Crisis Alert (Divine Justice, 3)

by Mary Abshire

Aziel met her gaze. “Can you control your thirst?”

  “Yes, but—“

  “No, buts. I’m taking you home with me and I’m going to make sure you get better,” Zale said strongly.

  “The masters—“

  “I’ll work with the UoJ to have their homes monitored twenty-four hours a day. If they show up, we’ll get them. But I’m willing to bet they’ve changed their game plan,” Aziel said.

  “Reggie and Rodney are pure evil. They must be stopped,” she said.

  “And we’ll get them. If you want to help us, then you need to rest and heal,” Aziel told her.

  “We can work together again and search for the masters, but only after you get better,” Zale said. “Let me help you.”

  She closed her eyes briefly and nodded.

  Zale let out a sigh of relief. Finally, he would get a chance to care for her.

  “Get the case ready,” Aziel said to the nurses.

  “You have no need to worry about her. She’ll be safe in my care,” Zale said to Aziel.

  Aziel’s lips stretched into a grin. “I think you’ve more than proven that lately.”

  “Did everyone make it back?” she asked.

  “Everyone but Kurt,” Aziel said.

  “I thought his head was still…”

  Aziel lowered his gaze. “The bone had been severed. Kurt is our single loss. Considering they planned to wipe out an entire team, I’d say you did well.”

  Anna lowered her gaze. “Can I have a few minutes alone?”

  Zale arched a brow as he looked at Aziel.

  “A nurse should stay with you,” the vampire director said.

  “Zale can stay,” she said.

  Aziel looked at Zale and then the nurses. “Everyone out, please.”

  The nurses stopped what they were doing. One by one, they headed for the exit.

  “I’ll be outside.” Aziel gave Zale a nod before he too strode out of the room.

  Surprising Zale, Anna brushed her fingers with his. The rough texture of her skin didn’t bother him. She took hold of his hand and gave a gentle squeeze. His pulse accelerated. Although he’d only known Anna a few nights, his instinct and heart knew the truth. The fact she was a vampire didn’t matter. He’d found his mate and no other woman would make him happy. Now, he had to find a way for her to realize the attraction they had ran much deeper and she was meant to be with him.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The warmth of Zale’s hand and his simple, yet delicate, touch comforted her. His presence soothed her weeping and tired soul. She wanted to be with him. She needed his strength and compassion to help her control her rage. If she weren’t so weak, she would hit the street the next evening and search for Reggie and Rodney.

  He gently glided his fingers over her forehead. “I’m here for you, always.”

  She swallowed the grief wanting to rise up. Her emotions continued to bounce like a tennis ball from one end to another. Part of her wanted to break down and cry. The other part urged her to get up and claim revenge. Normally, she kept her feelings private. But this time the pain of everything hurt too much.

  “Thank you for finding me,” she said, and then swallowed. Her dry throat made her voice sound different. It also made it somewhat difficult for her to talk. She’d sucked down two bags of blood during the drive to the office. She’d taken another two through intravenous. Still, she looked horrific and sounded worse than a human smoker.

  “I wasn’t going to stop until I did. I even disobeyed my boss numerous times. Aziel said he’d hire me if Gordon lets me go.”

  “You’re a noble and honorable man. Gordon would be a fool to fire you.”

  A slight smile formed on his kind face. His wavy dark locks looked uncombed and gave him an even sexier appeal.

  “I’m glad you think so highly of me. It’s good for my ego,” he said.

  His sense of humor brought a flicker of joy to her, but regret, grief, and guilt doused the spark within seconds. Moisture built in her eyes.

  “I’m lucky to know you,” she said while she struggled to hold her emotions inside.

  He squeezed her hand. “No, I’m the lucky one. And we’re going to get to know each other better, just like we talked about last night.”

  She wanted to believe him. She enjoyed the fantasy of having a relationship with him. They both loved their jobs. They both sought to save mankind and maintain peace. And they each felt the attraction. She’d hoped they would have a chance at something more than a working partnership, but now she feared her dreams were gone. She’d have to tell him about Christopher being a master and accept her role in all the bloodshed he’d caused.

  Her thoughts returned to the evil man. She loathed him with every drop of blood in her body. “Did the team find Rodney or Reggie?”

  His brows twitched. “Were they there?”

  “Rodney was sawing Kurt’s neck when the gunshots started.”

  “Didn’t Aziel update you?”

  “No, I asked before you came in and he wouldn’t tell me anything.”

  He sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, but I was worried about you. I didn’t pay any attention to what other agents were doing. On our way out, I think I heard someone say men had escaped from the rooftop.”

  “Damn it. I bet it was Rodney and Stan.”

  “I can call Gordon later and see if any of the UoJ pursued the men on the roof. The few demons who were guarding the entrances shot at us. DS agents fired back and wounded them. I didn’t pay attention to see if the demons had been taken into custody. I can ask Rachel or Aziel if you’d like.”

  Anger ballooned inside her again. The evil bastards escaped. When would the madness end?

  “This is all my fault,” she said.

  “No, of course it isn’t. You didn’t know it was a trap. But I tried to warn you.”

  “No, it’s more than that.”

  His brows closed in tighter together. “What do you mean?”

  She swallowed hard, trying to ease her dry and scratchy throat. “Everything is my fault.”

  Although she knew he might judge her, she felt compelled to tell him the truth. Maybe she should be brought to justice. She’d accept her punishment if she could have time to locate the masters first.

  “You’re tired,” he said. “You need to rest.”

  “Remember how I told you about my old lover, Christopher?”

  “The person who you’d thought had loved you and sold his soul because you wouldn’t change him?”

  A wave of guilt crushed her. “He’s…” She struggled to say the words. “He’s alive.”

  “How is that possible? I thought you said your relationship with him was over a century ago.”

  “He had a friend named Matthew. I met him once, not even for two minutes, and he never made eye contact with me. Rodney is Matthew. He was a master and told Christopher to sell his soul. He helped Christopher jump bodies. For the last hundred plus years, Christopher delivered humans to Matthew for possession. Then, once Christopher reached the century mark, he became a master. Reggie is Christopher. He told me everything.” Throat dry, she swallowed and then continued.

  “They’ve been bringing more and more demons here and to start an outbreak. If I had killed Christopher when I’d had the chance, the souls of so many humans and vampires would still be here. We wouldn’t be on the brink of an outbreak. All the violence and blood spilled… It’s all my fault.”

  Tears escaped her eyes. She couldn’t hold back her guilt any longer.

  He sighed heavily. “You didn’t know Matthew was a master, right?”

  “No,” she squeaked.

  “And you didn’t know Matthew planned to help him jump bodies, am I right?”

  “No.”

  “Then you wouldn’t have known their intentions.”

  “But it’s always the same. They want to destroy life and take over. So I did know, and I let evil go. I gav
e it a chance to take root and it did. I am responsible for every crime they committed because I let Christopher walk away.”

  He rubbed his free hand over his mouth and beard. “No, you can’t take the blame for everything they’ve done over the last century. You had no idea he’d survive. You made a mistake by not ending his life, but that doesn’t mean you’re personally responsible for all his hideous acts. He was supposed to die.”

  “Kurt and my partner Glenn would be here today. Your partner, Ray, would be alive. Christopher walks a free man because of me. How can you not look at me and think I’m not to blame for the loss of humans and vampires?”

  “Because I know you have a good heart and soul.”

  “You’ve known me two nights.”

  “And it’s been long enough for me to see how righteous you are. Everything you’ve done has been to preserve human lives and to stop the demons from taking over. There isn’t a trace of evil inside you.”

  “You’re wrong. I want to kill Reggie and Ronald for what they’ve done. I can’t wait to send their souls back to Hell.”

  “You may feel like you want to kill them, but I know with certainty you’d exorcise their demons and would let the humans live. You’re angry and you want revenge. I get that more than you know.”

  Zale had a point. She couldn’t kill the humans. The evil spirit inside controlled the host. Remove the demon and the human would return to normal, except for those who were servants to the devil. And that’s where she felt conflicted because she wanted to save lives.

  “I have to kill Reggie,” she said. “Because he sold his soul, exorcism won’t work. I have to kill Reggie to send Christopher to Hell.”

  “Will the demons he brought over in the last year go with him?”

  “Yes.”

  He squeezed her hand. “Then you have to kill Reggie. It’s the only way to get rid of him and every demon he’s brought here. You may think you’re killing for revenge, but you’re really killing to save lives, Anna.”

  She lowered her gaze. “Trust me, I’ll do what I have to do this time. But if I’d only done it when I’d had the chance.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up over a decision you made a long time ago. You had no idea what would happen to him. And since that day, I bet you’ve saved hundreds of lives.”

  “If only—“

  “Stop it!” he said in a strong tone. “Stop it right now. You are the most heroic woman I’ve ever met. You would give your life for anyone in danger. So stop blaming yourself. The demons would’ve come up with a plan to attack anyway. They never stop trying to rule. You know this.”

  His words made sense. The demons had one goal and it never changed. Some years, they lost ground. Other years, they gained small victories. Once in a while, they gathered in numbers and caused an outbreak or came close to starting one. Even if Anna had killed Christopher, the demons would have continued to pursue their objective.

  “I have faith in you, Anna,” he said. “There hasn’t been a moment since we met that I haven’t had faith.”

  His words gave her the boost she needed. The demons were always going to create trouble. She hadn’t changed from the minute Aziel took her under his care. She wanted to return all the evil from where it came so everyone could live safe and happy lives. And as soon as she could get her strength back, she’d go after Reggie and Rodney.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I needed to hear that.”

  Smiling, he lowered and gently pressed his lips to hers. His beard tickled her face.

  “We’ll get the evil bastards, but you have to get well first. Promise me you’ll rest and let me take care of you,” he said.

  How could she say no to such a wonderful man? “I promise.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Zale sped on the almost empty interstate. Few trucks were on the highway, making it easy for him to pass them. Driving in the early morning hours had always been his favorite time on the road. He never worried about a cop stopping him. The few times one had, Zale had talked his way out of a ticket. Even if the officer had given him a citation, it wouldn’t have stopped him from flying on the roads.

  He glanced at Anna. She was laying at a slight angle in the passenger seat with her eyes shut. She wore a plain t-shirt and tights. A fuzzy blanket covered her arms. Most of the blisters had healed, but her skin remained a pinkish tint. Her thin appearance had improved too, but she still had more healing to do.

  At the clinic, he’d stood by her side during the last couple of hours. She’d received two more blood transfusions and had tried to rest. The entire time she’d held onto his hand. He had a feeling she enjoyed his touch as much as he took pleasure from hers. She’d dozed off, but had woken twice with a jolt as if she’d had a bad dream. After the first time, he helped her get back to sleep. When she couldn’t snooze following the second occurrence, she’d given up trying and had asked to leave. Zale had been more than ready to take her to his home, and his bed.

  The woman he longed to hold in his arms continued to impress him. He’d been flabbergasted by her admittance of guilt. He couldn’t believe she’d blamed herself for all the acts committed by the masters. After all the lives she’d saved in her two centuries working for the DS, how could she fathom she was a bad person? The idea of it blew his mind. She had a pure heart and some evil bastard had torn it to shreds. Worse yet, the beast had destroyed people close to her and had crushed her emotional state of mind. Zale wanted to rip the man into tiny pieces if he could. Moreover, he wanted to show Anna the meaning of real love.

  Anna shot forward with her eyes wide open. The blanket fell into her lap before she pressed her hand on the dashboard.

  “Anna, are you okay?” Stunned by her sudden move, he slowed the car’s speed.

  She blinked several times while she looked around in the car.

  “Anna?” He eyed the side of the road, wondering if he should pull over.

  Slowly, the tension in her body drained. “I’m fine. It was nothing.” She pulled the lever on the side of her seat and the back of it moved forward.

  “Did you have another bad dream?”

  She tugged the blanket to her shoulders. “Something like that.”

  Her response led him to believe something troubled her. “If you need to talk about anything, I have a good set of ears.”

  Her lips twitched. “I’ll be okay. I need a little time to clear my head.”

  Zale glanced at her. He’d heard of non-humans having post traumatic stress disorder, especially after the last outbreak. Zale had had bad dreams for months. It had taken him close to a year before he could finally sleep more than three hours in one sitting. Considering what she’d gone through in the last twenty-four hours, he imagined her brain had taken quite the beating.

  “Did Christopher or Reggie do anything to you?” he asked. “And if you don’t want to tell me right now, I’ll understand.”

  “No, he didn’t, but he told me plenty.” She lifted her head from the seat. “He’d been there before you showed up. I heard him tell Rodney about Finton missing.”

  “That was my doing.”

  “Tell me about.”

  “I figured the best way to find you was to go after the people in the file you gave me. I started at Rodney’s apartment. Of course, he wasn’t there. I went to Finton’s house next since I suspected none of the masters would be at their homes if they were involved with the gathering. Finton was home with his girlfriend. I broke in and tried to rough him up. When I realized he wouldn’t talk, I decided to take him to the DS. I recalled you had said demons often shared what information they had after they were exorcised.”

  “Good thinking.”

  “Well, it was a good plan except the sun was about to rise. There had been just enough time for Aziel to exorcise Finton. Aziel made him sleep and then locked him up until sundown. I spent the entire day searching buildings under construction in the city while UoJ agents waited at the ad
dresses you’d given me.”

  “You spent the entire day looking for me? So you haven’t had any sleep?”

  “How could I sleep knowing you were suffering in the sun?”

  She lowered her gaze. “Zale, I’m beyond grateful. I will never be able to thank you enough. If you hadn’t found me, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

  He gripped the wheel as he thought about her words. Although he’d only known her a short time, he would’ve been devastated to lose her.

  “You’re more than a partner to me, Anna. We haven’t had time to really get to know each other better, but my heart knows what it wants. Since we met, I can’t stop thinking about you.” He glanced at her, wondering if he should share more of his feelings. He didn’t want to scare her away especially after the trauma she’d endured. Yet, he thought she should know how he felt. “I’m not sure if you know this, but werewolves have this…gift or ability of knowing when we find our mates.”

  “You sense it?”

  He nodded. “It’s a feeling deep in my soul.”

  “So…you think…I’m your mate?”

  He took the exit from the interstate and steered toward the light. When he stopped at the intersection, he turned to her. “I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t believe me. We’re different people, different species even, but our morals and obligations are the same. Until I met you, I had never felt such a strong desire to love and protect a woman.”

  “Maybe you’re confusing what you feel with something else. I’m a vampire. I can’t have children.”

  “I’ve heard about werewolves finding mates from other races. It’s not forbidden, it’s just not common.”

  “But wouldn’t you want to have children one day? I thought werewolves liked to breed.”

  “Honestly, I can’t even think about bringing a life into this world. I love my job and I know you do too. I’d rather spend my time and energy with you and doing what I do best.”

  The green light appeared and he turned. The empty road led toward a central part of Carmel. Businesses on both sides sat in darkness. He sped through, heading toward the outskirts of town.