for me, and I feelings for him, they just weren’t the same type. Sometimes I wondered if what he felt was for me as a person, or the strength and potential he felt I had. Power was a very seductive thing, after all.
The elevator came to a stop, and Hagan offered me his elbow again. “You clean up well, Morrison,” he said with a smirk, looking at me out of the corner of his eyes as we exited.
“Don’t go getting all soft on me now, sir.” I chuckled, following him across the lobby.
Seated to our left, a young man dressed in a sharp suit closed his newspaper, folded it, and tucked it under his arm as he got up from his chair and headed toward us. Hagan’s body immediately stiffened, and he quickly inserted himself between me and the stranger.
“You have some nerve showing your face here, cac ar oineach,” he growled lowly, his disgusted, livid eyes sweeping the stranger head to toe and back. “I ought to kill you where you stand.”
The young man smiled widely and just chuckled, seemingly unconcerned with the very real threat on his life. “It’s good to see you too, dheartháir.”
“You are no brother of mine,” Hagan sneered angrily, and thankfully, I psychically picked up his next intent before he outed our kind to the entire lobby, some of which were unsuspecting humans.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I soothed, placing a firm hand on his chest as I angled my body between the two men and lowered my voice so only they could hear me. “Simmer down. You can’t rip his head off in a room full of humans, sir.”
“I’d love to see him try.” The stranger smiled widely again, as if he was talking about the weather and not a potential fight with an elite member of The Faithful.
“If I were you, I’d shut my damn mouth before something happens to it.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t know who you—”
“Mac Gabhann,” the stranger said, holding his hand out in greeting. “Aiden Mac Gabhann.”
“Get your fucking hand away from her,” Hagan snarled, slapping the hand away as his fangs slid down.
“Hagan!” I gasped, quickly pushing him back a few feet as discretely as I could. Truth be told, the whole room currently had their eyes on us, and that didn’t bode well now that Hagan had his fangs out.
“The humans,” I whispered sternly, tightly fisting the front of his shirt so he’d look down at me. “Put you
r fangs away before someone sees.”
Hagan’s angry eyes slid down to mine, and I watched as he remembered our audience. With a quick snick, his fangs retracted, and his expression blanked. Within a few seconds, he’d regained his usual control and nodded once, signaling to me that he was okay.
“What the hell has gotten into you?” I implored, searching his eyes.
“He is Day,” he replied tightly between clenched teeth, his eyes never leaving mine. I had the feeling that if they did, he’d attack Mac Gabhann again, “and a former member of An Dilis. He abandoned the brotherhood a number of years ago and instead chose to work for the Dark.”
What? My head immediately whipped around to gaze at the stranger. My eyes swept him from head to toe and back, trying to come to terms with what I’d just been told. “Impossible,” I whispered. “Day do not become Dark.”
“I’m not Dark.” Aiden shook his head, casually clasping his hands in front of him. “I just work for them.”
“But...” I struggled to find the right words, finally turning my head back to Hagan, “I thought you couldn’t leave The Faithful once you were sworn in. You told me that.”
“You can’t,” he replied, growling lowly, his chocolate-brown eyes completely faded to white. “Once you take the oath, it’s until the final death.”
“You’re not going to kill me, Hagan,” Aiden said, practically yawning with boredom. “You couldn’t then, and you can’t now.”
“You’re wrong, Mac Gabhann,” he seethed, his emotions returning to his face full force. “I may have made a mistake and let you live all those years ago, but I won’t be repeating it today.”
“Enough!” I barked, raising my hands and laying one on each of their chests to push their bodies further apart again. Turning my head to Aiden, I gave him a final warning. I didn’t think I’d be able to stop Hagan from killing him if he made another smart-ass comment. “You need to leave. Now.”
“Not without you, Miss Morrison.” His eyes practically beamed with glee. Dude obviously had a death wish. “Mr. Frost sent me to pick you up. I’m your security escort.”
Hagan’s hand shot out lightening quick and clenched around Aiden’s throat. I busied myself with attempting to push Hagan away with one hand as I tried to pry his fingers away from Aiden’s throat with the other.
“Will you two stop?” I pleaded, still trying to keep my voice down, but it was pointless. The entire Studemeyer lobby was enraptured, watching the spectacle play out in front of them with great interest. “Jesus Christ! Everyone is staring at us!”
Security rushed the floor from all directions and swiftly swarmed us. We were each immediately separated from each other, and I was impressed with their efficiency. They’d managed to do what I couldn’t do, separating Hagan and Aiden in a matter of seconds.
“Are you all right, ma’am,” the security guard who had my arm asked as he looked me over.
“I’m fine.” I pulled my arm from him and smoothed down my dress skirt. “Thank you, but I’m fine.”
My eyes found Hagan’s, and I did not like what I saw. His chest was heaving with rage, and his eyes were completely white. He was allowing the security personnel to detain him, but I could tell he was moments away from snapping.
“Take your hands off him, please,” I called out, rushing to his side. To my immense surprise, the men released their hold, and I instantly put my hand on Hagan’s chest and made him focus on me. “Take a deep breath, sir, and try to calm down.”
Aiden’s chuckle bounced off the walls, and Hagan lunged for him again. It took almost everything in me to hold him back this time.
“Get him out of here,” I pleaded over my shoulder to security, doing my best to convey the seriousness of the situation to them with my eyes. “Out.”
Once Aiden was out of sight, Hagan’s body relaxed somewhat. Security was still surrounding us, keeping an eye out, but they weren’t interfering, and I was grateful.
“What the hell, man?” I demanded, my brow furrowed tightly in anger. “Cause a scene much?”
“I was within my right,” Hagan said tightly, his angry eyes drilling into mine. “You do not turn your back on the brotherhood.”
“Regardless,” I said, shaking my head, “now is not the time nor the place. There are witnesses all around us, sir. Everyone saw you threaten him. If you kill him now, who do you think the first person is that they’ll come looking for?”
“You leave, you die,” he explained under his breath. “It’s that simple.”
“Is everything all right, Miss Morrison?” a voice called out, and I turned to find a burly, middle-aged man walking toward me. He was wearing an earpiece and carrying a walkie-talkie. From my estimation, I figured he was probably the head of security.
Startled that he knew my name, I fully turned to him. “Yes, it is. Thank you for your help, but everything is under control now.”
The man held a finger out to me while touching the earpiece in his left ear with his other hand. “Roger that,” he said, glancing toward the front door before looking back at me. “Aiden Mac Gabhann says he is your escort this evening. Is that true?”
“Technically.” My nose scrunched up in distaste. “Though I had no idea of his background until now.”
The man nodded knowingly and delivered some advice. “I would highly recommend for a woman of your stature and reputation to find another ride tonight.”
“Duly noted,” I replied. “I appreciate your concern, but I am capable of taking care of myself.”
“I have no doubt of that, ma’am,” he answered seriously, his eyes appraising me. I knew then in that moment he knew all about who I was and what I was capable of. “Do you require more assistance this evening?”
I looked over my shoulder and gave Hagan a once-over. He seemed to be calmer now that Aiden was nowhere in sight, and for that I was grateful. “No, thank you,” I replied, turning back to face him. “Everything is under control now.”
I watched as he signaled to his security team, and they left the lobby about as fast as they’d entered it. Turning my attention back to Hagan, I sighed and put a hand on his shoulder.
“For the record, I don’t like this any more than you do,” I whispered, my eyes pleading with him, “but I have to go with Aiden. This may be my last chance to talk to my father, and I need to know the truth.”
“It kills me that I can’t protect you tonight,” he said, matching my soft tone as he gazed tenderly back and forth into my eyes. “The thought of you alone with them makes my skin crawl. Just do me a favor and get your ass back here as soon as possible. Archer and I are going to be worrying every second you are gone.”
“I do a lot better when you’re being a hardass, sir,” I admitted, briefly toughing his cheek. “I don’t know what to do with all this sweetness coming from you. It’s disconcerting as hell.”
“Just watch your ass tonight, Morrison,” he growled, his face morphing into his usual, no-nonsense prose. “And don’t trust a single fucking one of them.”
I took his hand and ran my thumb across the backside a few times, trying to reassure him. I promised him with my eyes that everything would go smoothly, before disengaging and walking the rest of the way to the front door.
“Finally tame the beast, Miss Morrison?” Aiden asked, opening the limo door as I stepped outside.
“I should have totally let him kill you,” I scoffed, disgust painting my unamused face. “How could you turn your back on your own people and go work for the Dark?”
“They have better benefits,” he joked. “Besides, it wasn’t long ago you were actually considering the same thing, I hear. Those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
“I’ve got a stone for you,” I grumbled, absentmindedly touching my dagger on my thigh as I climbed into the car.
His laughter followed me in, but was thankfully silenced by the closing of the door a few seconds later. I watched through the open privacy window as Aiden got in the passenger
seat and instructed the driver to go. With one final wink at me, Aiden closed the window and I was finally alone.
It was then I noticed that the limousine windows were completely blacked out. I could see my reflection somewhat, but could not see the outside world. This troubled me some, as I’d have no idea which part of the city I was being taken to. If I needed to call in help, I’d have no idea where to tell Hagan to find me.
“Balls,” I sighed, leaning back into my seat and crossing my legs with a huff.
*****
About thirty minutes later, I felt the limo slow down, make a series of turns in short succession, and then finally stop. A few seconds passed and the door to my ride was opened for me.
“Greetings, kitten,” Corvus purred in his usual flirty fashion, offering me his hand. Accepting it, I gracefully unfolded myself from the car and stood in front of him.
Corvus was in fine form tonight. He was wearing an expensive tuxedo, and his long black hair was slicked back into a low man bun. My gaze swept over him appreciatively before meeting his blazing green eyes again. He may have been a Dark One, but I would have to have been dead not to have been affected by his looks and charm. Corvus was an exceptionally good-looking man, and you couldn’t help but stop and take notice.
“Corvus,” I greeted, allowing him to kiss the back of my hand.
“You look exquisite, ma belle fleur.”
Aiden joined us then, and I made sure to make it poignantly clear to Corvus that I disliked him. “Never send Mr. Mac Gabhann to escort me again. He is a traitor to An Dilis and almost met the final death tonight.”
“I was in no real danger.” He chuckled, arching a challenging brow at me.
“And he seems to be incredibly ignorant, as well,” I bit back, turning my gaze back to Corvus.
“I did not send him and tried to persuade my father to send another in his stead, but Master thought a fellow Day Walker’s presence would be more comfortable for you.”
“My traveling companion is a member of The Faithful and very nearly killed him tonight on sight. In the spirit of keeping the peace between our races, I must insist on another escort back to The Studemeyer.”
