by Lisa Olsen
If Bishop was surprised to see the full house when he stepped into the suite, he did a pretty good job of hiding it. I was the one who was tied up in knots, not looking forward to telling him what I’d done.
“Rob, I think you’d better go,” I said, setting down my cards.
“Sure you don’t want me to stick around?” Rob raised a brow. “Just in case?”
“No, I think it’s best if I do this on my own. But um, if you hear any screaming…” I laughed weakly, even as Bishop’s brows drew together. I waited until he left, and I shut the door to the bedroom too, not wanting to disturb the sleeping pair.
“What’s going on?” Bishop asked, making no move to disarm himself like he usually did after a long night’s work.
“I um… I kind of did something tonight that might cause a few problems.”
“I guess I’d better sit down then.” He let out a long sigh and I busied myself getting him a glass of scotch. I had a sneaking suspicion he’d need it. After he had the drink in hand, I told him the bare bones of my confrontation with Jasper, stressing the fact that he’d left without anything turning violent. Bishop listened without comment, and I was right, he did drain the glass before he said anything.
“So… are you mad?”
“Yes and no,” he replied, bending forward to refill the glass. “I told you it would complicate things to confront him like that, and I specifically remember telling you I’d look into it, didn’t I?”
So far no yelling, which I took to be a good sign. Still, I didn’t like him scolding me like a naughty child. “I told you I couldn’t stand by and watch him hurt her.”
“And I told you I recognized that was part of why you’re you,” he shook his head. “Are you telling me everything? There’s nothing you’re leaving out about tonight?”
I squirmed in my seat when he looked at me like that, like I was a criminal under interrogation. “I… yes, pretty much, why?”
“There’s no other little detail you’re leaving out? Something that could cause problems, as you put it?”
“Well, I mean, I did dance with Rob, but that’s not a big deal.” Had Felix said something to him about that slow dance and he was jealous? Or was it something else he was referring to? “And this guy tried to buy me a drink, but I said no.”
“What guy?” he frowned. I saw he had no idea what I was talking about, but I had his interest now.
“I don’t know, some vampire from the States. I’ve seen him around, but I’d never talked to him before. He was impressed by the way I confronted Jasper. Some people appreciated it at least.” I shrugged a shoulder at him. “Why are you asking me if anything else happened tonight? Did something else happen I don’t know about?”
“Jasper’s dead.”
“Shut up! You’ve got to be kidding me.” There was no way it could be over so easily.
“Yep, nothing left but a pile of ash. So, you’re lucky. There is no aftermath to deal with over your confrontation, unless you count the fact that half the city thinks you did it.”
“Me?” I squeaked.
“You are the one who threatened to end him like you did Kursik. Or did I hear that part of the story wrong?”
So he had already heard a version of the story that night. Poop. That’s what I got for dating a vampire cop. “I do recall saying something to that effect, yes. But I didn’t kill him. He was alive the last time I saw him. Did you talk to Felix about it? He helped Rob escort him out.”
“No, I haven’t had a chance to talk to him about it yet. Rob didn’t say anything to you about getting rid of Jasper more permanently?”
“He didn’t say a word. I’m not sure he was even gone long enough to take care of it, and he’s been by my side all night.”
“You’d be surprised,” Bishop murmured, taking another long sip of scotch while my brain spun at a hundred miles an hour. What did this mean for me? For Maggie? Had Rob decided to take matters into his own hands in order to keep me safe? It wouldn’t be the first time. But Rob would definitely tell me if he killed Jasper. Wouldn’t he? He was too darn good at keeping secrets for me to be a hundred percent sure.
Bishop drained his glass, setting it on the table. “As far as the Order’s concerned, it was a clean kill, so we’re out of it. The bigger question for tonight is, where are we going to keep her?” He jerked his thumb towards the bedroom.
“Who says we’re going to keep her at all? She’s her own person, not a pet,” I scowled.
“She’s your responsibility after that public display you put on.”
“Maggie’s free now that Jasper’s dead. She can go wherever she wants.”
“Jasper’s dead?” Maggie stood at the bedroom doors, white as a sheet.
“Yes, he is,” I said gently, expecting her to be shocked by the news, but she almost couldn’t bring herself to believe it.
“He’s truly dead? It’s not a trick?”
“Nope,” Bishop replied. “I talked to two eye witnesses. They saw some guy haul Jasper off of a girl while he was feeding, then he staked him and set him on fire.”
“That’d do it,” I let out a long breath, picturing it in my mind’s eye before something occurred to me. “Hey, if you knew some other guy killed Jasper, then why did you give me the third degree about it?”
“Because for all I knew you put him up to it,” Bishop pointed out. “That, and I couldn’t resist seeing what you’d come up with when I put you on the spot.” A sly grin tilted his lips and I punched him in the shoulder.
“Ugh, you’re a real jerk sometimes, you know that?”
Bishop shrugged, unconcerned.
“Do you know who the guy is?”
“No, and I don’t care. He didn’t do it in front of human witnesses, except for the human girl and he compelled her to forget about the whole thing.”
“Then it was a vampire who killed him.” A sneaking suspicion teased the edges of my mind. “What did this guy look like?”
“Blonde, average height, dark jacket with a hoodie. Neither one of them recognized him, but yeah, definitely a vampire. Probably someone Jasper managed to piss off, or maybe the girl belonged to him,” he shrugged.
It sounded a lot like my mysterious stranger, the one who said we had a lot in common. I thought about saying something to Bishop about him, but then again, what for? He already said the Order didn’t care about it one way or the other. Besides, I was too worried about Maggie, who looked like she might faint.
“I’m sorry, Maggie, why don’t you go lie down in your room? It’s safe there now, and Tucker, you go with her.” The werewolf blinked sleepily at hearing his name, having missed out on the entire conversation. “I’ll come and talk to you more at sundown, okay? We’ll figure out what to do from here.”
“Anja, she’ll be fine,” Bishop sighed. “You’ve already done enough.”
Ignoring him, I guided the pair to the door, watching to make sure they both got into the bedroom alright before I turned back to him. “She needs a friend right now. Can’t you see she’s been traumatized?”
“Give me two seconds with her, I’ll make her happy as a clam.”
“No, I told you, I don’t like the idea of messing around with people’s minds. She has every right to be upset after what she’s been through. The only way she’ll get better is to go through it. If you take that process away from her, there’s no telling how it might manifest later.”
“Fine, whatever.” He dismissed me, starting to unstrap all the gear he had on under his jacket. “I was serious about you having to watch out for her as long as she stays in the house though. She’ll have to go to the east wing tomorrow, and she’ll be considered your property.”
“Can we talk about this tomorrow? I’m feeling pretty beat.” All of a sudden I didn’t want to be anyone’s champion, not when the sun edged higher into the sky.
“You and me both.” We stripped off our clothes in tired silence, but when we came together beneath the sheets, we left all the
angry words behind.
*
I was surprised to find Bishop still there when I next opened my eyes, but it was obvious he’d been waiting around for me to wake up. After greeting me with a tender kiss, I could tell something was up and he didn’t waste any time getting right to the point.
“Listen, I talked to Felix this evening and he and Thomas are making preparations to cut their trip early and go home.”
“Why? Because of what happened last night? Did I breach some kind of protocol by not letting Thomas deal with Jasper or something?”
“They’re pretty shaken up over the hunter thing. Jasper’s death was the final nail in the coffin, so to speak.”
“But… Jasper wasn’t killed by the hunter, was he? You said it was a vampire.” My blonde admirer was definitely a vampire at any rate.
“I know, and the M.O. was all wrong too. But they’re still pretty spooked.”
“Then they don’t think I killed Jasper?” I asked, glad that rumor had died a swift death.
“They might have been persuaded to think it was the hunter and not you.”
“Why would you do that? I thought you said it didn’t matter what people thought, I hadn’t broken any vampire laws.”
“Because you’re starting to attract too much attention. Felix was asking way too many questions about you. Questions I wasn’t sure how to answer. He’s a political animal, Anja, and when he sees a display of power, particularly from one of his subjects, he starts to plot how best to exploit it for his own gain.”
“You mean Tommy’s subjects.”
“I think we all know it’s Felix who makes most of the day to day decisions there.”
I realized we’d gotten far afield of the original point and it sent a sinking feeling deep in my stomach. “You really want me to go home? Without you?”
“I think it’s the safest place for you. Not just because of the hunter, but because of everything else. With Sylvius knowing your secret and now this added attention,” he shook his head.
“Plenty of people have reputations. I think if I have to be saddled with one, this isn’t such a bad one to have.” I’d already gotten used to the rep for Kursik’s death and the perks weren’t all that bad.
“It’s one thing to have a reputation out in the West, it’s quite another in the heart of Vetis. Do you know what they’re saying about you? That anyone who disagrees with you winds up dead or missing. Is that the kind of life you want to cultivate? Because if it’s one thing I know — the higher you rise in society, the more targets you have on your back.”
“Then I’ll pull out of society. I don’t need to stay in the fancy mansion. We’ll get that place in town where we can be together.”
“You don’t get it, I’m not being dramatic.” Bishop reached down to frame my face with his hands. “There’s a hunter out there and I won’t have you going out where I can’t protect you. I’ll join you after we catch him, like we talked about.”
As happy as I was to hear him talk about leaving the Order again, I wasn’t on board with the proposed plan. “I’m not going anywhere. As long as this is where you are, this is where I’ll stay.” I met his gaze unflinchingly, refusing to let him talk me out of it. As I watched, a slew of emotions slid across his face, and his lips pressed together tightly before he spoke.
“Fine, then stay here with me. But you can’t go out without an Order escort anymore. Rob’s good, but it’s not enough, I’ll assign Fisher to you.”
I bit back the retort that leapt to mind at the decree given, going for a more rational argument instead. “How are you going to manage that? Don’t you think Angel will object to your using Fisher for personal reasons?”
“I’m tired of jumping every time she snaps her fingers. If she’s going to squander Order resources, I’m going to at least make sure they go towards a good cause.” Bishop’s jaw tightened and I shifted to massage the tension out of his shoulders.
“Is it such a good idea to piss her off?” He might not be afraid of her, but she could make his life very difficult if she chose to.
“You let me worry about that, I can handle Angel. Speaking of which, I’m due for a briefing. I probably won’t see you again until dawn. I plan to spend most of the night in the city working the case.”
I’d been sort of hoping Bishop would stick around so I wouldn’t have to face the others in the hall alone, what with all the rumors flying around about me, but I knew I’d have to deal with them on my own at some point. “Alright, be careful out there,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I love you.”
“Me too.” Bishop turned his head for a kiss that rapidly turned carnal, until he pulled away with a groan. “We’ll pick this up later, I promise,” he winked, leaving while I lay back against the covers, still recovering from that heated kiss.
I lingered in my room, taking my time getting ready until I remembered I had an obligation to see to before I dealt with the judgment of my peers downstairs.
Maggie.
Chapter Nineteen
Not knowing what state I’d find her in, I prepared myself to be one part cheerleader, one part sage advisor, and one part grief counselor should the occasion call for it. But when I knocked on her door, Maggie greeted me with an easy smile.
“Please, come in.” She bobbed in a brief curtsey, pulling the door open. Inside I saw Tucker on the other side of a rolling room service type cart, groaning with food. “We were about to eat, but I can have it put away if it offends you.”
“Why would it offend me?” I gave her a sideways glance as I stepped into the room.
“Jasper found the smell of cooked meat offensive, and preferred me to eat elsewhere,” she explained, but I saw less of the defeated slope to her shoulders. “I assumed it bothered all vampires the same way.”
“No, I think Jasper was just a…” I couldn’t bring myself to properly explain what I thought of him in English. Not out loud anyway.
“I think I take your meaning,” Maggie smiled. “Would you like something to drink?”
“No, I’m good. Don’t let me stop you guys, we can talk while you eat.” I waved them on as Tucker looked unsure of the protocol in my company as well.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course, dig in. I only wish I could join you. Man, I miss a good roast chicken,” I sighed, eyes sweeping over their food with envy. None of it smelled appetizing anymore though, or I might have tried a bite or two. The pair of them hesitantly dished out some food, but I could tell she wasn’t convinced I wasn’t going to change my mind and bite her head off about it. “Have you done any thinking about what you’re going to do now?”
“I have,” she replied, her mood souring. “I expect I should go home to my parents.”
“You don’t sound too happy about that. Why, don’t you get along with them?”
“It’ll be good to see them again, alive and well.”
That didn’t answer my question. “But you don’t want to live there?” Maggie didn’t reply and we sat through a strained silence while they chewed. “Tucker, would you mind going down to find Rob for me? Just tell him where I am in case he gets antsy?” I could have easily sent Rob a text, but I had an idea why Maggie didn’t want to open up in front of the young werewolf.
“S-sure,” he smiled softly, giving a last glance to Maggie before he left.
“I’d like to help you, but it would be easier if I understood…”
“Why I dread the thought of seeing my own parents?” Maggie finished with a rueful smile. At my nod of encouragement, she tried to find the right words. “I love my parents, but the thought of seeing them again, knowing that they know everything I endured… I don’t think I could bear to look them in the eyes.” Her head hung in shame and I reached out to rub her shoulder.
“None of this is your fault, and your parents know that more than anyone. I’m sure they’ll be glad you’re all finally free of him.” Maggie nodded, but I could guess it went deeper than that. “Plu
s, it’s okay if you’re mad at your father for putting you through it all in the first place.”
Her head came up swiftly. “He never meant for me to suffer.”
“No, of course not. But you’re only human for having conflicted feelings about him. Heck, I would too if my dad was responsible for selling me off to a sadistic vampire. I can understand why things would be awkward for you back home.” Hadn’t I been avoiding my own parents for fear of how they would react to my secret life? “Listen, you don’t have to go back home to live. You could get a place in the city, get a job, anything you want.”
“I suppose I could,” she said hesitantly. “I just… I’m afraid.”
“Afraid of what? Jasper’s dead and none of these guys will hurt you. They all know you’re under my protection.”
“Couldn’t I stay here with you then?” Her teeth caught at her bottom lip and my mouth dropped open in shock.
“I would have thought you’d want to get away from here. Too many bad memories.”
“I won’t be escaping the memories by leaving here. They’ll travel with me wherever I go,” she said, looking down at her hands. “The thing is… I just… I can’t help feeling like I’ll never be safe again. London is teeming with vampires. What’s to stop another from taking me for his pet? Worse still, what if he makes me want him to? As bad as what Jasper did to me, at least I got to keep my own mind.”
Teeming with vampires. Wasn’t there a strict ban on reproducing? I resolved to ask Bishop about it later. “I guess I can understand that.”
“I know it’s cheeky for me to ask, but it’s better to be here, under your protection, than to take my chances out there all alone. Then, when you go back to America, I’ll make myself scarce, if you like.”
“You have thought this through.”
“I know I’ve no right to ask after all that you’ve done for me.” Her lashes fanned across the top of her cheeks as her eyes swept down in defeat and I let out a long breath. Bishop was right, she was my responsibility.
