by Judy Mills
The vamp looked directly at me. "I have what you asked for."
Cooper's eyes narrowed on me. "Damn it, Addison. What did you do?"
"I made a call." I finished with my gun and armed it for vamp. "Help him," I said to Danny. I gestured toward Laswell with the Browning, my gaze meeting his. I saw his acknowledgment of my promise to kill him if he tried anything.
He gave me a small nod and reached in his pocket. Marc put his gun to Danny's head.
With slow, deliberate movements, the vamp retrieved a small gadget that looked like a calibrator of some kind. "May I?" he asked Laswell, his tone polite.
"By all means," the practitioner said.
With a poorly suppressed sneer, Holly moved away. Laswell sat up and lifted his chin to make his PRC more accessible. Danny knelt down and attached the calibration device to the key pad on the PRC. Numbers flew by on the small screen of the device.
"It takes a few minutes," the vampire said.
"I have time."
Despite her obvious revulsion, Holly chuckled. I'd say this for her, she had a well developed sense of humor, however imaginary or enigmatic the jokes.
Laswell threw her a cautionary glance and a moment later the PRC popped open with a soft click. Laswell sighed with relief and pulled it off.
"With my compliments to your associate," he said, handing the PRC to Danny.
Danny stood, gave him a half bow and turned to me. "My 'associate' wishes you to know that his hands are tied in this matter. Without stronger evidence of guilt, to cross the Archon means sun death without trial. Often even with evidence."
Cooper scowled at Marc. "Get him out of here."
Marc obliged without troubling himself over good manners. If Danny had been wearing his collar, the Were would have probably broken something, he shoved him toward to the door so hard.
I couldn't honestly say I was sorry. True, Danny, or rather Bellmonte, had done me a favor by coming over to help Laswell, but I'd never like the younger vampire. He was an arrogant, cruel piece of crap and if the Regent wasn't stronger and smarter than Danny was, he'd be running wild and ruining lives.
As soon as Marc had Danny out of the room, Cooper headed toward the door as well. "I'm getting some sleep," he muttered, stalking out of the library.
Falcon yawned and gave me an apologetic look before heading out, too.
I was sorry Cooper was so pissed at me, but I didn't regret taking action to get rid of the PRC. I knew Bellmonte would have an easy way to decode them. Despite their revulsion of the devices, vampires were very familiar with the technology. Cooper would just have to swallow his pride and deal with it.
Holly smiled at Laswell and then me. Even though I didn't trust her, I had to admit she was near to dazzling when she did that. "Three's a crowd they say. Though in my opinion that depends on what you're doing and who you're doing it with."
She sauntered after Cooper and Falcon, shaking her head when Agent Stillman moved toward the library to stand guard inside. The female Were backed down without a fuss, seemingly as stunned as Cooper by the glory that was Holly. Whoever had said beauty wasn't everything hadn't met Laswell's sister.
"Is she always so obvious?" I asked Laswell.
"Only when time is limited."
I contemplated my weapon for a moment and then holstered it. "You must lead busy lives."
He laughed softly. "True." His amusement died and he stared thoughtfully at the cold fireplace. "I want to thank you for rescuing me. I was impressed."
"I do what needs doing. Nothing special about it."
"Don't you mean nothing special about you?"
I gave him a sharp look, but he was still gazing at the fireplace like it held all the answers to the universe.
"You can't put it off forever, you know. You have to face what you are." He looked at me, his gaze impenetrable and strangely familiar. "Before it destroys you."
What a bunch of cow poop. I'd had enough. "Face what I am in who's opinion? Your's? Cooper's? Maybe Bellmonte's? The only thing I have to face is a bunch of sanctimonious males trying to tell me what I should be."
"No pure human could jump from that catwalk as if they were stepping off a curb. Or leap straight up while tied to a chair. Or destroy two old and very angry vampires."
"They were weak from your blood, remember?"
"A human would have died. Probably in the first two seconds."
"Maybe I'm in really good shape."
"You were abandoned as an infant and have no idea who your parents were. Isn't it possible they might not have been human?"
Normally someone getting that personal would tick me off, but I'd had this argument so many times with Cooper, I didn't even care. "If I'm Were, I would know. I would've been driven to identify with an animal and shifted at fifteen. If I were a practitioner, I'd know. My talents would have started manifesting at twelve. Neither of those ever happened. I'm just strong, quick and pig headed enough not to die when the bad guys say I should."
His gaze wandered over and around me as if he saw something clinging to me that was invisible to normal sight. "Perhaps. Or you're not ready to deal with the truth. That would explain why the spell that hides your nature hasn't fully dissipated."
"A spell. On me. By whom and why? And what truth? Your version? How could you know anything about who I am?"
"I know that your mother was a powerful practitioner from a bloodline stretching back to ancient Egypt."
That did it. Now I was pissed. "Easy to say. Harder to prove," I snarled.
"As Charlotte's High Priest, it's my business to know of every practitioner in the city and keep a record of every practitioner's bloodline in the state."
Doubt and anger oozed through me like sludge off a pig farm. "If you're trying to throw me some kind of bone for rescuing you, don't bother. I spent years looking for my parents or any family they might have had. There are no records. No trail to follow. They don't exist."
"In the case of your father, you're correct."
"Don't tell me you know who he is, too?" I asked, sarcasm lacing my tone.
None of my snippiness seemed to phase Laswell. He smiled patiently like a benign grandfather. "He was originally from the mountains, but that was a long time ago."
"And this mother you claim to have records of?"
"Dead."
A taste like vinegar rose up in my throat. I pushed out of the chair. "That's something, anyway."
"There are reasons she left you at St. Paul's, Addison. Reasons she had to protect you with that spell."
I released a bitter laugh. "And I'm sure they were good ones. Meanwhile, I learned all I needed to know about taking care of myself from roaming para gangs, fights, gun battles, and the threat of starvation." I headed for the door. I'd had all I could take of this and of him.
"You're half Were, Addison," he said quietly, and the words hit me like a gunshot. I stopped and turned to face him.
"And half practitioner," he added. "Your very existence is a threat to all four races."
"Which is how I know you're lying. If any of this imaginary history were true, I'd already be dead. You would have killed me."
"Superstitious ignorance doesn't interest me. It's balance that must be maintained. If you're to defeat Navarro and protect innocent lives, you must embrace the truth of who you are."
"Your version of the truth. Not necessarily anyone else's."
"Truth doesn't change. Only the perception of it."
"Here are some hard truths for you," I snapped. "You claim to be the leader of the Charlotte covens, yet you let their children suffer and be used for a terrible purpose. You buckled under Navarro's threats."
I let the anger, sorrow and frustration that constantly tormented my soul bubble closer to the surface. "You're not someone who can be trusted, admired, or relied on. I'm not even sure how powerful a practitioner you are, otherwise you would have fought a little harder before you caved. Keep your lame attempts to manipulate my emotions to yourse
lf. I have work to do."
I stalked from the library. Nodding to Stillman as I passed, I continued down the hall, my emotions seething.
I was getting tired of people thinking they could own me and tell me what was best for my life.
I was done with that.
* * *
Margaret Stillman gave Laswell a curious look as she quietly shut the door. She'd heard everything, of course, that was her job. And she was grudgingly impressed with Addison for not falling for the practitioner's obvious attempt to manipulate her.
Resisting couldn't have been easy on the girl. Laswell had offered her everything she'd never had—answers about her past, superior and admirable parents, a heritage that made her special and powerful. That he would play on an orphaned human's emotions like that disgusted her.
She moved as close to the door as she could, her expression and body language conveying complete boredom. In reality, she focused all of her acute senses on what was happening on the other side of the door.
She heard the faint scrape of a panel in one of the bookshelves as it slid open, followed by the light step of a woman.
"She has her mother's temper and her father's stubbornness," she heard Laswell's disturbingly hypnotizing sister say. "I wonder if she has their gifts?"
"And if she does, will she use them as we need her to?" Laswell responded.
"Why else have you put yourself in this ridiculous situation but to find out?"
"You know the law. Free will can't be tampered with. Nor can we directly raise a hand against him or his children."
Margaret tensed. What were they talking about? Who and what children? The child practitioners who were being exploited by Navarro?
"Pity," Holly responded with that touch of a sensual pout in her voice such women were so skilled at conveying. "How you stood to have one of them so close to you tonight...my hackles fairly bristled."
"Grey areas, my dear. Life in this dimension is never black and white."
"Except at formal dinner parties."
"We'll have to raise the stakes," Laswell said
Margaret's vigilance sharpened, but their conversation shifted to domestic nonsense like how to replace the chef who had been killed and whether they would ever find another who could make their favorite chocolate desserts.
She backed away from the door and headed silently down the hall. Her distrust of Laswell and his sister had been confirmed, though what they had planned she had no idea.
For now she would keep her eyes and ears open. The moment she had any kind of solid information, she would report to Marc and Cooper, and they would crush them.
* * *
I followed the directions one of the new Were security guards gave me and after only a few wrong turns, found the bedroom Laswell had provided for Cooper and me. That everyone assumed we would be sharing a room added to the agitation the practitioner had already stirred up, but it was nearly two in the morning and I was too tired to demand another be provided.
Besides, Laswell's bad behavior wasn't Cooper's fault and I needed to remember that. In fact, part of me was looking forward to venting to him about the ridiculous story Laswell had told me. Maybe hearing such exaggerated speculation would help Cooper realize how crazy his own theories were and he'd finally let them go.
When I opened the door to the elegant white and pale green suite we'd been assigned, I was glad to see that he was still awake. He'd sprawled out on top of the luxurious quilt-covered bed fully dressed and was staring at the ceiling.
"Laswell claims he knew my parents," I said, closing the door behind me.
He didn't even look at me. "I had someone on the way. Why did you contact Bellmonte?"
I paused in the process of taking off my gear. He sounded...hurt. I wasn't sure what to do with that.
"I couldn't have known."
"You ran to him for help. Why?"
My shoulders tightened and my mouth went dry. "What are you doing?"
"There's an energy between you and him." His gaze flashed to mine. "I don't like it. It's dangerous."
I took a careful, controlled breath, angry that he didn't trust me to behave myself around a monster like Bellmonte. Or anyone, for that matter. "You have no reason to feel threatened."
"If you want him, say so."
Stop it! My brain screamed. He was trying to kill us. I felt it. I didn't want that. "Don't, Cooper. Please."
A muscle jumped along his jaw and the color drained from his face. "I don't know what to think, Addison. I just know it's tearing me up inside." His tormented gaze met mine. "You're tearing me up."
I held my holster tightly against my chest. "Bellmonte is less than human to me. You have to know that."
"Do I?"
"When he helps me I..." I tried to swallow, but my throat felt like it had filled with sand. "I don't feel...obligated. I don't owe him anything because I don't care."
"Is that what you feel with me? Obligated?"
"I don't know," I whispered, staring at the floor.
I felt his gaze on me and prayed he'd understand what I couldn't put into words. After what seemed like an eternity, I risked glancing up. His expression had softened and I felt the knot in my chest ease. Then a deep, longing sadness filled his eyes and my throat squeezed close.
"You didn't trust me to know what to do for Laswell?" he said.
"I'm sorry I can't be what you want." Instead I was weak. A coward.
"But maybe you're what I need," Cooper said.
He got up and crossed the room to me. Pulling me snugly against his chest, he kissed the top of my head. I shivered against him.
I'd run from the one thing that would make everything simpler for Cooper. And in many ways, for me. That's why Laswell had made me so furious. He'd forced me to look at what I didn't want to face.
I pressed tighter against Cooper. "I need to know who I am. Will you help me?"
He nuzzled his cheek against my hair. "No one can tell you that. You have to decide for yourself."
I pulled back and looked at him. Terror scraped the inside of my stomach at the thought of the step I was about to take. "Not this time."
"I don't understand."
"What Laswell said—" I took a deep breath, more scared than I'd ever been in my life and I wasn't even sure why. I was being stupid. I'd seen Cooper do it and he wasn't a monster. And if it were true, if I was Were...then no one could stop us from being together.
In a rush, I pushed out the words that might change everything for us. "If you can...teach me how to shift."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Unarmed and in loose-fitting clothing, I sat cross-legged in a clearing deep inside the Laswell estate. The hike to find a spot private enough to please Cooper had taken nearly an hour. In that time, I was left with an impression of an extensive property filled with forest that beat with a wild, primal force that I hadn't expected to find given the history of the area.
The fat moon shot fingers of pale light through the thick canopy of leaves and cast a mystical glow over the clearing that added to my nervousness. On a night like this, it seemed to me that anything could happen, and that scared me.
In a moon patch directly across from me stood a larger than normal timber wolf with hungry silver-green eyes.
"You're not going to change my mind," I said to him.
He released a resigned huff through his shiny black nose and started to glow. The edges of his form blurred and he compressed into a ball of light. The ball stretched and took on a roughly human shape.
There was a pop of sound, and Cooper stood in front of me gloriously naked. I admired him for a moment and then tossed him the pair of sweat pants bundled on the ground beside me.
"You look worried," I said as he pulled them on.
"I'm thrilled. If you can shift, it proves I've been right all along." He sat down across from me and assumed the lotus position.
"Or it'll prove I'm human."
"Not conclusively." His eyebrows made a deep V
over the bridge of his nose. "Most shifters grow up with this. You're not going to learn it in one night."
"Isn't the term 'Shifters' considered impolite?" I asked, hoping I'd caught him out after his probably true, but still insulting comment.
"Weres to the outside world. Shifters among ourselves. Shifting can be dangerous," he added.
"Bring it."
He studied me for a moment and then let out a long breath. "First you need to know that our kind isn't bound by the moon like legend teaches. We can go into our animal form any time we want."
"Got it."
"In mid-adolescence we choose the animal we'll spiritually bond with. Usually the traditional totem of the Clan. One we've already spent a lot of time around."
"I've spent a lot of time with Wizard."
"I love cats," he said, but I could see he was struggling not to grimace.
"You hate cats."
"I love her if she keeps you in one piece. The animal you resonate with is crucial during a shift. Break focus and you could reassemble in this dimension as a quivering pile of flesh."
I shuddered. "Great image. If you're trying to discourage me, it's working."
"Just making a point."
"Stay focused. Got it."
"Close your eyes. Deep breath in. Slow breath out. Picture Wizard," he said.
"I'm going to have a fluffy tail, aren't I."
"But you'll be a one-hundred-and-thirty-pound house cat, which is frightening to contemplate. Now focus."
We breathed for a moment.
"When we shift nothing can touch us," Cooper said, his voice washing over me and blending with the sounds of the forest around us. "Anything in this dimension that does is forced into the fourth. If its molecules can't hold their integrity, they separate and are absorbed into the primeval energy field. They don't come back."
I thought about that for a moment, my breath going in and out, eyes closed. "Why don't we break apart?"
"We have extra DNA that's designed to accommodate the higher vibration without losing coherence."
