by Connie Hall
“Hurry it up,” Nina whispered to Jake.
At her human orders, he grunted with contempt. In seconds the cold metal clamped around her wrists. He threw her gloves on the ground then trudged through the snow to rejoin Clive.
Arwan crept up beside her. “You go with me, human.”
The deputies dragged Kane off, the other seniphs flanking them.
Kane glanced over his shoulder at Nina and said, “You should have run.” Remorse and sorrow filled his eyes. His expression was one of total acceptance of his fate, human in every way and at odds coming from the face of such a majestic, powerful being. It was the first time since meeting Kane that Nina sensed any defenselessness in him. Even when he’d been looking for Ethan, he hadn’t given up hope of finding him. Nina felt Kane’s sadness at having failed Ethan and herself. In that instant she knew she loved Kane, both sides of him.
Arwan grabbed Nina’s handcuffs, jerking her in the opposite direction. “Stop gawking and get moving, human,” she ordered.
The jealousy in Arwan’s voice came through loud and clear. Nina glowered at her and wondered what Arwan had in store for her.
Chapter 13
The loud vibrations of the tire chains on the police cruiser thundered in Nina’s ears. She glanced through the wire bars at Arwan driving. The sheriff hadn’t said one word to Nina the whole long walk back to the cruiser. Nina could feel the uncomfortable tension rolling off Arwan like water off a roof. She didn’t like or trust humans.
Nina decided to wait for Arwan to speak first, for she knew the alpha female in Arwan liked complete control over every situation and if Nina initiated the conversation Arwan would rebel and clam up. So Nina shoved her cold manacled hands down between her legs and stared out the window. The morning sun sat higher in the sky, and Nina had to squint as she looked at the grape orchards and white cleared fields. They were getting close to Brayville.
“You’re not just human.” Arwan had to speak over the sound of the chains, and her voice sounded shrill inside the closed space. “What else are you?”
“Clairvoyant.”
“You reek of witch.”
“My sisters call me that all the time.” She heard Arwan hold back a snort of laughter and finished with, “But you’re just smelling the white magic that makes my clairvoyance possible.”
“What’s your name?” Some of the brittleness melted from Arwan’s voice.
Nina decided it was time to lie. If the seniphs knew her sister was the Guardian, they would surely kill her right away. At least hiding her identity might give her time to plot an escape. “Nina Gray.”
“That so?” Arwan didn’t sound convinced.
“I’d prove it to you, but Kane burned all my ID when he abducted me.”
“You’re not willingly with him?” Arwan turned her beautiful hazel eyes toward the rearview mirror and gazed at Nina.
“Well, at first I was his prisoner….” Nina hesitated, unwilling to discuss the twists and turns of their short-lived relationship.
Arwan shot Nina a perceptive gaze, reading the subtext behind Nina’s reluctance. “He can be very persuasive.”
Had Kane slept with her? Sure he had. He’d probably bedded all the women in the pride at one time or another. “How well do you know Kane?” Nina asked.
“Been best friends since I can remember. Why did Kane take you prisoner?”
“He guessed that I knew he was a seniph.” Something stopped Nina from telling Arwan about her ability to sense living creatures’ emotions and how Kane had used that power to help track Ethan. Arwan’s sudden false sense of chattiness put Nina on guard. She reminded Nina of the popular girl in high school who talked to you only to get information, then dropped you off her radar.
“So, what drew you to the area?”
“I had a job near here. I was on my way home and stopped at the café in Brayville. Unfortunately, we bumped into each other at the door. His aura freaked me out, and I knew he was a seniph then. I didn’t hide it very well, because he followed me.”
“Oh, I must have been in the restroom, or I’d have seen that.” She contemplated the turn of bad luck, then said, “If you know about us, then you must be well aware of all shifters.”
“I know more than I need to,” Nina said in a deadpan voice.
“Well, that explains a lot.” Her eyes turned hard and gleaming as she said, “Then you know that gleaners can’t be allowed to live.”
“I know. I’m just sorry he’s Kane’s brother.”
“Me, too. I know it looked like I didn’t care back there, but I was just covering my butt. Somehow the council got wind of the gleaner killings at the Baldoon place and assumed it was Ethan. They demanded I find the gleaner, and if I didn’t I’d suffer the same punishment as Kane.” She heaved a frustrated sigh. “I would have protected him if I could. I didn’t know you’d both arrived at Ethan’s den when we did.”
“How did you know where to find Ethan’s den?”
“I knew Ethan would stay on the Van Cleave property, and Kane would head for the cabin or the cave looking for Ethan. I figured Ethan would hide near those two areas and seek shelter and warmth there, so I went to both places.”
Nina felt another tinge of jealousy. Arwan had probably played with Kane and Ethan in that cave, been a big part of their lives, of Kane’s life. Nina had had only a few days with Kane.
At Nina’s silence, Arwan continued. “I went to the cabin first. I saw Ethan’s tracks, but they disappeared, as I’m sure you found out. Then I backtracked and followed your and Kane’s footprints. They led to the cave and then to Ethan’s den. I wanted to go alone so Kane wouldn’t be implicated, but Quinton insisted the council attend the hunt. My hands were tied. It was damn bad luck that you two found the den at the same time.”
“Quinton dislikes Kane? Why?”
“Long story, but the short of it is Quinton is Daphne’s cousin, and he’s been out for Kane’s blood ever since Kane took her life, even though Kane was exonerated for it—hah, looks like Kane got a little of Quinton’s blood today.” Arwan’s lips stretched in a savage grin. “Quinton’s lucky he’s still alive.”
“I’m sure he knows that.” This seemed like a natural segue into her next question, and she asked, “What was Daphne like?” “Her clothes look better on you.”
Nina frowned down at Daphne’s jacket and at the edge of the long sweater peeking out below it. She’d forgotten she was wearing Daphne’s clothes. “How did you know these were hers?”
“Her smell is all over them.” Arwan wrinkled her nose, repulsed.
“So, you two got along?”
“She resented me because I was Kane’s best friend.”
“Jealous type, huh?”
“Not so much at first, but when she couldn’t give him kids, she grew insecure and took to drinking. A mean drunk, too. Didn’t care who she ran with, either. She was called before the council for drinking with human men and putting the pride in danger several times. Personally, I don’t know how Kane stood her. She made his life hell. Honestly, I was glad when Kane ended her life, and so was the council, all except Quinton.”
Nina wasn’t surprised by the coldness in Arwan’s voice. Seniphs appeared to take death in stride, unless they were related and felt a need for revenge like Quinton. Poor Kane. He hadn’t confided in Nina about Daphne’s darker side. Despite his trying to convince Nina that he didn’t believe in love, Kane had cared enough to stick by his barren wife. It gave Nina a tiny hope that they could have a future together—if, and that was a big if—they survived this present danger.
Silence settled between them while they both mulled over Daphne in Kane’s life. Then Arwan said, “If you
know where Ethan is, it would be better if you told me. I can help him escape.”
“You’d do that?”
“Sure. I’d do anything for Kane. He’s my friend.”
Nina sensed a frosty possessiveness in Arwan’s voice, and it prompted her to ask, “Ho
w long have you loved Kane?”
Arwan laughed derisively, sobered and narrowed her eyes at Nina in the rearview mirror. “You’re good. No one else has ever asked me that.”
“It’s pretty obvious to me.” Nina spoke past the growing ball of emotion threatening to choke her. “Were you two lovers at one time?”
Arwan laughed again, this time with full-blown bitterness. “That’s a joke. He’s never given me the time of day.”
“I’m sorry.” Nina felt some of the tension leave her chest.
“Don’t be, human, it’s none of your concern anyway.” Arwan made a face in the mirror at Nina, then said, “Let’s get back to Ethan. You didn’t answer my question. Do you know where he is?”
“I don’t. Honestly, we’d just found the den when you arrived.”
“Who has Ethan, then?”
“I wonder if he’s still alive.”
A Teflon smile stretched across Arwan’s lips. “You seem okay for a human. A shame you have to stand before a tribunal.”
Nina didn’t see one bit of compassion in Arwan’s expression as she asked, “Will it be bad?” “You’ll probably suffer the same fate as Kane. Death.”
The word tumbled down between them with the force of a dump-truck load of bricks. Nina’s fear rose up and clenched her chest until she could hardly breathe.
Kane glanced around at his small cell, a ten-by-ten area with a toilet and solid walls. A set of iron bars spanned the wall that held the door. The air smelled of pine cleaner, stale urine and seniph musk. They’d stashed him in solitary confinement. Beyond the door was a vestibule and another wall of steel six inches thick. Only way in was a solid-steel electronic door. Hannibal Lecter had had it better than Kane. At least Hannibal had had glass.
Kane tugged at the manacles holding his wrists and ankles to the wall. They wouldn’t budge. They’d been forged to hold seniphs, and he knew it would take an elephant to pull those chains from the wall. He was wearing only a loincloth that the deputies had given him. The minor wounds he’d gotten from attacking Quinton were still bleeding, but it had been well worth getting them, if only to finally put Quinton down. He knew it would bode ill for him, because Quinton was First Councilman and usually the deciding factor in death sentences. It would have all been worth it if Nina had run when he’d told her. She should have obeyed him. Damn her! All he could think about was how he could get her out of the mess he’d dragged her into.
The buzzer of the security door shrilled inside the cell. The steel-plated outer door slammed shut. An iron key rattled in the lock, and the inner door hissed open. Arwan approached him and said, “I hate seeing you in here, chained like a common criminal.”
“What have you done with Nina?”
“Sorry about putting you in solitary, but the council ordered it. And don’t worry about your human concubine—she’s in a regular cell up front. It’s a shame she’ll die. I’m starting to like her.”
“Don’t let them hurt her.” Kane pulled on the shackles until his knuckles showed white and the tendons popped on his hands.
“Tell them where Ethan is, and they won’t use the doom demons on her.” Arwan crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes roving slowly over his body in an appraising way.
Kane noticed she had removed her Glock for security purposes. Overkill, because he couldn’t reach her anyway, chained to the wall as he was. “I don’t know where he is,” he said. “I think someone’s setting me up. Telling the council about Ethan, abducting him and then forcing you to find me just when we reached Ethan’s campsite.”
“I’m really sorry, Kane. I couldn’t cover for you and lie to the council about a gleaner being in the area.”
“I know. I didn’t want you involved. You did the right thing.”
“The only person who has a grudge is Quinton.”
“I wouldn’t put it past him.”
“Let me arrange for your escape.” Arwan gripped his shoulders. “Together we can find Ethan and free him,
too. You don’t have to stand before the council. We can leave here and never come back.”
“Can you get Nina out?”
“No.” Arwan frowned, shaking her head. “Too much security on her, and too much risk. It’s you or no one.”
“Then I can’t go.”
“You don’t have to die because she will. Why do you care about that human anyway?”
“I feel responsible for her being here. I’m not leaving her. That’s final. You can still help Ethan, though. I know he’s a gleaner, but he was your friend, too.”
“We were close a long time ago.” She ruminated for a moment, then seemed to come to a conclusion. “I’ll do it for you, not for him. I’ll snoop around Quinton and see what I can find out. Please, Kane, consider my offer. There’s no need for you to die like this.” Arwan’s features screwed up in a worried frown, her face not so pretty at that moment. “I can’t bear to lose you.”
Before Kane knew it, Arwan stepped over to him and kissed him. Her lips were urgent and demanding, the purring in her throat loud and welcoming.
Kane turned his head away, giving her his cheek. “Arwan, don’t.”
She grabbed his face and forced him to look into her wounded hazel eyes. “I love you, Kane. Please, let me arrange for your freedom. We can leave together. Never come back. Charles can run the vineyard for you and send the money—”
“You’ve got this all figured out, don’t you?”
“Just trying to save your life,” she said. “I never dreamed you’d be so ungrateful.” Kane had thought he knew Arwan as well as he knew himself, but this female standing before him was a stranger. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m appreciative. I just need you to realize I can never think of you in that way. I only care for Nina.” He froze. The declaration that had slipped out surprised him.
“You’d love a human before me,” she spat out, bearing all her emotional claws. “First it was Daphne, that alpha bitch. Now this mousy little human.” Her expression filled with scorn. “I’ve stood by you for years waiting for you to love me, Kane. Well, I’m done waiting. You’ve just lost the best thing that ever came into your life.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she turned in a huff and left.
When she buzzed open the outer door, two doom demons blocked her way. They were huge fiends with gray hairless wrinkled skin, purple glowing eyes and horns on the front of their snouted faces. They walked upright and resembled giant anteaters with six human-looking tactile fingers. Long black robes covered the nasty spikes of bone that protruded from their spines. They were demon inquisitors for hire.
One of the demons held a tray of clamps, knives, beakers of acid and various shapes of curved blades used for torture.
“Well, well. Kane Van Cleave. We meet again. It’s been some time. Nice to see you again.”
Kane recognized the demon right away. He had worked on Kane the first time he’d faced a tribunal on charges of letting Ethan go. In fact, every scar on his back had come from this monster. “Great to see you, too, Grimel,” Kane said with hatred in every word.
“You remembered my name. I’m so pleased.” Grimel smiled, his big yellow fangs showing. He turned, and Kane saw that Grimel held the same whip he’d used to torture Kane the first time they had met. It was a nasty flaying device straight out of the Tower of London’s medieval dungeon. Eight flexible metal lashes were attached to a single clublike handle. The metal strips could be heated to sear the skin during a beating.
“You made certain I couldn’t forget.” Kane glared at Grimel.
“Yes, I like my clients to remember who marks them—if they live.”
Kane saw the tears in Arwan’s eyes as she slipped past them. Then the key rattled in the lock as Grimel opened the inner cell door. Grimel’s companion smiled at the prospect of the long hours of torture ahead of them.
Kane thought only of how to save Nina and Ethan as he watched the doom demons approach him.
Two hours later, Nina held her throbbing t
emples and paced the length of a cell the size of a small bathroom. She was sequestered in the middle cell. The two on either side were empty. The sound of her footsteps echoed off the white concrete walls and floor and braided with the country music playing inside the office. From her vantage point, she could see the main part of the sheriff’s office. Clive had his feet propped on a desk, looking at internet porn and drooling over two large-breasted naked women.
A German shepherd lay at the foot of his desk, eyes on her, watching her pace.
She reached the wall, turned and rubbed her arms, caught in another wave of the shivers. The buzz in her mind split in two directions, pain and agony coming from two sources. Both were close, originating from somewhere inside the jail. Was one of them Kane? Nina had seen Arwan give the order to Jake to go get the doom demons, but they hadn’t come through the main office. Nina had no idea what they looked like, but she had sensed the pall of evil their arrival had brought in the form of the shivers that now plagued her. It bothered her that she had no idea if the emotions were coming from alive or dead victims. Thoughts of Kane’s death caused tears to blur her vision. She had to find him and know for sure if he was alive. Dear God! Please let him be alive.
Nina blinked back the tears, turned and paced in the opposite direction. She stopped, rested her forehead on the bars and gazed out at the German shepherd. Then an idea struck her. “Here, doggy,” she whispered.
The shepherd stood up and obeyed her command.
Clive had a one-track mind and didn’t notice she’d called the dog.
When the shepherd came to her, Nina was glad they’d removed her handcuffs when they had secured her in the cell. It made it possible to stick her fingers through the bars and touch the dog’s neck.
What is your name?
Gabriel.
Do you know who is being hurt, Gabriel?
Two lion men. Where?
One in solitary confinement with torturers. A mental tremble went through Gabriel.
