Somehow, though, neither issue seemed as daunting or pressing as it had been when he had first arrived in Madrid. He had Sage to thank for that. He would have to show her his deepest appreciation when he saw her in a few minutes.
Quickly turning off the shower, Cruz opened the floor-to-ceiling door and reached for a plush towel draped over the side of the jacuzzi tub. Wrapping the cloth about his hips, he made his way into the master bedroom to turn on his cell phone for the first time in days. It was almost noon, and he cringed as the device began to ping with the indication of messages. He didn’t need to look at them to know whom they were from.
I have no choice but to call him before he sends in the cavalry looking for me… if he has not already. He shuddered at the thought.
As he was thinking it, the phone rang in his palm, and Cruz jumped at the unexpectedness of it.
“Yes, Theo?” he said pleasantly, trying to keep the annoyance from his voice.
“Where the hell have you been, Cruz?” the leader of the werebears demanded, his tone furious.
“I am in Madrid,” Cruz replied innocently. “Have I gone to the wrong city again?” He heard the older bear inhale sharply.
“Do not play coy with me, Cruz,” Theo growled. “How dare you cut off all contact after that stunt you pulled on Tuesday morning?”
I guess he has heard, then.
“Theo, I told you—”
“You don’t tell me anything, Cruz!” Theo hissed furiously. “I gave you one task, and that was to deliver the sword. Instead, you stood up the pack. Where is the sword now?”
“I have it,” Cruz muttered angrily. “I’m not just handing it off to the highest bidder, Theo. Surely you can appreciate that. It must be kept where it’s safest, and that has always been with me.”
“You don’t have a choice!” Theo roared in his ear. Cruz could almost hear his blood pressure rising. “You can’t run around with it, especially not now that the hunt for Helios is back on.”
“It’s been safely with me for millennia,” Cruz growled back. “I’m the one who helped create it, remember?”
Theo snarled, and Cruz was sure he had shifted in his fury. He couldn’t know for sure, as he could only hear his heavy breathing.
I’m pushing my luck. He’s going to take the sword, whether or not I want it, and there’s nothing I can do about it. He suddenly wondered why he was fighting so hard to hold on to the old relic. It didn’t seem important anymore. Theo can thank Sage for that. I’m done fighting with that. Consider myself resigned from holding on to it.
“We have reassembled teams to push Helios out of hiding, Cruz, and if we find him, we need to be prepared. What don’t you understand about this?”
“I don’t need to tell you what will happen if that sword falls into the wrong demon hands,” Cruz said lightly, but he was astonished to learn that he really didn’t care. Maybe with finding his mate, he had to let something go.
And by something, maybe I mean the sword. A thousand years is a long time to hold on to something like that.
“The only demon I’m worried about finding it is Helios, Cruz. Raven has her order under control. The entire Council is working together—why aren’t you working with us?”
“I’ll give up the sword,” Cruz said begrudgingly, knowing that there was no point in rehashing this argument with Theo. The Council always got what the Council wanted. And right then, the Council of Seven wanted the sword.
Then take the damned sword so I can move on to the business with the sheik.
“I will meet with the pack on Monday morning—” Cruz started to say, but Theo cut him off.
“No!” Theo was livid. “You will meet with them today. You are lucky you answered, because I had already sent someone to deal with it. You have a meeting at four o’clock. You best be there, Cruz—sword in hand.” The unspoken threat of his words hung in the air, but Cruz almost laughed aloud. It was completely unnecessary. Cruz was glad he was able to control his thoughts so Theo couldn’t read them.
“Of course I will be there,” he replied, his mind wandering to Sage. The sooner they got this done, the sooner he could return to her.
I will make the trip to the pack, drop off the sword, and make it back in time to take Sage out for dinner. She will be my light at the end of the very dark tunnel. I hope I’m not miserable company when I get back.
“I know you will,” Theo said coldly. “I have sent two bodyguards to accompany you for the remainder of your trip. Their plane has landed already. You can thank your father for that, by the way. He has also been looking for you.”
Cruz felt the blood drain from his face.
“Why would you do that? I am in no danger,” he choked, and the Council bear grunted. Theo knew it had nothing to do with danger in the least.
“I am more concerned that you are a danger to yourself,” he retorted.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Cruz snapped back. A feeling of dread filled him. I’m being double-teamed. They’re making sure I can’t go anywhere.
“I don’t know where you have been for the past day, but I have a feeling you are keeping something from me, Cruz—something that you should be telling me.”
“Like what?” Cruz demanded in disbelief. “I tell the Council everything.”
Well, maybe not everything, he thought guiltily, but Sage had nothing to do with any of this. The last thing he wanted was a couple of guards slinking around when he was trying to enjoy quality time with Sage. Especially if they were goons his father had sent. And I’m sure she won’t appreciate being spied on, either.
“Theo, I’m not some kid who needs a babysitter!” Cruz cried furiously, his mind whirling. “I’ve been nothing but loyal to the Enchanted and the Council since Alaric. Stop treating me like a traitor.”
“You are a fully grown bear, Cruz, and once upon a time, everything you said was true. But ever since Matin passed, your father seems to think you’re not the same.”
The reminder sent a stab of animosity through Cruz’s body.
“What the hell does Matin have to do with anything?” he hissed. “You need to stop conferring with Jett and start speaking to me.”
“You haven’t been the same since your brother died, Cruz, and you know it, regardless of what your father says. You don’t follow orders. You have an agenda of your own, I can sense it.”
Cruz tensed at the mention of his twin. “You need to call off the hounds, Theo. I’ll be at the transfer. Just send me the details and leave my father to me.”
“It is too late, Cruz. The bodyguards are already there. They have been in your suite and know you haven’t stayed there since you checked in. I am not going to ask you where you have been because I fear I will loathe the answer, and it will put me into a greater fury. It ends now. You have had your grieving period. Now it is time to focus on bigger matters. Do you understand?”
Cruz choked back a biting answer and somehow managed to keep his cool, despite the rage mounting through him. “I guess I don’t really have much of a choice, do I? I mean, if you’ve already got goons spying on me.”
“Four o’clock,” Theo said, ignoring the jab. “The car will be waiting for you. I will inform the guards you have returned.” He disconnected the call, and Cruz was left staring at the home screen of his iPhone. He needed to call Sage and explain to her that…
His mind went completely blank. What could he tell her? How could he possibly make her understand that he wanted to return to her room to lose himself under the crisp, cool sheets with her lithe, warm body, but he could not? Anything he said would sound fake and open the floodgate of questions he had been trying to avoid. Now was not the time to spill to her who he was and what he had been up to. But if he didn’t call her, she would be angry, thinking he had used her and left her without saying goodbye properly. Then again, it was still better than having her think he had simply not returned, wasn’t it?
Frantically, Cruz began to pace about the luxurious suite, try
ing to think of what he could say to make it less awkward. Any excuse sounded contrived in his head. Finally, he decided he would simply tell her the truth the best way he could.
I’ll tell her that I have been called away on business, he thought, so we must say our goodbyes. If she asks to see me in person, I will tell her I have already gone back to the airport. It doesn’t sound believable, but at least we can part on good terms.
His thoughts were distracted by a knock on the door, and his heart leapt into his throat with excitement. She couldn’t know which room he was in, could she? She may have been able to figure it out, and it wouldn’t have surprised him. Sage was just as bright as she was beautiful. Perhaps she had even looked for his name on the manifest after he had left the plane on Tuesday morning and had known who he was the whole time.
The thought filled Cruz with bittersweet pleasure. He did not want to bid Sage adieu, but he would have to get rid of her before the goons appeared. He hurried across the floor, throwing the door open in tense yet happy anticipation.
Two of his father’s bigger men towered before him in the hall, and Cruz’s heart sank. There was no option to call Sage now, not with those two gorillas watching his every move. There was no doubt in his mind that they had been sent because of his father and not because of the Council at all. He knew from experience that he was trapped. There would not be a moment of privacy going forward from that moment, and if he risked calling her, she would be exposed to Jett. And that was simply unacceptable. She would forever think Cruz had simply taken an opportunity to run out on her.
Without speaking, Cruz nodded at the men and turned his back to them, sauntering back into the house-sized suite. A foreign sense of loss swept over him as he walked into the bedroom to dress, suddenly aware that he only wore a towel about his hips.
After this takeover dust settles and I return to Paris, he thought, I’ll call Northeastern Airlines and track down Sage. How many women named Sage can they have employed there? Hopefully, she will forgive me, but I cannot risk these buffoons reporting to Father that I’ve been engaging in debauchery. I’ll never be permitted to leave the island again.
It had been a trying few years, and Theo had not been wrong about his assessment. Things had changed a great deal after Matin had passed away so unexpectedly. Was he any less trustworthy because of it? Cruz didn’t think so, even if his father thought differently, and he resented Theo for bringing it up at all.
Slowly putting on his pants, he tried to push Sage’s vivid blue eyes from his mind.
You both knew that this was not going to last forever. You cannot allow yourself to become an emotional mess over a woman you barely know. If we’re mates, we’ll find a way back to one another, after I’m done dealing with this mess. Bringing her into my life while Helios is still at large is a mistake, anyway. The demon is probably just biding his time.
His hands were trembling slightly as he did up the buttons of his wrinkle-free button-up shirt, and again, he tried to understand just what it was about Sage which had captivated him so completely. He knew that he would keep her closely in his thoughts until they met again.
And we will meet again, Sage, Cruz promised her silently, wondering if she was thinking of him at that moment. Tying the blue silk tie around his collar, he took a deep breath to steady his nerves. I will look for you, I promise. I hope you will not have moved on and will think of me as much as I will think of you.
He pulled on his jacket and stared at himself in the mirror critically. As he drew closer, he realized that his chocolate eyes had lost the sparkle they had possessed when he had first walked into the suite. He wondered if that was because he realized just how close he had come to jeopardizing Sage’s life.
7
Vaughan’s mouth curled into a hideous grin. Helios looked at him skeptically.
“What are you leering at?” he demanded. “Stop smiling like that—it’s disturbing.” His words affected Vaughan enough to get the half-formed demon to stop, but there was still a glint of happiness in his eyes.
“I have word that the sword has been moved,” the lackey announced, his grin broadening despite Helios’ instructions. “It is in Madrid as we speak.”
Helios’ eyes widened.
“Madrid? Are you certain?” he asked, licking his lips as though he could taste the very success of his plan. “With Cruz Reyes?”
Vaughan shook his head. “I don’t think so, sire. I believe that he has fallen out of favor with the Council, but he, too, is in Madrid, perhaps bequeathing the unit to another pack.”
“Which pack?” Helios demanded. “Do you know?”
“Not yet, but I do know that it is being delivered by Cruz Reyes.”
“Is that a fact?” Helios leered. “Does that mean there’s trouble in paradise? They don’t trust him with it anymore?”
“It seems that way, sire,” Vaughan agreed. “I haven’t got eyes on him yet, but I am working on it.”
“You’re not working hard enough,” Helios countered. “I want surveillance on him. I want to know where he goes and with whom he speaks.” He paused, his eyes glittering as something else occurred to him. “Has he found his mate yet?”
Vaughan’s face lit up, the deviousness of the question apparently overwhelming him. “I couldn’t say, sire, but rest assured, I will find out and report back.”
“Never mind,” Helios hissed. “I have done enough waiting around. How is that list coming? Have you gotten everything I asked for?”
“Almost, sire, almost.”
“Almost isn’t good enough, Vaughan! I need you to get on that at once. I am stagnant until I have everything I need.”
“I understand, sire,” Vaughan replied quickly, shuffling backward as if he expected a backhanded slap. Helios, though, was focused on other matters.
“I want to be on my private jet and in Madrid by this time next week,” he said. “I don’t want any further delays. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sire,” Vaughan breathed, but Helios could hear the reluctance in his voice.
“What?” he demanded. “What is the problem?”
“Money, sire. We have no money.” Helios bared his teeth at the sheer stupidity of the sentiment.
“We’re demons, you fool!” he spat. “Go take money. Walk into a bank and take what’s ours!”
Vaughan eyed him uncertainly. “It’s not that simple, sire. Not anymore.”
“Why not?” Helios scoffed. “You’re being lazy now, Vaughan.”
“It’s not laziness, sire! It’s the fact that the Council is actively looking for you again. If they hear of a demon robbing banks, they’ll surely link it back to you. In this age of technology—” The slap that Vaughan had anticipated earlier found its way to his face now, and the smaller demon reeled back in pain, clutching his face in shock.
“Do I have to do everything myself?” Helios snarled. “What is the point of having you if you don’t do anything I ask?”
“I-I’m sorry, sire! I just fear that—” Another slap cut Vaughan off from completing his sentence.
“You shouldn’t have any fear,” Helios spat. “You’re a demon—or at least, that is what you claim. Come on.” He spun and stormed toward the cabin door, not waiting to see if Vaughan was at his back.
“Where are we going, sire?” he asked, hurrying after Helios. “You shouldn’t show yourself yet. It isn’t safe!”
“Vaughan, you have too much fear. And the only way to overcome fear is to face it directly. Come.” Through his peripheral vision, he caught Vaughan’s stricken look but ignored it.
Soon, I won’t have any use for this moron, he thought grimly. Soon, I will have the best, strongest demons bowing at my feet.
The dilapidated pickup truck didn’t start on the first try, but that was hardly surprising. No one had bothered to use it in years, since Helios’ driving skills were atrocious. After the third attempt, the vehicle started up, and the duo was headed into town at breakneck speed along the old, unmanned r
oads.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Vaughan squeaked, holding onto his seat for dear life. There was little confidence in his voice, but Helios was unperturbed. The fire that had been lit inside him hundreds of years ago was becoming a conflagration now, and he wasn’t going to allow Vaughan to stop him.
“You question me?” Helios hissed, flames shooting out of his eyes to burn at Vaughan furiously. The smaller being slapped at his smoldering clothes until he was no longer smoking.
“Where are we going?” Vaughan insisted. Helios didn’t bother to respond, the lonely town appearing in the distance. “Oh…” Vaughan moaned shakily as the only bank appeared before them. “You can’t…” One more smack landed on his face, and it was enough to silence Vaughan entirely, knowing that any argument was bound to be futile.
“We need money, don’t we?” Helios retorted. “Isn’t that what you said? How else do you propose we get it if you insist upon being useless? I have to get it myself.”
The truck stopped, and Vaughan reluctantly followed Helios’ confident strides toward the building, a low whimper escaping his lips.
“Please, sire,” Vaughan begged. “You have been in hiding for so long, doing something like this will instantly expose you. All of our hard work will be for nothing! The hiding, the running, the—” But Helios didn’t seem to hear a word coming out of his sidekick’s mouth, his face contorting into one of demonic fury as he shifted.
Inside the small bank, everyone froze at the ugly creature coming toward them.
“If anyone moves, everyone is dead,” Helios snarled in Icelandic. “I want every krona in this establishment. If one is missing, everyone is dead. If you call the police, everyone is dead. If you look at me strangely, everyone is dead. Any questions?”
Bear’s Desire: Revenge of the Bears Page 7
