Awakened in Shadows

by Tigris Eden

  “Same for us, only we’re taking Deva home. She needs to be off her feet. Gabe, you can handle the rest without us.” The twins ushered the Matria out and followed Dietrich. Jo’s breathing sped up; things were not going the way her father had planned. He waited until everyone was out of the room before he spoke again.

  “I was told you needed the relic. Was I wrong?” Phineas directed the question at the Angel.

  “No. You weren’t misinformed. Tell me your terms.” Gabriel took a seat. It was as if the Angel knew it was time to get down to the serious business—finding the ancient relic that had the potential to save or destroy the world as they all knew it.

  “Khalid, Brady, go and make sure our other guests are seen to.”

  Khalid and Beats exited the room with a simple head nod and left the rest of them alone in her father’s office.

  “Please, make yourselves comfortable.” Phineas sat on the barstool while Jo leaned against the door. There was really no reason for her to be here now, but she’d stay, answer any questions they had after her father was done explaining what he needed and why.

  “Everything you need to know is on an island protected by three brothers. They have been searching for something I have in my possession, and although I love her dearly and don’t want to give her up, it seems I must. When I first found her I was stunned. I’d only ever run into one other person that could have been kin. Which is why I need the twins’ blood, to test that theory.” Sweet Goddess of the night, no! Jo stood straighter. Her neck started to tingle. Her father was about to reveal something she may or may not be on board with.

  “What does this have to do with the Sahidic?” Xee probed.

  “If you go to this island, there you will find the blood and the cup.”

  Xee sat straighter in her chair.

  Gabe’s jaw tightened.

  There were a lot of people that didn’t care for her father’s social skills. He had a tendency to be very long-winded.

  “I was told if she were returned, they would help you restore order and ensure that my daughter is no longer vulnerable,” Phineas voiced slowly.

  Jo looked to her father in horror. Why would he send her there and what did he mean when he said returned? What could be on that island that would ensure her safety, and, at the same time, urge the brothers to help the Unit?

  “Before you get too excited, there are other stipulations,” Phineas quickly tacked on.

  “I’m listening,” Gabe prompted.

  “The brothers request that the wolf and his mate accompany her on this journey.”

  “Who is her?” Gabriel asked carefully, his eyes narrowed.

  Phineas looked past Gabriel and Xee to Jorunn, who stood stone still at the door. She still couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Why did these three brothers want her? What purpose could she possibly serve? Could it be they were capable of healing her? She was afraid to hope for such a thing. Her father hadn’t clearly said as much, but he failed to mention anything about a return journey. Like she belonged there and not here with him.

  “Father, you can’t mean to send me with them. I’d only be in the way.” Her voice was high-pitched. Her fear was getting the best of her. She didn’t know the wolf or his mate. It took her entirely too long to warm up to people. It had taken her months before she could even bring herself to man the cash register when Dietrich had first come to her shop. Now her father wanted her to travel in close quarters to some unnamed island, with a wolf and his mate? No. Hell, no! Why couldn’t he just take her?

  “Why can’t you be the one to take me?” Her voice was double layered when she spoke, and everyone in the room turned their attention to her. Maybe there was something to her voice besides the obvious multiple layers.

  “Jorunn, my love, this is a journey I cannot take with you.”

  “Then Khalid.”

  Phineas shook his head no.

  “I’m afraid not, my dear. After this journey, you will be a different person, a different soul. Healed.”

  She didn’t want to be a different person; she just wanted to be who she was now. But you’ll live if you go, her subconscious argued. But she didn’t know that for sure. It was a hunch. A feeling, nothing more. Her father may have said she’d be healed, but that could mean anything. There were some that felt death was a sort of healing. She wasn’t ready for the lights to go out just yet.

  “If I refuse to go?”

  Her adoptive father let go of a long breath before answering.

  “You will die, sweet girl.” Phineas looked over to Xee and Gabe as if they could convince her it was a good idea. Disaster. That’s what it was. This trip had disaster written all over it. She could feel it. Somehow, she knew something dire was in store for them.

  “The twins’ blood, mixed with mine, will ensure that Jorunn survives the trip. At least, that is what I am told. She requires blood in her system from time to time. I was advised by the brothers that with the twins’ and my blood, she will remain stable.”

  “What the hell happens if she becomes unstable?” Gabriel gritted out between thin lips. He didn’t like the idea any more than she did. To him, she was a civilian, a liability.

  “We’ve never let it get that far. She didn’t develop this disability until she hit puberty. So no one is sure.”

  “And you’re sure the brothers on this island can help with the Sahidic?” Xee asked, looking over her shoulder at Jo.

  “Yes, they guard a single piece that will lead you to the next. You want the cup, and the cup wants the blood. Once you have the cup, the blood will come to you.”

  “How long is your offer good for?” Gabriel inquired, standing and holding out his hand to Xee.

  “Twenty-four hours. After that, I will give the location you seek over to the Red Sun, and they will be the ones that retrieve the cup and the blood. You are aware they are searching, as well?”

  The couple in the room looked to one another before Gabriel spoke again, “we’ll have an answer in twenty-four hours.”

  Chapter 3

  “You really gonna wait for her?”

  Fuck yeah he was going to wait for her. Gabe had been behind closed doors longer than Dietrich expected, and Cassandra hadn’t returned from backstage.

  “Why do you care, Royce? Thought you and Ronin were taking Belinda back to base.”

  “We are. There’s something not right about Jorunn, plus I kind of want to see how things play out between her and Cassandra. I’m curious to see which one you’re going to get messed up over,” Royce smirked.

  Why would it matter if Jorunn and Cassandra had a run-in? He was going home with Cassandra. End of story. The other female, although she smelled good, really wasn’t his type.

  She’s totally your type.

  And that was why he was staying as far as fuck away from her as he could. Mousy females called to his inner caveman. Someone he could take care of, someone that would bring out his protective side. Nope. Not happening. Been there, done that, wore the t-shirt and got the scars on his back to prove it. He wasn’t bending over backward for a female ever again.

  “Are you stupid? I’ll never get played over some broad.”

  Royce looked at him, then back to his brother, Ronin. They exchanged some kind of twin communication and nodded, before leaving the club. They needed to go anyway. Belinda didn’t need to be out in the street. She could give birth any day now.

  “You really think you can hook up with Cassandra?”

  Dietrich turned to face the kid the others called Khalid. He reeked of bad attitude. Had the punk showed him an iota of respect, instead of eyeballing him up and down, he might have played it cool. Then again, maybe not. The kid carried a larger chip on his shoulder than most kids his age.

  “Kid, I don’t think anything. Cassandra’s a big girl. She knows what she wants.”

  Khalid bristled at being called a kid but otherwise kept his mouth shut. Good for you, kid. He wasn’t in the mood for backtalk.

&nbs
p; “Yeah, okay, call me a kid all you want. But you might have to swallow those words. I may look young, but I’m a hell of a lot older than you, Primori.”

  “Does it look like I give a fuck how old you really are, kid?”

  The music in the club switched to a song Dietrich was very familiar with, and Khalid, along with his sidekick Beats, walked over to the DJ booth next to the open hallway.

  “The moment is real. Unity is attainable. Equality for all!” Beats yelled out into the crowd. Humans and immortals repeated the last line.

  “Lemmings,” Dietrich murmured to himself.

  They were all brainwashed, or at the very least, the humans were. Their eyes wide and glossy, their movements wild and sloppy. How this equated to equality would have boggled his mind if he actually gave a damn. The strong smell of peaches and sugar overpowered his senses. It was her. Jorunn McLellan. He had to clear his throat. She was somewhere on the dance floor. Somewhere close.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Walker.”

  D turned to look at Jorunn’s brother. His patience was already paper-thin. Why did the kid keep trying to wake the beast?

  “Why are you back, kid?”

  “My father asked me to keep an eye on you till you left.”

  Like he needed a babysitter.

  “Consider me ghost.”

  He didn’t wait for the kid to answer. One moment he was in front of the kid, the next, he was standing next to Cassandra. She’d changed her outfit and was in some skintight, one-piece jumpsuit. It was all black except for a silver belt that hung low on her waist. Even her boots were black, and they put her height just at his shoulder. Her plump breasts were all but bursting from her top, which plunged low in a V. She smiled demurely at him before crooking her finger.

  Dietrich didn’t move.

  Not. One. Inch.

  She shrugged, threw him a wink and started dancing. Is that what she wanted? Did she really peg him for that kind of fool? He wasn’t dancing. He’d watch her, but that was it. Spaceships was still blaring in the club, they must have been playing the extended version. Beats had stepped from behind the booth to join Cassandra on the floor. In sync, they both moved across the floor in perfect motion. The dance wasn’t provocative, but it did hypnotize. Soon, others were following suit. Back and forth, side to side, and some twirls. Almost like a shuffle, but with subtle differences. Dancing immortals were much smoother than humans, and it looked as if some were even levitating an inch or so from the floor.

  “Man, what the fuck is this?” Gabe questioned, standing next to him. At least the meeting was over.

  “Fuck if I know. I don’t dance.”

  Gabe didn’t say anything in response, just watched Xee out there dancing with them.

  As if on cue, the lyrics from the song sang, “get high,” and every single immortal on the floor tripped the fuck out.

  He and Gabe both went on the defensive.

  Immortals were revealing their true identity in front of the humans. Humans who didn’t seem to care. Eyes glowed, markings showed, and fuck, if some weren’t actually levitating off the ground a few feet and even truly flying. They did this all to the beat of the music.

  “This is not good,” Gabe growled.

  “Who the fuck you telling?”

  Normally, in a situation like this, Dietrich would expect screaming. Hell, even mass hysteria, but none of that happened. Some humans were in the arms of immortals, enjoying the so-called high. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a Vampiri snacking on a human. Fucking idiots. They were all in direct violation of the Immortal Council’s decree to not reveal their true nature. Sure, some humans knew of their existence. Hell, the Agency was made up of mortals. But what Phineas allowed to go on in his club was grounds for serious cleanup, and it would consist of death, death, and more death.

  “Deadcrest’s granddaughter is here,” Gabe warned. His arms crossed over his chest as he looked on with a disappointed glare. Dietrich looked over, and sure enough, Teresa was in the corner, a human male in her clutches. Their eyes clashed briefly. Her yellow orbs zeroing in on his shaded ones. She knew she’d be in trouble if her grandfather got wind of her snacking on a human.

  “I’ll grab Teresa, you grab Xee. I don’t like what I’m seeing. Let’s get the girls and bounce.”

  So much for serving his dick a sweet side of pussy for the evening.

  “Agreed.” Gabe walked onto the dance floor to grab Xee, and Dietrich turned his attention to Teresa, who was still snacking on a soft serve human.

  Dietrich pushed his way through the throng of bodies, his eyes focused on his target. When he reached Teresa’s booth, the human was already gone.

  “Can I help you?” Teresa asked sweetly.

  “Yeah, get your ass off the couch and come with me.”

  She frowned. The act scrunched up her face like one of those Cabbage Patch dolls that Faith walked around with sometimes. It was a very unattractive look for the Vampiri heiress.

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Because I asked nicely.”

  Teresa huffed before shaking her head no.

  “If that’s polite, you need to work on your delivery.”

  “Nice, polite, two different things.”

  “My grandfather isn’t going to like you talking to me disrespectfully,” she sneered. Bitch really thought she was self-entitled.

  “I don’t give a fuck. I asked nice. Now I’m gonna be not nice.”

  Dietrich grabbed Teresa by the arm and pulled her from the couch. He made sure not to hold her too tightly. All he needed was shit from Draven. Dagas didn’t have any pull in the Unit, but he helped keep VAB off the streets. The last thing Dagas would want to hear about was his granddaughter’s late-night snacking habits.

  “I thought we had plans tonight, Dietrich.”

  Cassandra.

  She didn’t smell anything like the other female. They were sexually compatible, but that was it. The one that smell liked peaches was another story, and fuck, he could still smell her. Cassandra smelled like heat and sex. Jorunn smelled like fruit and sugar, and the scent was stronger now. D jerked his head up and saw the quiet vixen standing in the corner, trying to pretend she wasn’t watching the interaction between him and Cassandra. He still had ahold of Teresa’s arm, and she struggled in his grip.

  “Plans changed. Had your chance, you took too damn long. Now I got shit to do.”

  He really didn’t want to dismiss her, but he didn’t have a choice.

  You always have a choice.

  “Guess you miss out, then,” Cassandra snorted before walking off.

  Dietrich pulled a seething Teresa through the crowd and out of the club. He didn’t wait to see if Gabe or Xee followed. His bike was parked next to the Dumpster on the side of the building. He slid his leg over the seat and watched Teresa as she contemplated her escape.

  “Get on.” D dropped his head, letting his shades slide down his nose. He didn’t want Teresa getting any ideas about running away.

  “If you make me chase you, it will piss me the fuck off. Now get on the fucking bike.”

  Reluctantly, she straddled the back of his motorcycle. He waited for her to adjust, backed away from where he was parked, and shot out of the alley, barely missing two kids that weren’t paying attention to where they were going. Teresa was going to be a problem, especially if she was at BARE on a regular basis.

  ~ ~ ~

  Jorunn watched Dietrich pull off with Teresa on the back of his bike. It was a hard thing to crush on a male for so long and watch as he interacted with not one but two women. You watch it all the time in the coffee shop. This time isn’t different than any of the others. But for reasons unexplained, she felt utterly rejected by Dietrich. Maybe it was because it was first time they’d been in close proximity to each other. Had she expected him to actually acknowledge her? She wasn’t provocatively dressed to catch any male’s attention, so why did she feel like she should have gotten his? Maybe she sh
ould have asked him to dance, but from the look on his face when Cassandra had tried to tempt him to the floor, it didn’t seem like the right move.

  The doctors had told her to get her affairs in order, and that’s what she was doing. Or at least, that had been the plan until her father had up and changed the script on her. She wanted to accomplish things she’d never had the chance to do before. Have sex with the hot guy that hangs out in your place of business. That had been at the top of her list. Ride a motorcycle, she could have, but he’d taken off with Teresa, instead of her. Walk around in the bright light of day with a tank top and shorts and not have anyone stare at you like you’re an alien. Okay, so the last one was really farfetched, but it was her list dammit. According to her father’s doctor, who just so happened to be a shamanic healer, her time was limited. Very limited. Phineas was sending her with the Unit to an unknown location that could possibly save her. There was a huge difference between possibilities and absolutes. She absolutely wanted to live.

  She only had a few months left on her lifeline. She knew the twins’ blood was a long shot, but the VAB wasn’t as strong anymore, and she required more now in order to function throughout the day. She was turning into a junkie. Feral blood was supposed to have supercharged healing powers. The VAB was keeping her stable, but barely. Phineas was hoping the blue blood mixed with his would stop the mutant cells from taking over and killing her completely. Her father was old. If he’d never seen anyone like her before, who was to say these three brothers had? In twenty-four hours, Jo would know if she had a chance to live, or if she was destined to die.