by T. G. Ayer
And it seemed the Odels were cursed with their demons. I understood my father's passion. The deep desire to find a cure, a treatment that would save hundreds of walkers cursed with this terrible affliction. The deep desire to answer his own personal need to mark the life of a departed child, to save a brother, to save a living—though surrogate—daughter.
He was so intent on curing Lily that I often wondered if he would push her too far, too fast just because he wanted success. I ached to admit that I feared that he would turn into his brother, driven by a crazed need, turning into a monster.
I sighed. Perhaps I was misinterpreting his passion, instinctively worried that Uncle Niko's insanity was hardwired into the Odel family DNA.
I bit back a smirk. Would that not mean Iain and I were both in trouble?
Dad patted me on the back again. He was about to say something when the sound of knocking on the front door rang out. We both glanced up at the house, peering through the darkness to the left-hand corner where the entrance and the gravel drive sat.
Lights blazed, confirming the presence of a vehicle and we both rose. I began to walk off but was stopped by dad’s pointed finger, warning me to stay put.
He glanced back at me. “Don’t come with me. Get inside the house and stay unseen.”
Concern rippled through my gut. “What’s going on? You’re sounding like the witchhunters are at our doorstep.”
Dad didn’t respond to me. Instead, he walked off, mumbling to himself. But the evening air cast his words in my direction, sending a chill up my spine.
“That’s probably not far from the truth of it.”
Chapter 7
I wasn’t particularly in the mood to hide away like a criminal in my own house, so I snuck in the back door and headed upstairs. We’d begun to tiptoe around the Walker High Council after they’d laid down their decree forbidding relationships between walker alpha and human.
Logan still remained within our home though, the best place for him to remain until he recovered enough to stand on his own two feet. Literally.
I entered my old bedroom feeling my heart hitch as I took in the sight of him lying there on my bed, motionless, his face serene and beautiful.
His dark hair had grown longer and now had a gentle curl to it, which I knew would annoy the hell out of him had he been awake to see it for himself. I liked it though, the softness of it reminding me that his strength and power was not at all tempered by his tenderness and ability to care for others.
I was standing at the foot of my bed when a sound behind had me swinging around, hand going to my thigh to reach for the dagger strapped there.
“Whoa, it’s just me, Kai.” Darcy grimaced and met my eyes. “Sorry if I startled you.”
I shook my head. “No. I’m just a little jumpy is all. Just been through a bit more than I think my brain can compute.”
“Yeah, Iain told me. You must be exhausted.”
I nodded and sank onto the foot of the bed, as if the mere mention of my tiredness was enough to weaken my knees. “It’s definitely been a long day.”
Darcy stopped at my side and joined me in staring at Logan for a few minutes. Somewhere downstairs voices rose and fell, and then the front door shut with a loud bang that reverberated throughout the building.
Darcy and I shared a concerned look, but neither of us made any attempt to go check on what had happened. I smiled to think that Darcy had been around long enough to know to leave Dad alone when he was furious.
Then she sighed. “I know you want to speak to him.” I didn’t respond, afraid to jinx it. Darcy cleared her throat. “We just completed a session. He was exhausted enough that he fell asleep almost instantly once we’d completed the treatment.”
I let out a disappointed sigh, surprised to see how deeply I’d responded to not being able to speak to Logan. I’d begun to live for the moments when we could talk, however few and far between they were.
My emotions must have been plain to see because Darcy stepped closer and laid her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Kai. If it makes you feel any better, he is getting stronger, and I think he should be recovered in the next two weeks.” My gaze shot to hers, surprised, hopeful, joyful. “He has been moving and showing sights of some lucid moments. Those are very strong signs that he’s gaining sufficient emotional strength to break through.”
I swallowed the strange mix of emotions and took a deep breath.
“You can sit with him, though. At least he can hear you when you speak.”
“He’s still unable to talk back,” I said, raising my eyebrows.
Darcy grinned. “When you’re both old and gray you’ll appreciate the moments when he didn’t have something smart to respond with to everything you say.” Darcy winked and headed out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her.
I smiled to myself. Poor Iain. I wondered if he knew what he was in for with Darcy. She was far from the mousey, walk-all-over-me type.
I sighed and turned my attention to Logan, listening to his soft breathing. I shifted closer and took his hand in mine. “I wanted to speak to you, to tell you everything that happened to me in the last two days. You may laugh and say there isn’t anything I could have experienced that would be totally alien to you given all your experience, but yeah I have a good story for you.”
I gave him a debrief, covering the stakeout and then my abduction. I watched his face as I told him about the nephilim Evangeline who’d come to my rescue, and felt a twinge of disappointment that such unusual news hadn’t raised even a flicker of his eyelash.
I sighed and leaned on my elbows, studying his sleeping face.
“Lily’s doing better. Dad says he thinks she’s ready for the next phase. I’m a little worried about that because Lily saw for herself what Anjelo went through when Niko injected him with the serum.” I stopped before I voiced my concerns about Dad’s motivations. That was something I wasn’t willing to talk about out loud just yet, because even to my own mind it sounded paranoid.
I tightened my hold on his hand and stiffened as his fingers closed over mine, gripping me with a strength I’d never felt from him since he’d entered his strange coma. Tears filled my eyes, and I swallowed a sob. Relief and joy flooded my senses, and I lifted his hand, placing the back against my cheek.
Here was proof that Logan really was coming back to me. The grin that covered my face was wide and didn’t falter even when the doorknob turned, and someone entered quietly.
A glance over my shoulder confirmed it to be Sienna, Logan’s twin. The dragon queen. I was glad that we’d remained friends over the last few weeks, despite my having pushed her a little too hard to come to terms with her dragon.
But being a panther shifter, I understood exactly what it felt like to be fighting the creature that resided within you. It was an emotionally draining battle that some never win. Which was one of the reasons I wanted Sienna to start out fighting as opposed to running. I’d run from my panther for far too long, and whenever I thought about the years I’d lost, it felt like I’d almost accepted her too late.
“Sienna,” I said waving her over with my free hand.
She smiled and walked over to sit behind me at the foot of the bed. “From that smile on your face, I’m assuming he responded somehow.” She tipped her head and studied my fingers as they threaded with Logan’s. “He squeezed your hand, I take it.”
Nodding, my grin widened. “It never fails to give me hope.”
Sienna laughed softly, the sound of it almost humorless. “I’m glad. But you must know what it means?”
“What it means?” I asked, frowning as I straightened and released Logan’s hand, then rested it at his side.
Sienna nodded. “As soon as Logan is well he will return home with me to Drakys.” Her words reverberated through the room.
It wasn’t as if I hadn’t suspected that would be what he’d do. And it wasn’t as if I didn’t agree with that being the smartest move for another reason—getting aw
ay from the Walker Council’s ever-present danger.
I cleared my throat and got to my feet, suddenly feeling like a stranger in my own bedroom. “Has he said what his intentions were?”
I met Sienna’s eyes and the expression in them was enough of an answer.
I wasn’t sure where to look as heat built behind my eyes. During the talks that we’d had with Darcy’s help, he’d never once mentioned that he’d be leaving as soon as he awakened. And again, I had to remind myself that I’d known it all along. There was no point lying to myself.
I nodded slowly, finding I had no voice to utter the words I was about to say. I hoped Logan would talk to me about it before he decided to leave.
With Sienna as the Queen of all Drakyr, the duties of General now fell upon his shoulders. He would still need to learn to shift, and then train himself on the specifics of running an entire army of dragons. He needed to attend to his duties, to be back in his rightful role in his home realm.
Without me.
Chapter 8
I tapped the letter against my palm as I paced across the kitchen floor. Although the urge to burn the missive was foremost in my mind, I had to quell it. Grams would say I ought to assess the situation from all angles before making an informed decision because any other course of action would be reckless and stupid.
Grams was right.
I stopped at the marble kitchen counter and smoothed out the letter again, reading the infuriating words for what must have been the tenth time.
Attention: Lady Kailin Odel, Alpha of the Panther Walker Clan (North American Sector)
Due to recent findings, you have been found guilty of engaging in relationships with, and/or cohabiting with, persons not of the Walker species. As decreed by Article 4, Section 17 of the ratified Addendum to the Walker High Council Treaty, you are hereby on notice. Any further cohabitative or marital interactions with said non-Walker person will not be taken lightly, and will out of necessity, be punishable by a sentence of permanent banishment, or death by beheading.
As Alpha, your duties and responsibilities are held to the highest standard and as such the Council wishes to ensure that all of their representatives behave in accordance with the Treaty.
With sincerest regret,
High Councilmen Joseph Marsden
I wanted to growl out my anger and felt my panther rising to the surface, spurred by my fury and frustration.
For centuries, the walker clans had been intermarrying with humans and other supernatural species like the fae and other shifters. Marriages to demons were less common but have been known to occur especially with the djinn and similar more human species.
For the Walker Council to come now, after a lifetime of interbreeding and lay down ridiculous rules made no sense. Dad had always claimed that Marsden had far too much power for a non-alpha. And come to think of it, what better way to lay claim to alphahood than refuting the current alpha’s claim by classifying them as unworthy.
Many of the council-members supported Marsden, but most didn’t, and I had to hold out hope that those particular walkers would stand fast and not be broken.
The sound of the keypad at the front entrance echoed down the hall, and I glanced up, waiting as Iain’s footsteps hurried inside and the door slammed shut. I could just picture him kicking the door closed with his heel, a habit Mom detested with a passion.
My brother hurried inside, his golden hair shimmering in the mid-morning sunlight that streamed into the kitchen.
He took one glance at the letter and removed it from my fingers, sank into the closest barstool and scanned the contents. His face darkened, and his blue eyes turned almost gray as he set the letter on the counter, the muscles in his neck revealing how furious he was.
“Dad know?” Iain asked, not one for mincing his words.
I gave a half-hearted nod. “I called him after you, but he doesn’t know the contents of the letter.”
Iain let out a lengthy breath, his nostrils flaring as he stared out of the kitchen windows to the garden beyond. “Somehow they’ve gotten wind of Logan’s presence in our home.”
“We kept that pretty much on the down-low. Sienna and Darcy have been back and forth but Logan’s been in that bed for weeks.”
Iain’s lips twisted. “What about the rest of the people in the house?”
My eyes widened. “You think Baz or the twins could have told on us?” The idea that Baz—our resident vamp-hacker—could be capable of selling us out just didn’t sit well. And the twins were too young for such political maneuverings.
“You never know, Kai. They could have let something slip to any number of guests. Even the cleaning staff, or Anjelo’s mom.”
I shook my head. “Stella has been part of this household since forever, Iain. She wouldn’t sell us out to Marsden.” But even as I said those words I felt a twinge of suspicion, my gut telling me that just because I didn’t want something to be true didn’t mean it wasn’t.
“How do you know that, Kai? Anjelo is dead. On your watch. We have no idea how a grieving mother would react to the death of her only son.”
Iain’s words hurt only because he’d echoed my own thoughts. And I could no longer ignore the possibility that Anjelo’s mother could have ratted on us out of anger and grief.
I sighed, swallowing the rise of disappointment that wanted to wash over me and turn me into a puddle of self-recrimination and misery. “Maybe we should ignore that letter. After all, what could they possibly do? They won’t really behead me,” I said, my voice rising just a tad, just enough to reveal that my blasé act was just that, an act.
Iain snorted and glared at me. “This is probably not your smartest moment, dear sister. And here I’ve always been proud of your intelligence.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” I asked, then did a slight double-take as his words hit home. “Wait, you’ve been proud of my intelligence?”
Iain scowled. “Off topic, Kai.”
I let out a soft sigh and folded my arms. “You’re just siding with Marsden and his cronies now.” My eyes narrowed as I wondered if he was concerned about his own position in the eyes of the council.
Iain let out a cold laugh. “I take it you’ve clean forgotten a certain MindMelder who also happens to be officially human?”
I let out a soft croak. “Shit. Darcy.”
“Yeah. So I understand very much what you are going through.”
There was a hollow tone to his voice, and I understood I’d hurt him with my lack of empathy and my selfishness.
“I’m sorry,” I said, contrite now. “That was selfish of me.”
I knew very well that I knew all too little of Iain and Darcy’s relationship. They’d handled their personal affairs well beyond my knowledge or awareness. My brother wasn’t known for sharing when it came to his romantic interludes, although it had been clear from the start that Darcy was more than just an interlude.
Still, having not spoken to either of them, all I knew for certain was they were very much attracted to each other and had explored that attraction. But beyond that, I have had no idea how permanent or official their relationship was.
I shifted my attention away from the odious letter and focused on Iain whose face was still flushed with color. “So how are things with Darcy anyway? You two have been very guarded. You know it’s bad luck to keep things away from the maiden of honor?” I said, grinning.
Iain’s eyes widened, and I knew that look. He didn’t like being questioned, least of all by his little sister. Too bad. It’s time he got used to having a sister that gave more than half a damn.
When he shrugged, I raised my eyebrows. He must have known I wasn’t about to stop because he held up a hand. “Don’t get ahead of yourself Miss Maiden of Honor. When, and if, we get serious you’ll be the first to know. Until then, keep that nose of yours out of my business.”
I rolled my eyes. “Iain, please don’t tell me you’re doing your whole I-can’t-commit-because-I’m-not-ready bullshit
. Sonia would want you to live your life. You’re not even thirty yet for Ailuros’ sake.”
Iain’s panther shimmered in the startling green of his feline’s eyes as it surfaced, and a low growl rumbled in his throat. The muscles in his neck tightened but I wasn’t afraid. He and his panther would have to have simultaneous breakdowns before either one of them attempted to hurt me.
Then his shoulders drooped, and he sighed. “It’s complicated.” Waving a hand at the letter that lay on the kitchen counter, he said, “That right there? It’s a threat to your future, to Mom and Dad’s life, and to Darcy and me. That’s our future too.”
I stared at his face, taken aback by the fact that I’d completely not seen the truth of it. I’d been so self-absorbed, so focused on my own crumbling world that I’d forgotten that Darcy and Iain would be affected just as deeply by the actions of the Walker Council.
Then it occurred to me. “Did you get a letter too?” I asked softly.
Iain raised his eyes to meet mine. “No. But it’s likely already in the mail,” he said, his lips twisted into a self-deprecating smile.
There was something odd in his voice, and I studied my brother’s face. Should the council send him the letter, what would he do? He was officially the lead Alpha being the eldest of the Odel children, and because my father had handed the helm to his son in favor of science and research.
Because alpha walkers had longer lifespans than normal walkers, it wasn’t unlikely that the reins would be handed back to Dad at some point in the future. Which was one of the reasons that even a non-leader would be subject to the councils ridiculous ruling.
I sighed. “Are you going to choose your alpha status over Darcy?” I asked, hearing the accusatory sharpness in my tone as it echoed in the kitchen.
Iain shook his head. “I certainly hope it won’t come to that.”
