“Liar.”
“Just stop.” He slipped the car into a tight parking space before shifting it into park. Closing his eyes, he sucked in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. The muscles in his shoulders relaxed as he turned to face her. “I’m going to jump Tim and Preshea. We can talk after I get back.”
He finally lifted his eyes to meet hers. And she nearly shattered. His stare said everything she knew he wouldn’t say out loud, telling her instantly that he wasn’t as angry as she’d thought. Just disappointed. Worried. Concerned.
Her breath hitched. She studied him, his blue eyes intense and his hand still clutching the gear shifter. There was nothing she could say to him to make things better right now. He wasn’t in the mood to hear it. She drew her brows together and bit her lower lip. For some reason, she couldn’t form the words she knew needed to be said. They just weren’t there.
“Go.” He reached across her lap and pulled the lever on the passenger side door. “We’ll talk when I get back.”
She took in the chiseled features of his face, his strong jaw set defiantly. A tiny piece of her heart crumbled under the weight of his stare, making her feel empty inside. “I’ll be here.”
“I know.” With a quick nod, he vanished from the driver’s seat in a puff of blue smoke before she could say another word.
Shaking her head and breathing slowly to keep herself from falling apart, she climbed to the top floor and wrapped her hand around the round knob. The lock sprang free, courtesy of the doorknob spell Evette had cooked up before they’d left. She’d somehow tuned the knob to each of their auras, keeping any unwanted visitors out upon penalty of electric shock. Brilliant mover, that one. Eldon swore she could protect anything.
Rho stepped inside the flat and closed the door behind her, craning her head to the side to listen for company. Based on the lack of sound and movement, no one was home. Just as well. She needed some time alone to collect herself.
She made her way into the kitchen and pulled the carafe from the coffee machine before filling it with water. Without Eldon here, she’d have to settle on making coffee the old-fashioned way. She stifled a laugh. Only a few months ago, she’d thought that there was only one way to make a pot of coffee. Funny how things changed when your world opened up to entirely new possibilities. Hunger stirred in her gut as she doctored a cup with a little cream and sugar. Coffee wasn’t blood, not by a long shot. She’d need to feed within the next day or so.
Would Eldon still be upset when he returned? Upset enough to refuse her?
Her stomach dropped to her feet as she considered it. He’d been really upset when he’d left. But was he upset enough to turn her away? Would he still want to be with her? The idea of feeding off another man made her sick to her stomach, and wasn’t that a turn of events. For years she’d only fed off strangers and never thought anything of it. Now the idea of using an unfamiliar vein tore her heart open. Tears burned in her eyes at the thought of losing Eldon, and she blinked them back.
No, she couldn’t think like that. She wandered over to the window and brushed the blackout curtains aside then lifted the glass frame and pushed the shutters open to expose the dark Parisian street below. The sun was close, only about a half hour or so from the horizon. She leaned on the banister and took a sip of her coffee, gazing up at the dwindling remains of the night sky.
How had she managed to screw everything up so badly? She’d made a huge error of judgment. No, make that a series of epic mistakes.
Like not telling her teammates immediately that she’d be going on trial. Not telling them she was probably going to die. Not telling Tim and Preshea she had a telepathic connection to Eldon. And refraining from mentioning to her boyfriend that she’d now been deemed a threat to the highest order of the DarqRealm and its people.
Damn it. She’d really messed this up. Squeezing her eyes shut, she rested her head against the frame of the open window.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d been standing there before a loud pop interrupted her thoughts. She whirled around as her eyes fluttered open, revealing Preshea and Eldon in the center of the living room. He didn’t even glance in Rho’s direction before he disappeared, leaving Rho alone in the loft with Preshea.
Awesome. Nothing like a bitchy brunette with claws to really polish off a craptacular night.
Not long after Rho’s multitude of secrets were exposed, Cadence had disappeared with their two attackers, a pair of movers who’d just so happened to show up at the basilica the same time the team did. Rho didn’t believe in coincidences anymore.
Once the Collective leader had poofed those two men across the ley lines, only the team had remained. And then Rho told her teammates everything. About the Council knowing about her past, Cadence’s history with her dad, and even the trial and what it probably meant for her livelihood.
Well, everything but her connection to Eldon. She’d had every intention of telling Tim and Preshea about that, but for some reason it didn’t seem appropriate to reveal anything until she discussed it with Eldon. His brain was the one connected to hers, and she didn’t want to blindside him again. He was mad enough right now. No need to fuel that fire.
“You should know…” the shifter said, interrupting her thoughts. She stood quietly in the center of the room for a moment before pacing over to the kitchen table and taking a seat. “Just because I’m pissed at you doesn’t mean I want you dead.”
Rho snorted. “How thoughtful.”
“Seriously.” Preshea’s hard, blue stare locked with Rho’s. “When are you going to get your head out of your ass?”
“This is really none of your business.”
“Bullshit. That’s complete and utter bullshit and you know it.”
Rho cranked a brow. “Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry, did I miss the memo?” Preshea tilted her head innocently. “Oh, that’s right. My bad. Only you are allowed to save people.”
Rho shook her head and glanced down at her boots. Her leathers were filthy from the tumble in the grass but still in one piece. “I never said that.”
“What was it that Eldon said earlier? Actions speaking louder than words?”
The sound of his name ripped Rho’s chest apart, and she closed her eyes. “That’s a low blow, Preshea, and you know it.” The sadness in his eyes just before he’d vanished to get Preshea had knocked the breath clean from her lungs. Rho opened her eyes again and locked eyes with her teammate.
“Then wake the fuck up.” Preshea’s stare pressed against Rho’s skin. “You saved my sister when you didn’t have to. You took that death mark when you didn’t have to.”
“What does any of that have to do with anything?”
“It has everything to do with everything. You don’t get to be the only one on this team who gives a damn. We all care about you, whether you like it or not.”
The cold determination Rho had been clutching onto fractured. Preshea had never openly admitted to caring about anyone other than her sister. To know that she gave a damn only made her feel worse. Which was probably the point.
“I just don’t want you guys involved with this,” Rho said softly, her throat tightening as tears threatened to surface again. Her teammates were her friends. She couldn’t bear to see anything happen to them.
“Not sure if you’ve noticed, but the Council got us all into this mess. Every one of us. So as far as I can tell, we’re all knee-deep in this mess of shit together.”
Rho tossed her a sidelong glance and sucked down another sip of coffee. “How eloquent.”
“What would you call this?” Preshea made a sweeping motion with her arm. “Running around, trying to play catch-the-relic while getting nailed with magick every other day? If you ask me, I’m happy you can play with fire.”
Rho’s eyebrows shot sky-high. “How can you say that?”
Preshea shrugged. “Tim and I can’t manipulate the ley lines. In the beginning, neither could you. It’s damn hard to help Eldon
when he and our enemies have powers we can’t touch.”
Despite Rho’s desire to argue to the contrary, she could see the shifter’s point. “I can agree with that.” Watching Eldon work his magick was unlike anything she’d seen before. Such remarkable power.
“Then why are you fighting him on everything?” Preshea rose from the table and wandered over to the window. “Why won’t you trust him to help you?” She reached out and closed the shutters before sliding the window closed.
Memories swirled through Rho’s head, the timeline of events since she’d joined the team somehow crystal clear. He’d never, ever hurt her. Quite the opposite. Eldon and his sisters had been researching tirelessly to find a cure for her death mark.
Maybe she needed to think things through from a different perspective. Eldon had been willing to put his friend’s life—and magick—on the line for Rho’s safety. Granted, the woman carried the ex-girlfriend title. But if Rho was being completely honest with herself, she knew instinctively that Eldon would never cheat on her. Not if he’d been soul struck. Not even if he hadn’t been. She knew him better than that.
Blaming her actions on her possessive, selfish vampire nature would be a lie. She was being a territorial brat.
Damn, that hurt to admit. “I guess I figured I’d only make things worse. Make it harder on him if I had to be…exterminated.”
Preshea snickered as she tugged the curtains closed and turned around. “I wouldn’t worry about that.”
“How could I not?”
“The Council said it themselves.” Preshea’s eyes narrowed. “You are valuable. They aren’t keen on trashing things—or people—they think they can use.”
Rho gulped. She hadn’t exactly thought of things that way. “I won’t be a puppet.”
“No one said you had to be. But you need to get a harness on those powers of yours.”
“Only to have it destroyed?” Seemed like a futile effort.
“From where I’m sitting, I’d say you have exactly the gifts you need to be worth keeping.”
“How do you figure?”
Preshea lifted a finger. “You’re a trained fighter.” She lifted another finger. “You have the immortality of a vampire combined with an ability to play with magick.” Another finger. “And your gift means you can suck power away from your enemies. So yeah, I’d say that makes you a pretty powerful weapon.”
“Powerful enough to be a threat?”
Preshea shook her head. “Powerful enough to be an asset.” She wandered over to the fridge and pulled out a Coke. “Don’t screw up the opportunity.”
Relief swamped Rho’s thoughts, and she blew out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Tension lifted from her shoulders, making her feel lighter where she stood. Opportunity. Not a liability. If Preshea was right, the only thing that guaranteed her second death could also be the only chance she had at staying alive.
Preshea popped the top on the can and took a swig. Then burped.
“You’re so gross,” Rho said.
“Practice your craft. Embrace this magick thing. Learn how to use it.” Preshea ignored the commentary. “And while you’re at it, apologize to Eldon for the head-fuck you just gave him.”
Right. Eldon.
Just the thought of him made her stomach turn, and she rubbed her sweaty palms on her shirt. She set the can on the countertop and glanced up at Preshea. “I really messed up this time, didn’t I?”
Preshea settled her hands on her hips as she stared down at Rho. “Epically.”
Rho gulped. “You think he’ll forgive me?” She wasn’t sure why Preshea’s opinion mattered, but it did.
“I think that’s between you and him.” Staring off into the distance, Preshea’s expression turned thoughtful. “But yeah. You two are…really good together.”
Rho glanced down at the death mark on her forearm. “I used to think so, too.” She still wouldn’t take back her decision to accept this mark. That was one regret she’d never have.
Preshea interrupted her thoughts. “Things are only as bad as you let them get. Stop being stubborn.”
“Can’t help it.”
They both chuckled. Rho took a drag on her coffee as Preshea gulped down more caffeinated sugar water.
“Can I ask you something?” Rho glanced over at Preshea, a little surprised by the question burning her lips. Now seemed as good a time as any.
“That’s a little ominous.”
“What’s up with you and Tim?” The question rushed out of Rho’s mouth in a breath. And why had she never asked sooner? Then again, she’d never really talked to Preshea like this before. Woman to woman. Friend to friend.
Preshea blushed as her gaze fell to the ground and she ran a hand through her shaggy, striped hair. “Uh, nothing. Why would you ask?”
“Now it’s my turn to call bullshit.”
Preshea snapped her head up, her eyes wide.
“Oh, please,” Rho said. “I remember the way he hugged you at the Winter Solstice Ball. The way you smiled.” Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Preshea smile like that since.
“We’ve been busy…hunting stuff.” Preshea shrugged a shoulder, as if the motion were enough to brush off the subject.
Not likely. “Too busy to smile?”
“Shut up.”
“Make me.” Rho wiggled her brows.
Preshea shot her a dirty look and threw her hands into the air. “It’s nothing. We had a little thing a long time ago. That’s over and done with now.”
“Does he have a mate?” Wolves had mates, didn’t they? Rho thought they did.
“No, but…” She opened her mouth as if to finish the sentence, then closed it again.
“Spill it. What’s the story?” Rho couldn’t help but be nosy, and Eldon and Tim would be back any minute. Actually, she was surprised they hadn’t already returned. For some reason, she knew if she didn’t ask now, she’d probably never know.
Preshea shook her head. “Interracial relationships aren’t good for people like us.”
“Tell me about it.” Talk about firsthand experience.
“That’s not the same thing.” Preshea brushed her hand through her hair again, a habit she indulged when she got nervous. Her brow pinched in thought. “Tim is—he’s an Alpha. Expectations are different.”
“He’s not acting as the Alpha right now.” Hadn’t been for well over a month.
“The replacement is temporary.” Preshea shifted her weight from foot to foot. “He’s fun to hang out with, but soon enough everything will go back to the way it should be. Him on his side of the DarqRealm. Me on mine.”
That made no sense. Why all the segregation? What was the point of keeping people apart when they wanted to be together?
“I know I’m kind of young to this world and all, but the rules are stupid.” Rho’s voice was flat. “No half-breeds? No dating who you want to?”
Preshea stopped her nervous movements and stared at the ground. “It’s the way it has to be.”
“No, it’s the way you make it. You choose this life.”
“We decide nothing! The Council determines everything. And what they don’t choose, the ShiftMaster does. Or the forerunner does. Or the Lamia King does.” Preshea’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you’ve ever felt like you had a choice.”
No, she didn’t. In truth, no one really did. “You know, the human world has so few monarchies left. All we have in our world are dictatorships.”
“It’s the way of the DarqRealm. Always has been.”
Even if the rules were set, Rho still wanted to know. “What if you had the choice? Would you be with Tim if you could?”
Preshea stood in silence for a moment before she opened her mouth, as if trying to form the words to answer the question.
A blue light flashed across room, and Eldon emerged with Tim in tow. The two quickly separated, and Tim wandered over to give Preshea a quick hug. The knot in Rho’s stomach kinked as Eldon finally met her
eyes. She couldn’t connect to him, but she didn’t need to be inside his mind to know he wasn’t in the best place. He was definitely still upset. But while she knew instinctively that she probably needed to give him some space, she couldn’t. There was too much to say.
Her plan of action was clear. She’d apologize to Eldon. They’d come up with some sort of strategy. Then she’d start practicing magick. Every day. Until she mastered her abilities and knew how to control herself, at least enough to prove she wasn’t a danger.
“You know where to find me.” Eldon’s voice was gravelly and soft as he turned and disappeared into their bedroom. When Tim and Preshea went in to the adjoining space and closed the door behind them, she settled into a chair at the kitchen table and set her mug in front of her.
Alone, even though she was surrounded by people. Exactly the way she felt.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Eldon sat in the chair at the far corner of the bedroom he shared with Rho, bent forward to rest his elbows on his knees. After the way he’d left things with her, he’d just needed a little time to clear his head.
How could she have kept a secret like that from him? Granted, he hadn’t done much better by blindsiding her with a visit to see his ex-girlfriend. He probably didn’t have a right to be angry. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t disappointed.
The door creaked, but he didn’t bother to look up. He knew it was Rho. And since he’d become her sole blood donor, he’d be willing to bet that she needed to feed. It had been three days.
“Come in,” he said softly.
When she didn’t come in, he glanced up to find her in the doorway. She was a vision standing in the doorway, her hair tousled and cascading down both shoulders to her waist, her leathers filthy from seeing too much action in the field.
She stepped inside the doorway and clicked the door shut behind her before leaning back against the wood frame. He stared at her, not really sure where to begin.
“I’m sorry.” Rho’s clear grey eyes were sad, her brow creased in worry. “I just wanted to say…I’m sorry.”
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