by Lisa Edmonds
Malcolm had complained about us “going at it like rabbits” until I reminded him that he’d wanted me back with Sean, so he shouldn’t grumble about werewolf libido. Truth be told, I initiated sex as much as Sean, but he certainly never turned me down and I always wore out before he did.
Sean and I had installed a heavy bag in my guest room so I could take up kickboxing again. It helped me work off the lingering effects of being exposed to a meth-like drug called Black Fire. Lately, I’d needed it more to take out my fury at what Kim and I had to read in the discussion forums.
To deal with the stress, Kim had doubled up on her yoga classes. I tried that too, but there was too little punching involved for me to find it very helpful.
“You need to go punch the bag for a while?” Sean’s tone was teasing, but his eyes were dark with concern.
I gave him a wry smile. “No, I’m good. Anyway, Kim and I spent a good week or so slogging through posts by bottom-feeding bigots before we found someone who claimed responsibility for the bombing. That suspect we quickly eliminated with a couple of questions. Same with the next several people who claimed responsibility. Then we found Andrew’s post bragging about the bombing and I had a feeling we were onto something. He wouldn’t give details, but the few he did reveal matched what we knew. We needed to make direct contact, but I couldn’t do that as myself. I needed an alter ego and a plausible reason for seeking them out. So Julie Day was born, in a manner of speaking.”
I described how the Vamp Court had supplied me with a complete fake identity. Julie Day supposedly worked for Human Future, a real anti-supe Human rights organization. She’d come to the city from her base of operations in Denver to meet with local activists willing to fight for the cause. It had taken some careful persuading, but Andrew finally put me in touch with Mike Robinson.
The group leader’s ego made him laughably easy to manipulate with a classic “Mr. Big” sting. The operation involved baiting the alleged bombers with the possibility of joining Human Future, in hopes they’d confess to the bombing in an effort to impress me and my superiors at Human Future. It all went like clockwork, right up until it didn’t.
“So, what went wrong?” Sean asked.
I explained the failed attempt to arrest the bombers. When I told him how Stevens had incapacitated us with a flash-bang and shot me, Sean’s eyes blazed. “Let me see your shoulder,” he said, his voice growly.
“You saw it already yesterday,” I reminded him.
“Show me again.”
I pulled my T-shirt off over my head. He lowered his head and ran his lips across my bare skin where I’d been shot. I shivered and moved my bra strap aside so he had unobstructed access to my shoulder, and his kisses became more insistent. He always managed to smell so good to me, that unmistakable scent of forest that made me forget everything else.
His hand slid between my thighs and rubbed along the seam of my jeans. He inhaled deeply and growled. I was suddenly acutely aware of how long it had been since we’d had sex and how much I’d missed the feeling of his hands on me.
I climbed into his lap and took his face in my hands. I kissed his mouth, then moved slowly across his jaw, enjoying the scratchiness of his stubble against my lips and chin. Sean nuzzled against me, breathing deeply. The feeling of his fingertips on my bare flesh made sparks run all the way to my toes. I moaned a little and nipped his ear. The forest scent intensified and I shivered again.
Just as I decided the rest of this conversation could wait until we ended our drought, Sean kissed me one last time and held me against his chest. “You know I want to tear your clothes off and finish what we just started, but I need to hear the rest of the story.”
Clearly, I needed to work on my make-out skills if I wasn’t able to distract a werewolf with sex. I sighed and moved off his lap, pulling the T-shirt back on and rearranging my clothes. “That’s really all there is to tell. The Vamp Court enforcers came into the house and took out Robinson and the Davis brothers, but Stevens escaped out a back window to a vehicle he had waiting. Charles healed my wound and the feds arrived to take the others into custody. I gave the feds my statement and Fortune drove me home. That was the last time I saw him alive.”
He tucked me under his arm and I rested my head on his chest. “I’m sorry about Fortune. I know you liked him. What else is bothering you about this case?”
I picked at my jeans. “Now that it’s over, I expected to feel better, or at least have some satisfaction at a job well done. Instead, it feels like a completely Pyrrhic victory. Fortune is dead and Bryan almost was too. Robinson’s wife is dead and so is Kent’s brother. The Court is still looking into those murders but they may never know who was responsible. That’s not right. It doesn’t excuse what they did or what Stevens is doing, but he and Robinson have a right to be angry.”
“Do you feel sorry for them?”
“For Robinson, a little. By all accounts, Samantha Robinson was a good person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whatever else you can say about him, he loved her. I don’t feel sorry for Andrew and Corey; their brother isn’t dead or a victim of vampires, and if they can’t accept him for who he is, then that’s their choice and their loss. But as for Stevens…” Blood magic sizzled on my skin. Sean didn’t let go, even though it had to hurt. “If the vamps get to him before the feds do, he’ll never be found. I can’t bring myself to feel sorry about that.”
Sean growled low in his throat. “I’m pretty thoroughly disgusted with the vamps for letting Stevens get loose a second time. His training, combined with his access to military-grade weapons, means he’s a very real threat. Everything points toward a very mission-oriented psychology. If he’s gunning for you, we have to be concerned about that as much as his weapons ability and the fact he may have been drinking vampire blood.”
I shook my head. “There’s nothing linking me to Julie Day. I have no plans to go anywhere near Charles’s house or any of his businesses. Stevens won’t find me.”
“Hopefully he won’t, but we have to prepare in case he does. He’s smart and resourceful, and he apparently has access to weapons and gadgets.”
“That’s what Charles said.” I sighed and laid down on the couch, resting my head in Sean’s lap.
He squeezed my hand. “Tell me what I can do to help.”
“You’re doing it.” I closed my eyes. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks.”
“If you want to talk about what’s on your mind, you know I’m here to listen.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
The radio on his belt beeped. “Mobile Team One to Alpha,” a brisk male voice said.
Sean took the radio out. “Go ahead for Alpha.”
“The temp team is gone and we’re on duty.”
“Ten-four.” He set the radio on the arm of the couch.
“You have a mobile team outside?” I asked.
“Yes. This is a multi-person job. I need eyes watching for him while I’m protecting you up close. Vamp security will stay and watch your house while the mobile team shadows us.” He read my expression. “We talked about this. You have to let me do my job.”
“I understand why they’re out there,” I said quietly. “That’s not what’s bothering me. I feel crowded. I’ve lived alone for a long time, and all of a sudden there are people all around me, watching me.”
He looked surprised, then thoughtful. “I hadn’t thought of it like that, but I can see why you feel that way. I come from a big family and I’m a werewolf, so I’m used to being in a pack and I enjoy the feeling of closeness. I should have known you would be uncomfortable.” He squeezed my hand.
My phone dinged. Sean dug it out of the couch cushions and handed it to me. I had a voicemail from my work number. I hit Play to listen to the message and heard a familiar male voice. “Hello, Alice. This is Aaron Riddell. One of my clients would like to meet with you. Please call me at your earliest convenience.” He disconnected.
“Aaron Riddell
of Riddell, Ives, and McAllen.” Sean sounded surprised. “If not the best law firm in town, certainly the priciest. He didn’t leave a number, though.”
I sat up and stretched, feeling my back pop. “I’ve got his number; I’ve worked for a couple of his clients in the past.”
At his expression, I added, “Don’t look so astonished; some jobs are better suited for small-time MPIs than big firms. The people on Aaron’s client list want small jobs handled quietly and it’s hard to keep things confidential in a big firm. If he’s calling me, someone’s got a sticky situation they don’t want anyone to know about.”
He frowned. “I’m not sure how to feel about that.”
“Well, I feel good about it. My fees are on a sliding scale and any referral I get from Aaron is automatically at the top of that scale. It will help offset the cost of the security you’re providing.”
He went still. “Alice, there is no way I would even think about charging you.”
“And I’m not about to let you do all this for free,” I countered. “This is a business arrangement. I didn’t ask you to do this as a personal favor. I want invoices, time sheets, and so forth, the same as you would do for any client.”
His eyes darkened. “We are keeping track of all that.”
“Good.”
“The Vampire Court is covering all expenses related to your security.” The words were clipped.
I stood up and started to go to the window, then remembered I had to keep the curtains closed. I stopped in the middle of the room and stood with my back to him, my arms crossed.
He rose. “Are you angry because the Court is paying to provide personal security for you? Because that is ridiculous.”
I spun around, but he cut me off. “Stevens escaped them not once but twice because they underestimated him. They feel responsible for putting you in danger and rightfully so. They may catch him an hour from now, or tomorrow, or next week, but in the meantime, they need their ‘asset’ kept safe.” His eyes glowed softly golden. “But even if they weren’t paying me a dime, I’d still be here because I need you to be safe. If the situation were reversed, you’d do the same.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” I retorted. “I’d send you an invoice every single day and expect payment each Friday by noon.”
We stared at each other. My lips twitched.
He chuckled and pulled me into his arms. “You are impossible,” he said into my hair. “I am allowed to care about you, you know. The Court is protecting an asset. I am protecting my…” He hesitated. “My girlfriend.”
I groaned. “‘Girlfriend’? That makes us sound like we’re in high school.”
“What would you say, then?” He eyed me. “And don’t say ‘colleague.’”
I gave him a look. “You’re not still holding a grudge about me calling you my colleague back when we first met, are you?”
“It’s more like a running joke now, don’t you think?”
I rolled my eyes. “I need to call Aaron back.”
He sighed. “Fine, call the lawyer, but we’re going to finish this conversation at some point soon.”
I took my phone into the kitchen. He would be able to hear every word I said, but I could focus on the call without being distracted by my…whatever Sean was. Not boyfriend. Partner? Significant other? And what had he been about to call me, before he’d changed his mind?
I called Aaron’s direct line and got his assistant, who transferred me.
When he came on the line, Aaron’s voice was warm. “Alice, how are you?”
“Doing all right, Aaron. And you?”
“I’m on top of the world,” the lawyer said. In the background, I could hear papers shuffling on his desk. “You busy this afternoon?”
“I just closed a big case, so I’m pretty open at the moment. What’s the job?”
“I’ll let my client discuss that with you. We are prepared to pay for a consultation. Same rate as before?”
“That’s fine.”
“I’ll have a check waiting. Are you available to meet her at two?”
“Sure. At your office?”
“That would be ideal. As always, confidentiality and discretion are essential.”
I hesitated. “I’ll have someone with me.”
“Who?” His voice sharpened.
“My personal security detail, Sean Maclin of Maclin Security.”
“I know Maclin by reputation.” Aaron pondered that. “I’ll run it by the client, but I don’t think it will be a deal-breaker as long as he agrees to the same terms of confidentiality.”
“That will not be a problem.”
“See you soon.”
“Wait, who’s the client?” I asked.
A pause. “Esther Aldridge.”
My eyebrows went up. “Okay, I’ll see you at two.” We disconnected.
Sean came into the kitchen. “So, what’s the job?”
“I don’t know the details yet, but the potential client is Esther Aldridge.”
“The Esther Aldridge?”
“Unless you know another one.” I rinsed out my coffee mug and put it in the sink. “Aaron couldn’t tell me what the case is about over the phone. In any case, I’ll at least meet with Aldridge and get an idea of her situation before making a decision. If nothing else, it will keep me busy so I don’t sit around wondering if Kent Stevens is going to pop up and shoot me again.”
He jerked, his eyes shining gold. “Please don’t joke about it.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Every instinct in my body is telling me to keep you in this house until he’s in custody. All I can think about is keeping you safe and how difficult it is going to be to protect you when the threat is a highly trained former Marine. My wolf is uneasy and that makes things difficult.”
Though we’d only been seeing each other for a few months, Sean’s wolf thought of me as his potential mate. As worried as Sean was, I could only imagine how much more displeasing the situation was for his furry half.
I put my hand on his arm and squeezed. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to make this any harder on you than it already is.”
He nuzzled my hair, which always seemed to soothe both him and his wolf. “I know you aren’t. You say what you feel and you cope with everything the best way you know how.”
“If I could stand to stay in my house to make this easier for you, I would, but I can’t. Not after these last few weeks, and not after…everything else I’ve been through.”
I’d been held a prisoner by my grandfather for twenty years. I’d never allow myself to be trapped again, not even if it meant Stevens might find me. Better that than give up my freedom. I couldn’t explain any of that to Sean, so I shook my head to indicate that we’d run up against the part of my life that I had to keep hidden.
“It’s okay. I don’t need to know those secrets today.” He kissed the top of my head. “If we’re going out in a couple of hours, I’m going to get to work installing alarms on the windows and doors. When do we need to leave?”
“By one fifteen.”
“Okay.” He headed to the living room for his bag of gadgets.
I used an app on my phone to order a pizza and got my clean clothes out of the dryer. I took them upstairs and stayed out of Sean’s way by puttering around cleaning for a while. When I came back down, he was finishing putting alarms on all the bottom-floor windows.
When the pizza arrived, we ate it sitting on the couch, curled up together. After the last slice was gone, I took the pile of dishes and trash to the kitchen.
I rinsed the plates, then put the trash in the can and wiped my hands on a towel. “I’m going downstairs to work on spellwork with Malcolm. I’ll be back up in about an hour. Don’t try to come down; if you need me, shoot me a text.”
A pause. “Okay.”
When we were first together, I’d given him access through my basement wards, but revoked it later and never restored his privileges. Right now, I needed a refuge, and with Sean in the house, the only place I could
retreat to was the basement.
I could feel his gaze on me as I opened the basement door and the wards sizzled on my skin. “Coming down!” I called.
“Clear!” Malcolm’s voice floated up to me.
I paused and looked back at Sean, where he was standing in the middle of my living room. “Hey, thank you for doing all this for me.”
He smiled and some of the tension eased out of my shoulders. “Of course. Whatever you need, you know I’m here for you.”
“I know.” I headed down the stairs and gently closed the door behind me.
My basement was part library and part magic workshop. Like most mages, I had a collection of books on magic theory, history, and practice, Though more books were becoming available in e-reader format these days, most older and more esoteric titles were only available in hard copy. The large open space of the workshop contained several storage cabinets, a work table, and three concentric circles inlaid into the floor.
When I got to the bottom of the steps, Malcolm was in the spellwork area. “I got a call about a potential case,” I told him. “Not sure what it’s about yet, but I have a client meeting in a couple of hours and then I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“Sounds good.” He met me halfway across the floor. “You doing okay?”
“I’m good. Do you have time to spar?”
“Sure. What do you want to work on?”
“It’s been a while, so how about we warm up with some basic defense?”
“Okay. En garde.” Malcolm floated to the right. I shifted my weight and watched him closely.
Suddenly, he vanished. A flash of bright green to my left; I threw up a protective shield and Malcolm’s bolt of earth magic crackled against it. I scowled and dropped the shield. “Faster, Malcolm. Don’t hold ba—”
Zzzap! I yelped and staggered as his bolt hit me in the small of my back.
“Are you okay?” he asked from behind me.
I spun and lashed out with my cold fire whip. He vanished before it could touch him. Another zap to my left side. I stumbled, wincing, and reached out with my senses. I felt his presence to my right and threw up a shield just in time to intercept his magic bolt. I dropped the shield, sensed him behind me, spun, and lashed him with the whip.
