“They were after the object and you. That wasn’t a coincidence.”
“Don’t remind me,” I snorted. “Tomorrow, go pay a visit to Alistair, the Head Vampire of New York City, and ask him about those vamps that attacked us. He must know something. They don’t step out of line as a general rule, which means he gave them permission.”
Finn nodded. “Will do. Now get inside. It’s not safe to be out in the open.”
I patted him on the upper arm. “Thanks for having my back.”
“Always, Grey.”
We parted ways and I trudged up the steps to the front door, opening it up and locking it behind me. I dropped my bag beside the door like always and aimed straight for the kitchen. I’d put a hold on coffee because it was too hot outside and it seemed like the perfect time to cut back on my addiction, but right now, I needed my crack.
Grabbing the bag of coffee grounds, I started the coffee maker and the smell of java engulfed the house in seconds. I opened the cabinet where the mugs were located, picked my favorite one, and started to prepare it—two sugars, light milk. I hated flavored creamers.
“What’s going on here?” Bash said from the kitchen entryway.
My nerves were frayed and I jumped because I didn’t hear him approach. “Just making some coffee,” I mumbled.
“I thought you were cutting back?”
“And I have, but today was rough. I need this.” I turned around to face him. He could read it all in my expression.
“What happened?”
I told him everything. What we found in the cellphone, what the trace revealed, who our suspect was, and what happened on the train. He listened carefully without interrupting as I word vomited it all.
“I’m going to lay low, and it’s probably a good idea to stay at the Compound, right?” He raised a brow. “What?”
“I’m surprised you’re suggesting it, that’s all. I thought being sequestered would be the last thing you’d want,” he said as he came around the kitchen island.
“Well, when you say it like that, you make me not want to do it,” I sighed. I turned back to the coffee pot and poured the elixir of life into my mug, stirring it and taking a much-needed sip.
“You know what I’m going to say, right?” Bash quirked a brow.
I blew a breath. “I know we got this bond and all, but I’m still not a mind reader, babe. What is it you’re going to say?”
He smirked. “You’re not leaving my side for the foreseeable future.”
I frowned. “You know what? I really should have known you’d say that. You’re such a damn Alpha.” I took a big gulp of my coffee before setting it down on the counter. “Look, I’m not going to be attached at the hip with you. I don’t need a personal bodyguard, okay, Kevin Costner?”
“This is all going in one ear and out the other.” He shrugged and started to walk out of the kitchen.
“Ugh! You stubborn wolf!” I yelled at his retreating figure.
I wanted to be around the Pack, sure, but I didn’t want a shadow. And Bash could be a little extra with his protectiveness. This was a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, if I wanted to survive this without any hiccups, I had to follow suit. Damnit.
I finished my coffee and rinsed out my mug, and just as I was about to turn off the lights and head upstairs, Alexander walked in, Ranulf trailing behind him.
“Hold yer horses, lass.” Alexander held up a hand to stop me from walking out and pushed me back into the kitchen. “I spoke to Sebastian.” Of course he did.
“I have it all under control,” I said quickly. “No need to worry.”
“Why don ye consider coming to Scotland early, Princess?” Ranulf suggested. “It’s much safer.”
How could I explain this without sounding like an emotional idiot? I knew they wanted me in Sheunta Village as soon as possible because it was safest, but there was still so much for me to do before I was forced to move there, and I couldn’t leave without cleaning up the messes I’d made.
“It’s not time. Not yet.”
“Soon, ye won’t have the option, darling,” Alexander said kindly.
“I understand that, and I know my timeline, but I still have work to do. This current problem will get resolved. It’s just a little hiccup.” I grimaced as I said it. How many hiccups could a person really have?
“If ye insist,” Alexander said, unconvinced. “But Ranulf will be by yer side until this is resolved.”
I laughed bitterly. If I didn’t allow Bash to follow me, Alexander would assign someone to do the job. I was surrounded by overbearing men. When would it be my turn?
I grinned wickedly. “Sure, Ranulf can be my babysitter again.”
He growled. “I was never yer babysitter, ye stupid girl.”
“Sure you weren’t.” I winked at him. It only pissed him off further, which made me laugh.
We agreed I could stay at the house instead of going to the Compound as long as Ranulf was with me, and Alexander headed to his room, leaving me with Ranulf to sit in the living room with me as I watched TV and flipped through the human registry. This would be terribly boring for him.
I made myself comfortable on the sofa and opened the book that listed all the humans who were aware of the supernatural community. There were numerous politicians in there, which I shouldn’t have been surprised about, peppered with the occasional celebrity, but mostly it was random people I’d never heard of before. Deducing who our mystery string-puller was would be difficult. Unfortunately, the registry wasn’t organized in any kind of specific order, so I had to go through the whole thing just to jot down the ones located in New York City. And even then, it was a long shot. A human could have traveled to New York from another location for these objects. That just made this much harder.
11
I’d fallen asleep on the sofa, my face plastered to the pages of the book, stuck to the paper with drool. I lifted my head and peered around the room, seeing early morning light shining through the living room window. Ranulf was asleep on the armchair, his head thrown back and mouth wide open, little snores gurgling out. I had to cover my mouth and swallow a laugh.
The house was quiet. There was no movement upstairs and no one was in the kitchen, so I assumed Bash and Ollie were at the Compound. I was about to wake up Ranulf when my phone buzzed.
I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the screen. I didn’t recognize the number, but I answered anyway. “Hello?” I whispered.
“Mackenzie Grey, how lovely to hear your voice,” a man said through the line.
“Who is this?” I said more sternly, creeping to the edge of the sofa.
“Who you’ve been looking for. Let’s not play coy; I know you traced my number.”
“Commissioner Cardona,” I breathed.
He chuckled. “So you’re not just a pretty face. I think it’s time we meet, Mackenzie. Sixty-ninth street transfer bridge. Come alone.” Before I could respond, the call disconnected.
I looked at my phone screen and then at Ranulf, who was still asleep. I could wake him for back-up or go on my own. But if I showed up with Ranulf, Cardona may not show himself. I couldn’t take the risk. Decision made, I quietly stood and tiptoed out of the room, going to my bag by the door to grab my wallet and snatch my ID, metro card, and some cash. Less than five minutes after the phone call, I was out the door and sprinting to the nearest subway station.
Why Cardona wanted to meet at the bridge was beyond me, unless he hoped to dump my lifeless body in the Hudson River. The bridge was under renovation, but there would most likely still be people milling about. Unless he wanted to meet somewhere more public, in which case, Penn station would have been better. But who was I to tell him how to be a better villain?
After a short train ride into the city and a couple of bus transfers, I finally made it to my meeting spot with the Commissioner. No one was around—as expected. The area was closed off since it was being renovated, but I ducked past the barriers and went to stand by th
e bridge.
The minutes ticked by and I kept looking at my watch, but once I reached the thirty-minute mark, I decided this was a wash. As I turned to leave, a blacked-out SUV drove up to the barrier. After parking as close as the car could get, multiple doors opened. I saw Billie Cardona exit from the back, flanked by two hulking men as they walked toward me.
“Mackenzie Grey.” He smiled broadly, his arms outstretched. “You came.”
Police Commissioner Billie Cardona was a human in his fifties who looked older than he was. The years hadn’t been kind to him. I didn’t have to know him to know he wasn’t a good person. His stare was dark and impenetrable, with a glint in his black-hearted eyes that spoke of many evil deeds, even for a human.
“I knew you didn’t like me, but to hate me so much you’d put a hit out on me? Wow, that’s some serious hatred.” I blew out a breath.
He adjusted his expensive tie and craned his neck. “Honestly, Mackenzie, it’s true I don’t much care for you, but what I want is the Gjöll, and you’re in my way.”
Talk about a plot twist! He was the one collecting the objects? But Maximos was his friend, or his acquaintance—whatever.
“I don’t have it,” I shrugged, “and I don’t know what taking me out will accomplish.”
“I know you’re close to getting it since you now have free reign in the fae realm. Plus, you’re a nuisance. Frankly, I’d be doing the world a favor.”
“Why do you want the objects?” I thought about what they offered—wealth, beauty, health, power. What was so special about that?
“It will give me ultimate power!” he growled, taking a step toward me with a wild gleam in his eye. “I would finally be on par with your kind.”
Oh. He wanted to be one of us, just without the freakiness that came with being supernatural. Talk about picky.
I sighed and my gaze traveled to his two colossal bodyguards, wondering if they were human or not. This was too much work, and I wasn’t in the mood to fight or get my ass kicked right now. Humans needed to learn to stay in their lane.
“You know I can’t let you have these objects. Not that I even believe in this legend, but whatever.”
Cardona smirked. “I’d like to see you try to stop me.”
The two guys that flanked him, looking like beefed-up juice monkeys, stepped toward me threateningly and I cursed.
“Bring it, beef cake.” I waved them forward.
One of them ran toward me and I was able to sidestep him in time, but the other bodyguard was a warlock and I didn’t see his magic ball aimed for my back until it was too late. I didn’t feel the effects of it, thanks to my tattoo, but the force of the blast slammed into me and I knocked the other guy down as I fell.
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered as I rolled off him. “Magic does nothing to me, FYI,” I tossed over my shoulder.
“But I can still knock you off your feet the good old-fashioned way,” the beefcake beside me taunted with a grin. Damnit.
When a fist came flying and hit me square in the cheek, I felt my face jiggle in slow motion like Jell-O as my head snapped to the other side. It would have been funny if it didn’t hurt like a bitch. I stumbled back and blocked his next hit. Transforming into a half shift, I dug my clawed hand into his gut, feeling his insides and ripping them out. He collapsed to the ground without a whimper.
I licked my canines, my wolf enjoying the smell of fresh blood, and faced off against the warlock. He heaved one magic ball after another, landing on my shoulders with precision. The force made me slide back, losing valuable ground, and I snarled as the bloodlust began to consume me. I refused to let Billie or his beefcake warlock get away.
I strolled toward the warlock, seeing Cardona hauling ass to the SUV from the corner of my eye. Damnit. I ran after him, but the warlock stopped me by tackling me to the ground. I elbowed him and kicked him in the groin, which made him roll over and howl in pain. I had a single-minded desire to get to Cardona, but the squealing of tires alerted me that he’d gotten away.
I quickly stood and turned my ire toward the warlock left behind by the Commissioner. “Where did he go?” I growled.
He grunted, “He left me to finish the job.” The warlock released a whip of magic that wrapped around me, trapping my arms and legs.
“Shit,” I grumbled. I might have been immune to harmful magic, but they could still get creative with it.
He strolled over to me and pulled a dagger from the holster on his hip, bringing it to my neck. “Tell me where the Gjöll is, and I’ll make this quick and painless.” He pressed the knife to my skin, and I felt a pinch and the trickle of blood.
Cassidy was the one with the list of owners of the objects; I didn’t have a clue. They went after the wrong SIU detective. It was almost laughable, but I wasn’t going to bait him. If I did that, I would just end up pointing them to Cassidy and I wouldn’t do that.
“How can you work for a human?” Well, maybe I’ll bait him just a little. “He’s only using you to get what he wants. But what do you get? You’re a freakin’ warlock! You’re better than this.”
He smirked. “You have no idea what I’m getting out of this, and it’s none of your business anyway. Now tell me where it is!” The dagger pressed further into my skin and I tried to pull back.
“She doesn’t know,” a voice said from behind him, and the warlock whipped around to face our intruder. It was Úlfur. He stood on the now defunct bridge in well-pressed slacks and a crisp, button-up shirt, his dark features giving him a mischievous look. “How many times must I save you, little wolf?”
I tried to shrug, but my magical restraints were too tight. “I don’t know, but why don’t you help a sista out?”
Úlfur sighed. “Very well.” He hopped off the bridge, which was relatively high, and landed easily on the ground. He met the warlock halfway, dodging every magical blast with his unnatural speed and reflexes. With no more effort than he would use if reaching for the remote control, he grabbed the warlock’s neck and snapped it. Úlfur tossed the body on the ground and it landed like a lump of coal. The whip of magic dissolved and I could finally move again.
“What the hell are you?” I asked him for what felt like the hundredth time.
He grinned. “Ah, the mysteries of the world. Shouldn’t I get a thank you, little wolf?”
I rolled my eyes. “Stop calling me little wolf. I’m not little!”
“But you are, dear Mackenzie. You’re a very little thing. One I’m always saving, against my very nature. Why is that?” His eyes narrowed as he studied me.
“I don’t know why you do the things you do. You’re fuckin’ weird, man.” I rubbed at my upper arms where I still felt the tightness of the magic rope.
“And you’re not worried that my nature is to actually kill you?” He grinned as if we were playing a game. Maybe to him, we were.
“I’m no stranger to others wanting to kill me—”
“But I’m not like the others. I actually can.”
A chill skittered down my spine. His words were icy, spoken with enough conviction that I believed him.
Úlfur watched me as if enjoying my reaction, and I realized I hadn’t schooled my expression. It was probably written all over my face, giving him a front row seat to how I felt. I needed to get it together.
I cleared my throat. “Well, since you don’t want to kill me right now, why don’t we work together?”
“You trust me?” he smirked.
“Fuck no,” I blurted. “But we want the same thing. We want the objects separated and out of human hands. Let’s make it happen.”
“Very well.” He nodded. “What do you propose?” He motioned for us to walk and we started to exit the bridge area.
“I learned the human after the objects is Police Commissioner Billie Cardona—”
Úlfur snorted and let out a chuckle.
“Something funny?” I asked.
He waved me off. “No, sorry, continue.”
I gave
him a weird look but continued my spiel. “He’s most likely the one pulling the strings over at the SIU, which means he has a lot of power, and I want to know how. No human should be able to corrupt the SIU; it’s just not possible. And with the objects, he’ll be more powerful than ever. We can’t let that happen.”
“Agreed.” Úlfur nodded.
“He’s looking for the Gjöll. My partner at the SIU knows who the owner is, but—”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m in possession of the rock. Next object?”
Surprised, I peered over at him, but continued. “The Skofnung stone—the one that brings health.”
“Hm. Does your partner know who owns that one?” Úlfur asked as we walked side-by-side on the sidewalk.
“I believe so. I’ll have to ask him when—”
“You cannot let anyone know we’re working together,” he interrupted. “No one.”
I grunted. “As if I’d ever want anyone to know. I have a reputation too, you know.”
He huffed. “Right. Well, little wolf, I guess we’ll be in touch. Stay out of trouble, please.”
I smirked. “And what would be the fun in that?”
12
Instead of going home, I went to the Compound where I knew I’d find Bash—and most likely a pissed off Alexander and Ranulf since I ditched him this morning.
The door to the Compound was open and I walked right in. The first thing I noticed right off the bat was that there wasn’t a Luna in sight. It was packed with male wolves, and the amount of kinetic energy in the room was palpable. Something was going on.
I found Jackson in the middle of the throng by the flat screen TV and squeezed my way through the crowd to get to him.
I tugged on his shirt when I reached him. “Jack, what’s going on?”
“Kenz!” he said, his eyes widening in surprise. “You shouldn’t be here. All Lunas are in their rooms. Let me take you to mine, where Amy is—”
He started to tug me forward, but I dug in my heels. “Why?”
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