“Works for me.” He guided her forward. “Let’s see if we can convince Jen to join our little band of Hunters.”
Rowan loved the fierce stamp of protectiveness on Trevor’s face for a group of women he’d never met. He was a good man.
And he was hers.
Her thought from the other day came back to her. At the moment, her words seemed truer than ever.
This would be the easiest game she’d ever won.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jen glared at them the moment Trevor and Rowan stepped up to the bar. With that one look directed their way, he knew what Jen’s answer would be to his proposal. She wanted no part of Allie’s or the Huntsmen’s lives. The only question left was why.
Rowan slid onto the stool, farthest away from the group of drunk middle-aged men who were shouting at a football game on the television mounted in the corner of the room. “Hello, Jen.”
Jen glanced at the people around them, then moved closer to the counter. “What are you doing here again?”
“You invited me to come and talk to you if I wanted.” Rowan propped her chin on her steepled hands. “Every day but Tuesday. Today’s not Tuesday.”
“About love. I invited you to come talk to me about love, but that’s not why you’re here. If it were, you would’ve come alone. I can’t imagine you’d want to talk about your devotion to your dead mate in the presence of another man.”
“Trevor knows about Kai. I have no reason to hide any discussion about him from Trevor.”
A wide grin spread over Jen’s face. “So he’s okay learning that he’s Kai’s reincarnation and that you’re the reason he died.”
Rowan gasped while Trevor’s chest constricted. Rowan was his. Had been all along.
“You can tell that I’m Kai’s reincarnation by looking at me?” Trevor moved closer to Rowan, needing to hold her but settling for the press of her body against his. The rest of Jen’s statement had probably hurt Rowan. She wasn’t responsible for Kai’s death. Trevor had relived it in the fairy realm. Rowan hadn’t even been in the room.
“Yes. I told you that I can learn much about a person by looking at them. Love leaves its mark on a person’s soul, and soul mates are branded by the touch of their other half. Minerva’s tears have ensured the memory of your love for Rowan has lived on in your soul.”
“If you knew this yesterday, why didn’t you say something?”
Jen glanced at Rowan. “It wasn’t the right time to share the knowledge. For a maiden to be successful in her task, she must know when to act and when to observe.”
“This is your task?” Rowan planted her palms on the counter and leaned over it. “To expose my stupidity and ruin my second chance with Trevor?”
“If that’s what you think I’m doing, then I guess so.”
“I don’t know what to think. Why don’t you tell me the truth?”
Jen looked pointedly at the gloves Rowan wore. The gray ones she’d chosen reached to her elbow. “Think about my words tomorrow night, and you’ll understand.”
“What’s happening tomorrow night?” Trevor glanced from one female to the other.
“Nothing.” Rowan sat back.
“Nothing, my ass.” Jen’s features tightened. “I know all about you, Hunter, and I know what you’ll be doing tomorrow night.”
“You don’t know me. You know what Minerva has told you, and I’m sure she’s had oh so many wonderful things to say about me.” Rowan rolled her eyes, and sarcasm dripped from her tone.
“Minerva loves Arawn’s children as if they were her own.” Jen crossed her arms over her chest. “Accuse her of such a ridiculous thing again, and you and I can take this discussion outside. Being a maiden doesn’t mean I can’t fight.”
That was all Trevor needed—a catfight. “Enough. This isn’t the conversation I’d planned for tonight.”
“Yeah? Then why did you come here?”
“We want you to come stay with us. It’ll be safer for you, and Allie—”
“You told them?” Jen’s narrowed eyes focused on him held betrayal. “Weren’t you listening when I said I wanted no part of her life?”
“Yes, I told Rowan. I won’t keep secrets from her.” Trevor rested his hand on her thigh, hoping to calm her somehow with his touch. Tension radiated from her and matched the tight lines on her face. “And yes, I heard you, but you didn’t exactly explain why you don’t want to talk to Allie.”
“Allie doesn’t need me to influence her. She has her own choices in life to make. That’s how this living business works. Besides”—Jen lowered her voice—“I don’t want to hurt Allie. I’m ready to leave this job, and if she gets attached to me, she’s going to be upset when I’m gone.” Jen pulled out a small black notebook. “Now, please leave. I need to finish out this shift.”
“Just a minute.” Trevor waited until Jen raised a brow. “What about the other maidens? Will they join us if we ask them?”
“I can’t answer for my sisters. You’d have to ask them.” Jen smirked. “If you can find them.”
“Do you know where any of them are?” He’d do everything in his power to convince them to join the Huntsmen, and he wasn’t giving up on Jen yet either. He knew when to pick his battles, though. Arguing with the maiden with that stubborn look on her face many women got would get him nowhere.
“Just one. She goes by the name of Jessica in this life.”
“Do you have her contact information?” Even a last name would be enough to get them started.
“I have her cell phone number. It’s written on a notepad at my apartment.” She wrote in her notebook, then ripped the page out and handed it to him. “Call me on Tuesday night, and I’ll meet you somewhere. I don’t want you showing up here again.”
“Thank you.” He pocketed the paper. “And if you change your mind, call me.”
“Sure thing.” Jen nodded, then walked away.
He turned to Rowan. She stared at where her hands were laced on her lap. He covered them, squeezing gently. “You were right about me being Kai’s reincarnation.”
“Yes. I was. I was also right when I said I’ve changed. Kai fit me then, and I loved him with all my heart.” She lifted her gaze to his. “But he’s not the right man for me anymore. You are, Trevor.”
He stepped between her legs and tipped up her chin. She looked at him as if he were the only man in the world. It was a damn fine thing to see. He hoped she saw the same in his expression, because he felt it. “I agree. You fit me. I didn’t think it was possible to find a woman who did. I guess I was just looking in the wrong places.”
“Or searching too soon. I did only get released from my cell a couple of months ago.”
He didn’t need the reminder of what she’d endured, but pretending it didn’t happen wouldn’t change the past. She’d suffered. That was a fact. And he was the cause of it.
“Now that we found each other again, I don’t plan on ever letting you go.” Or seeing her cry over him.
“I agree. Let’s embrace this second chance.”
“Then we should enjoy every minute of discovering each other’s newest version.”
She kissed him, a barest touch of her lips to his. “Sounds like a plan.”
Before that could happen, though, they needed to put the past to rest. Finding out why Rowan blamed herself for his death in a past life would be the first step to doing that.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“You’re the reason he died.”
The maiden’s words echoed in Rowan’s head, despite her efforts to ignore them. She knew why Alana had delivered her statement in front of Trevor. Tomorrow was the anniversary of Kai’s death. She wanted to remind Rowan what was at stake—Rowan’s future.
Rowan had to let go of the guilt she’d carried for a millennium, embrace her life with Trevor, and face Lucas.
Dealing with her guilt would have to happen tomorrow, when she could mourn in private. Trevor didn’t need to see her tears. He saw her as stro
ng and resilient. Breaking down in front of him would not support that image.
But that was tomorrow. Tonight was theirs, even if they spent it prowling the dark alleys searching for a lead on Craig.
She tightened her grip on Trevor’s hand and pointed with her free one. “The last time I was here, there was evidence that homeless people were sleeping down that road.”
“There’s an abandoned church at the end of that lane. Whenever I stayed with my grandmother, we used that door to get to the kitchen. The elderly women in the neighborhood would sell pierogis or kielbasa or whatever dish they’d made.”
“That explains it.”
His brows pinched. “Explains what?”
“Why you know your way around this city so well. I was wondering about that when you took all those short cuts driving here.”
“I spent my summers split between my maternal and paternal grandparents. My mom couldn’t close her bookstore to watch me, and my dad worked all the time. Since they couldn’t afford a babysitter, I was shipped off to whoever would take me. Sometimes, I stayed with Ian’s family too.” He scanned the area as they walked, his gaze assessing everything they passed. “Once I got older, I worked at the store with my mom. That’s how I met Allie. She took my position when I started college.”
“You know her well, then?”
“Yes.” He turned his carefully neutral gaze on her. “Does that make you jealous?”
“No. Should it?”
He gave a small half shrug. “You seem irritated whenever she’s around. Jealousy would explain that.”
She sighed. Allie wasn’t a topic she wanted to discuss. No matter what Rowan said about the girl, she’d likely annoy Trevor. He was protective of those he considered his. Actually, he’d protect all the innocents of the world if given the chance. That was the reason he wanted to ride in the Hunt. He’d told her that.
“No. I’m not jealous of her. I’m frustrated by her.” Rowan stopped walking and faced Trevor so he could see the truth in her eyes. “Allie is strong. Here.” She laid her hand over her heart. “I’ve heard you and Ian say the same thing about the girl. Allie is tough. Emotionally, not physically. I agree. She’d have to be in order to resist the temptation of the fairy realm for as long as she did, but she walks around the estate as if she’s some fragile thing in need of protecting.”
“That’s how she was raised. All her sisters were the same way, thinking men should be tough and women should be soft. Ian’s ex took it a step further and demanded to be pampered, as if getting showered with presents and attention was her right because she was female. Allie’s not like that. She doesn’t care about material things.”
“Except for her phone.”
“True, but that’s her only connection to the outside world. She’s basically a prisoner at the estate.”
Rowan straightened. “She’s not. Just last week, I took her shopping. We went to that secondhand store she loves.”
“But she had to ask you to take her.” He held up his hand. “I know I’m talking semantics here, but my point is—she has no role in the Huntsmen’s fight and no purpose other than to wander the estate.”
Put that way, Rowan could understand the girl’s despondent attitude. Just because her mother was a maiden didn’t mean Allie was special. It was Alana’s soul, not her body, that tied her to Minerva and gave her the title—handmaiden of love. The abilities that came with the role didn’t transfer through birth. If it could’ve, the world would be filled with maidens.
“Isn’t that what will happen to Minerva’s maidens if they move into the estate? They’re humans and can’t be expected to take up a blade and fight against a bunch of sluaghs.”
“I’m human.”
“Not for much longer.”
“True, but today I am, yet here I am, with you.”
Did he have to remind her how easily he could be hurt? She fisted her free hand and ignored the echo of Alana’s words whispering in her head. “I will protect you if the need arises, but I doubt I’ll have to step in. You’re strong.”
His mouth curved into a small smile, obviously pleased with her assessment of his abilities. “Point taken, but I was thinking along the terms of strategic help. They’ve experienced a lot over their lifetimes and have a good understanding of humanity, the good and bad.”
“They also understand the other worlds. Minerva has shared much of her knowledge with them.”
“Exactly. It’ll be much easier picking the brains of Minerva’s maidens than traveling to Hell to drag information out of your father’s mate.”
Trevor had put thought into his plan. She couldn’t help but respect that. She could do the same with Allie. There had to be something the human girl could do. Rowan pictured Allie at the estate, considered her hobbies, and grinned. “Maybe that’s what Allie can do too—help behind the scenes.”
A considering look settled over Trevor’s face. “How so?”
“She’s good with electronics, right?”
“Yes. She has a computer degree and graduated top of her class too.”
“Let’s see if she can figure out a way to make communicating with the Underworld easier. I have no idea if it’s possible, but Arawn has computers in Hell now. Maybe with Harley’s help, they can come up with something. The fairies did create a realm out of nothing. If it doesn’t work, she can take over the task of adding to the database you and Ian started.”
“I like that idea. If anything, it’ll make her feel as if she’s not just sponging off us.”
Trevor’s praise brought a smile to her lips. “It’s settled, then. I’ll mention it to Rhys when we get home. He can talk to her about it since he seems determined to solve Allie’s problems.”
Trevor pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. “It’s after six. Do you want to head back now or search more?”
“We’ll check out this last street, then go home.”
She hated quitting empty-handed. The two leads they’d gotten earlier in the night hadn’t panned out. They were floundering in their fight against the Unseelies while Dar was probably busy selecting and training redcaps to replace the few the Huntsmen had managed to kill over the past couple of months.
The dead-end road leading deeper into the rundown city block narrowed the farther they walked down it. A dilapidated apartment building took up one side of the street. The screen door to the housing unit banged with the breeze blowing through the narrow lane, and rows of mailboxes could be seen each time the door swung open.
On the other side, a boarded-up video store and a pawn shop butted up against the rough stone church. A few of the stained glass panels had been covered with plywood, and graffiti decorated the wood and walls, but the blemishes didn’t deter from the majestic beauty of the building. She’d wandered into a couple of churches while exploring the towns near the estate after they’d regained their freedom. The artwork had amazed her; so had the sense of serenity that had blanketed the space.
The abandoned church in front of her was probably eerily beautiful with dust covering the pews and cracked and missing plaster. She wanted to see it and sit for a few minutes in the quiet building.
Trevor tugged on her hand, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Look.”
His quietly spoken word set her on edge. She followed the direction of his gaze. The Dumpster up ahead had a mark that somewhat resembled a handprint on it.
She opened herself partly to the power of the Hunt, enhancing her senses, and surveyed the area. No heartbeats, besides Trevor’s. No movement, except for the scuttling of rats behind the trash bags lying outside the Dumpster. And no thumping in her veins indicating a creature infected with Chaos was close. The stench reaching her nose told a different story, one she couldn’t quite explain.
“Blood.” She released Trevor’s hand and approached the bloody handprint. A few hours old, if she had to guess. The edges of the mark had begun to dry. She inhaled, allowing the scent to fill her lungs and feed her the informatio
n she needed to decipher the smell. “A dog was killed, not a human.”
Trevor crouched next to her. “Can you tell anything else?”
“I smell several different humans and other animals.” She looked at him. “But no hint of Chaos.”
“It doesn’t mean it wasn’t Craig.”
Unfortunately not. She swept her gaze over the area. A sheet of scrap metal was propped against the side of the church. Lying next to the gap made by the rusty metal, a backpack with a bedroll attached to it and a few plastic grocery bags with what appeared to be clothes shoved into them had been tossed on the ground. Beside the discarded items, a small bowl with the remnants of maybe cat or dog food sat perfectly centered on a piece of folded newspaper.
Whoever had been using the spot as their home wasn’t anywhere to be seen, however. The fact that the person had left their belongings behind, unguarded, didn’t offer much hope they’d find the homeless person alive.
Sympathy for the human who’d probably either been turned into a sluagh or had died at the hands of one mixed with the rage that always accompanied the tragic loss of life. She breathed deeply and fought to contain the dark emotions. They wouldn’t help. There was no immediate danger. She had to think. The presence of animal blood didn’t fit with the behavior of the Unseelie creatures.
Trevor laid his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll get the killer.”
His touch and words centered her, chasing back the emotions she couldn’t deal with at the moment. There was a very good chance whoever had hurt that dog was nearby. Retribution could be delivered tonight.
“The church.” She motioned toward the door a few feet down from them that Trevor had used as a child. “You said it’s abandoned.”
“Yeah, the redcap would probably get a sick enjoyment out of using a former sanctified building as its hiding place.” He cracked his knuckles. “Come on. I’ll lead the way. You keep yourself open to the Hunt. You might not feel the taint of the redcap or its sluaghs, but you might smell or hear something.”
Hunter Mourned (Wild Hunt Book 3) Page 15
