by K. N. Banet
“Why only fae? And holy shit, she’s a fucking arms dealer?” Raphael was muttering at the end, obviously shell-shocked.
Yeah, I wasn’t expecting an arms dealer either, dude.
“Because she’s not stupid. Working outside the fae gets the Tribunal involved,” I explained. “And you’re right, Leith. I should have never suspected Cassius and Sorcha, and when Raphael said we should come here when this started, we should have. Happy now?”
“Much happier. Now, here’s something to ease the bruising and ache before you sleep, so you can be well-rested.” He handed me the jar of ointment, the same type I had used at home. I opened it and sniffed, making sure. Yup, still smells fucking awful.
“My room? Do I still have one?”
“You always have a room here, Kaliya. Lord Raphael, you have one as well, the door across the hall.”
“You called me Kaliya,” I smirked.
Leith glared, and I took my chance to get up and leave, knowing my roommate was on my heels. Raphael opened my door, then stepped inside. I turned and frowned at him.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to help you with that,” he answered, pointing at the jar.
22
Chapter Twenty-Two
“No.” The last thing I needed in my state was his hands all over me. With his shirt off. On a bed.
My fangs had been down from the moment he took his shirt off. I never got them to lay back down. I was too tired for even that small measure of control.
There’s only so much self-control I can have in one day, and we’re past that point. One bite would be all too easy right now.
“Are you more flexible suddenly and can rub it into your back?” He kicked my door shut with his heels, and I was struck with the feeling of being a naughty teenage girl. That door needed to remain open, or things were going to happen my chaperone wouldn’t like.
“I’m not telling you about how flexible I am.” Oh, for the love of the gods, Kaliya, don’t pick this moment of all moments to go into the gutter. You suffered a head wound, not a lobotomy.
“I’m sure we can find some other time to talk about how flexible you are.” He stepped up closer and took the ointment out of my hand. “Sit down, please.”
“What’s with men and wanting to do this? I don’t need someone to take care of me, Raphael. You can go.”
“I don’t want to go,” he whispered. “I want to make sure one of my only friends is taken care of and can get a good…day’s sleep. You were thrown into a wall. Two if we include the explosion at the prison. I’m sure your shoulders and back hurt like a motherfucker.”
I pulled my shirt off to show him exactly what damage I had taken, wobbling as I did. He was right, I wasn’t suddenly more flexible; much less flexible, actually. I had seen the initial damage in the mirror at the condo, but I knew it was worse now. By the sharp intake of his breath, I knew it was much worse.
“How are you standing?”
“I was trained to,” I answered, keeping on my feet. “Because that’s all I’ve got right now. My own fucking wits and the training I went through before I got this job.”
“You’ve got me,” he reminded me, grabbing my elbow with feather-light fingers. I sat on the bed and let him rub in the ointment. “Have you never had a partner?”
“Cassius sort of was for a long time. Well, I was more like his deadly sidekick.”
“You’re still friends with him, so I don’t know why you sound a little bitter.”
“He walked out on me right after I fell asleep the last time we had sex. And I’m not bitter. He’s just the only thing I’ve had close to a partner, and that’s how it turned out. I’m happy for him now. He seems a lot happier with Sorcha, and that’s good for him.”
“You know a lot about him, more than you let on. When he showed up and I met him, it seemed like you two were begrudging friends, but I’m honestly a little jealous of him right now.”
“Why?” I snorted, trying to ignore the feel of his super-hot hands rubbing my shoulders, working in the ointment, and giving me a massage at the same time.
“Because I can see how much you genuinely care about him. I just hope he knows how lucky he is to have someone like you in his corner.”
I blinked. The combination of everything over the last night and day hit me as I formed my response to the man beside me.
“He’s not the lucky one,” I whispered. “I am. I’m a train wreck, and everyone knows it. Everyone knows I cause trouble wherever I go, people get hurt, and they die. Like Carter.”
He leaned over to stare at me, eye to eye. Whatever he was thinking was behind an emotionless mask. I didn’t want the emotionless mask. If he wanted to have this conversation right now, I wanted to know how he felt.
“He’s lucky to have someone like you,” Raphael repeated.
He went back to rubbing in the ointment. I reached into the jar and worked on my belly and ribs, so he wouldn’t have to, careful not to mess with the stitches Leith had just done. He did my lower back, then stood up.
“I’ll leave you here since you can reach the rest,” he said, putting the jar down on the bedside table.
“Raphael,” I called out as he reached the door. When he looked back, I met his gaze once again. “I’m lucky to have you, too.”
Somewhere since the prison breakout happened, everything had changed between us. The near dying stuff was hard to do alone, and I had done it alone for so long, and this guy, who had so much on his plate, was here helping me when he could have hidden.
“Get some rest before you admit to having more emotions than your cold-blooded nature can handle,” he teased, then left the room.
I laughed weakly and finished treating myself, then fell back onto the bed, glad I could finally get some sleep.
I wasn’t sure how long I slept. When I sat up, the pain was there, but it wasn’t debilitating. It took all of twenty seconds for the nasty headache to make itself known, though, the most painful repercussion of my night.
“Fuck,” I groaned, rubbing my temples. I staggered to my feet and went to the bathroom, groping as I stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water, trying to quickly warm myself and get moving. Just because I was rested, didn’t mean anything was resolved. I had to find my phone and check in with Hasan, though I figured the werewolves probably passed on the major developments. I felt guilty, not calling before passing out, but I knew the Tribunal would understand. They knew their Executioners got beaten up.
When I stepped out of the shower, the headache was still there, but the heat and water had loosened me up enough not to feel like I was hobbling as I got into fresh clothes. Again, I was glad that Cassius was thoughtful enough to have clothing for me in his mansion. This time, I promised myself I wouldn’t be petty and petulant about it. What I had talked to Raphael about had really hit home. I was lucky to have Cassius and knew I needed to show that appreciation more.
Once I was dressed, I walked out to hunt down anything to eat. I had eaten a massive meal only two evenings ago, but I knew the night and the sleep burned through all of that. I could eat a horse and intended to find a meal comparable in size if I could.
“Good evening,” a gruff voice greeted me as I made my way into the kitchen.
“Hey, Terry,” I said, trying to smile. “How are you doing? Everything been safe and secure here?”
“Yup. You look like shit. Been cleaning up the prison mess, huh? You the one who got Leith all fucking worried?” The big werewolf was staring at me, something between disgust and annoyance on his face.
“Yup. You don’t need to thank me,” I mumbled, reaching for the refrigerator door. He was suddenly next to me and held it closed.
“I don’t like your guy. Why is he here?”
“He’s helping me. Is this about the smell thing?”
“He smells wrong,” the wolf growled. I looked up at him boldly.
“Then plug your fucking nose,” I snapped. “Now, I�
��m fucking starving, and you don’t own this kitchen, and I’ve about fucking had it with werewolf attitudes. I’ve dealt with a lot of them over the last twenty-four hours.”
“Really?”
“Three Alphas, Wesley, and two other motherfuckers who escaped the prison, so yeah,” I hissed.
“Three Alphas? There’s only two in this area. The next closest one is in Flagstaff, and that pack is small.” His hand lifted, but I could guess it was from shock or confusion.
“Tarak’s dead. Korey took over as Alpha and the werewolf Warden of the prison,” I explained, wrenching the fridge door open before he had the chance to stop me again. “You can send them a letter or something about the death, but yeah, I’m done.”
“And Wesley got out? Did you kill him?”
“No. Wagner helped contain him. Can I get something to eat?”
“Let me make you something. What would you like? Cassius had me learn a lot of recipes you might—”
“A burger. Make it a double, half-pound patties,” I said quickly, letting go of the fridge.
Of course, Cassius had him learn a lot of Indian food. Of course. Why wouldn’t he? He’s thoughtful like that.
The werewolf nodded and pointed to a spot to sit down in the kitchen.
“Will your guy want food, too?” he asked, watching me as he pulled out several pounds of ground beef.
“Probably. He’s been eating me out of house and home.”
“Okay.”
I watched him work until Leith walked in, followed shortly by the man in question. When Raphael came to sit beside me, I turned back to Terry and saw the werewolf’s nostrils flare as he took in the scents of the room. Most wolves scented the room subconsciously, but this was purposeful as though he was looking for information. When the werewolf looked up from his task at me, his eyes had changed. They were now a lighter brown, his wolf eyes.
He’s probably reacting to Raphael’s scent. I wish I knew what they caught.
“It’s good to see you awake and moving,” my roommate said, leaning over. It diverted my attention from the chef. Looking at Raphael, I licked my lips and caught his scent, too, but it was completely human. We were close together, so I caught more of his feelings in the scent. Normally, I tried not to be that close to people, but I hadn’t chosen the seating arrangement.
“Did you just get up?”
“No, Leith got me up an hour ago, and I went down to get some of Cassius’ guns from the basement. Just in case we needed them any time soon. I didn’t like sitting around and doing nothing.”
“How long was I out?”
“About seven hours. I have your phone. I grabbed it from the car and unloaded the rest before getting to bed. So, everything should be ready for you to use.”
“Ah, Lady Kaliya, Wagner also dropped by to give you back some of your things.” Leith sat on my other side, looking surprisingly casual, though he called me Lady again. “You left them at the scene, apparently, and he wanted to see them returned. He also wanted me to pass along a message that he spoke to the Tribunal, but you should call them as soon as possible.”
“Yeah, I figured he would,” I muttered, sighing. “I’m going to eat, then deal with the bosses. They can give me that.”
“They fucking better,” Raphael growled softly. Leith left to do something. Terry straightened up and stared at him, but nothing else happened.
Food was prepared, and I ate fast, not surprising anyone around me. Once I was done, I left them there without a word, finding my phone on the dining room table, charged and ready. I found Hasan in my missed calls three times over the afternoon and evening and called him, knowing I might get talked to about missing his calls.
“Kaliya. It’s good to hear from you. We were worried.”
I raised my eyebrows. “That’s nice to hear. I saw you called, and I’m sorry I missed them. I needed to sleep. I was completely drained.”
“Yes, I bet you were. Wagner had been kind enough to give us a description of your injuries as he saw them when you crossed paths. I’m not angry you took a chance to care for yourself. We can’t have you dying on us in the middle of this.”
“I’m glad you understand,” I said, sitting down at the table. “I’m not one hundred percent, of course, but I’m ready to get back out there. Do you want my report of Levi’s death, Wesley’s capture, and who else I found there?”
“I do. I heard some things, but since Wagner wasn’t there for the entire event, he couldn’t give me the details I wanted. He said something that concerned me, though, and I wanted to verify it.”
“Yeah, those twin wolves you had in prison were players,” I confirmed, having a strong feeling I knew what Hasan wanted to know. “Can you answer a few questions about them for me?”
“I can.” There was a frankness about Hasan I really liked. He was more insightful and intelligent than most of his peers, but he was also frank, at least with me. I wasn’t foolish enough to believe he didn’t know how to play politics with the best of them however, since he was one of the founding members of the Tribunal.
“How did they do it?” I had a weird feeling about their ability to heal. It was unusual and reminded me of Raphael in a way. Raphael could heal through things as he kept moving, kept fighting, just like them. Things that should have been fatal were a breeze for those werewolves. They just got back up.
“You are probably talking about why they were very difficult to kill.” I was glad for the werecat’s insightfulness. He understood what I wanted without me needing to clarify. “They made a pact with a demon centuries ago that gave them immortality to the weaknesses inherent to werewolves and werecats.”
“Oh shit. Like silver.” I had expected something weird or unusual, but a demon pact had not been it. It certainly came out of left field and had implications that made me uncomfortable. That was dangerous shit. “Why did you keep them alive?”
“Because they’re sons of the first werewolf, and I try to keep other originals alive,” he answered, sounding distant about it. “With them dead, there’s only two werecats and one werewolf left of the originals. How did you kill them?”
“Wow, okay.” I didn’t even begin to know how to touch that topic, and it wasn’t my business. The origin of the werecats and werewolves wasn’t known to anyone or at least no one I had ever spoken to, not that I asked around. In over a hundred years, it probably came up twice. I had my own shit to deal with. “Umm, cut their heads off and burned them. Well, made Wagner finish with the burning part.”
“Anything else?” he asked. “Or can we talk about something Wagner brought up on his call?”
“Nothing else from me.”
“Good, then tell me about what you plan to do about Nakul,” Hasan said simply without judgment or anger. Just a simple question, which if I answered wrong would blow up in my face.
“I plan on taking him back to the prison,” I told him honestly. It wasn’t the entire truth, but enough of it to hopefully get him to not ask any more questions.
“Not kill him on sight?”
Ah, fuck.
“Don’t fire me for this,” I started, considering just what I could trust Hasan with. “He hasn’t tried to kill me, and he hasn’t tried to leave the state. He’s been…following me around since the breakout. He saved my ass earlier today with Levi and those werewolves. When Wesley showed up, I thought I was fucking done for. Raphael and I were completely outnumbered. He disappeared before the pack got there. We saw him again at the car, and I brought him to Cassius’ home. He’s secure right now.”
“So, you’re just going to take him back to the prison tonight.”
“Eh. Maybe tomorrow—”
“Tomorrow? Kaliya, showing your family—”
“He knows something about what’s going on. He tried to warn me right before the breakout. His memory had been manipulated. Once I’m positive the threats have been eliminated, and no other northern cell block inmates are in the city causing problems, I need to know
what he knows.” I had to see this thing to its end, or I would be stuck wondering just like I was with Raphael. I couldn’t let answers slip through my fingers.
“Then we can have him examined at the pri—”
“This was done to him at the prison, Hasan. I’m positive it has something to do with the visitors they’ve been letting in. I don’t think this just was Wesley. Aren’t you getting it? Whoever Tarak and Eliphas let in decided to have a good time spelling people to try to kill me, and I can’t let that slide. I can’t let that go unanswered. I need to get to the bottom of this because it’s not just them being spelled. There are a few others trying to kill me because the price is good enough for them. Someone wants me dead.” I was ranting into the phone, running a hand through my hair as frustration and anger swirled in my chest. “And I can’t stop until I find out why they thought this was a reasonable way to try. They broke out the entire fucking prison, Hasan. I bet I was never supposed to get out of that prison alive.”
“And you know Nakul is part of this how?” the werecat growled on the other end.
“Because they asked him to kill me. He can’t remember who asked him. He has bits and pieces as though they couldn’t completely hide the memory. He turned them down, but he knows some of these motherfuckers can get a huge reward for killing me, like new identity, no record kind of good. We’re not talking about a mortal identity, either. Supernatural.”
“Ah…” I heard a seat creak. “Okay. As long as you have valid reasons, I can spin this for the other Tribunal members, but I probably won’t need to. Nakul has come up a lot since the breakout. My fellows have tried to tell me there’s no love between the two of you but—”
“He killed children,” I said with a hatred I still felt for my uncle. Nothing was going to ever erase that hate, but I was resourceful enough to put it aside when I needed something. I wasn’t going to let it consume me when I could use Nakul’s loyalty to our species for my own survival. “He butchered families. If Cassius had let me kill him years ago instead of making him stand trial, he wouldn’t fucking be among the living. I didn’t hesitate in the task. I was stopped. There’s a difference.”
