Chapter 13
Keir:
I couldn’t believe that Sanchez had cuffed Fiona.
My fury over his actions hadn’t fully faded.
But the way Nico was charming my mate and trying to get a rise out of me made me want to laugh, even if I kept pretending to be annoyed.
I knew he was harmless. He would never overstep with one of our mates.
We were in my SUV, headed for the Katz home. Nico answered her questions about what he was doing here. I wondered the same thing. I’d asked Banner to be on standby if her employer got ugly, which was a good thing.
“I’m here because Brax thought that it might be a good idea to help out for a few days.
There are more people to question about the stuff happening down here than expected.
Plus, with Keir claiming his mate, you two need time alone.
This allows the two of you to have it. I’ve taken a week off.
If there’s a need, someone will trade out with Gunnar and me.
He’s been on vacation, but he’ll need to return to work soon.
The others are prepared to take time to switch with whoever needs to be replaced. ”
“That was sweet of you to do, but I hate that everyone is giving up their vacation time,” she replied.
“Fiona, it’s not your fault. We’d be doing this regardless of whether you and your family were part of it.
We’re Sentinels, and this is what we do.
Our day jobs are there as covers and to keep us busy when we’re not being Sentinels.
That’s not to say we don’t enjoy our jobs, because we do.
But Sentinels' business takes priority,” Nico explained.
“Okay, I get that. So, what did you do to Eithan? And how did you do it?” Fiona asked next.
“Has Keir explained to you what all of us are? Or our day jobs?”
“I haven’t. I thought I’d let her meet you, and then we’d do the honors. As for the latter, I would’ve eventually.”
Nico sighed as he shook his head. “He’s so scared we’ll steal your heart.
Oh well, let me tell you. I work as a paramedic.
I’m the best. As for what I did to your kidnapper, I hypnotized him.
It was all I could do when we were out in public and on a time crunch.
If I’d had more time, I would’ve wiped it all. ”
“Wiped it all? You mean remove his memories? How? What are you?” I asked.
“Yes, I mean his memories. I could make it so he recalls nothing about you, or implant a suggestion. I figured you’ve never met one of my kind. The how is harder to say. It’s just possible. I learned it as a youngster. As for what I am? Take a guess,” he said.
I glanced back in time to see his eyes change to red, and he opened his mouth, exposing his fangs that had descended. Fiona gasped.
He was in the backseat, and she was up front with me. She turned further in her seat, staring at him.
“You’re a vampire! Oh, wow, I’ve never met one. I figured there might be some around Arizona, maybe even Phoenix, but I’ve never run into one. That is so cool, what you can do.”
“Thank you, I think it’s damn cool, too. Keir, do you want me to go to that guy’s house and work on him? I can wipe his memories or whatever you want,” Nico offered.
Though I was tempted to say yes, I knew Fiona considered the bastard a friend, even if he’d scared her today. I held back.
“No, let him go. If he causes more problems, then we’ll see. Do the others know you’re here?”
“I contacted Gunnar to ask if you were home. He told me what was going down and where to find you, so I came to see if I might be needed. Good thing I did. I haven’t met the rest of the Katz family.”
“Oh, wait until Gal sees you. He’s had this fascination with vampires since he was little. Watch out, he’ll be asking you a thousand questions,” Fiona warned.
The rest of the ride was filled with chatter as my friend and fellow Sentinel got to know my mate.
Every time I thought of her being mine, I swelled with pride.
And I was glad that Nico had arrived. I needed time with Fiona.
Now that she was without a job, it was the perfect time to do it. An idea began to form.
?
Less than two days after Fiona quit her job, I had her all to myself.
The way it occurred was easier than I had hoped.
After arriving home and introducing Nico to her family, and watching Gal’s fascination with Nico, we eventually got around to telling everyone what happened at the diner.
Galen was furious. He told his granddaughter he wanted her to stay far away from Eithan.
If he texted or called, she was to ignore him, or better yet, block him.
She agreed with him. I knew she hated to see him so upset.
Wanting to make it easier on her and still have time together, I suggested we get away, just the two of us.
At first, she’d hesitated, saying she needed to be there for her family.
But Galen and Gal both said they were fine without her and had all the protection they needed.
Once we all worked on her, she said yes, but only if we stayed no more than a couple of hours away. I agreed and set it up immediately. I refused to tell her where we were escaping to, only that it would be close. I was in luck. The person I called had what I needed. We were almost there.
Fiona was watching out the window. She took in the surrounding area.
Phoenix was a flat desert. However, there were other landscapes in the area, despite the lack of large mountains, which was my preference.
What it did have was two small mountains, Camelback and Piestewa Peak.
They rose over one thousand feet. The photos I saw of them showed incredible vistas, and the websites talked about the excellent hiking available.
We could’ve gone to other mountains in the Phoenix area, such as White Tank, Estrella, Superstition, McDowell, and South Mountain, but I chose Piestewa Peak, which was part of the Phoenix Mountain range.
The information I’d read said it had been called Squaw Peak and other names over the years until the name was changed to honor Army Specialist Lori Ann Piestewa.
She was the first female soldier to be killed in action in the 2003 Iraq War, and the first known Native American woman to die in combat in the US military.
I found that admirable. Along with what I discovered about the wildlife it contained, which included bobcats and coyotes among the predator types, this fact would make it a perfect spot for us to let our leopards out.
It had been a while for Rogue, and he was becoming hard to manage.
There were lots of other animals, reptiles, and birds that would provide game for our leopards to enjoy and for us to see when we were on the trails.
If it had been spring, we could’ve seen the abundant wildflowers that grew there.
The final turn we came around revealed our destination. I heard Fiona gasp, then sigh. I found her smiling at me. “It’s beautiful and perfect. It’ll be so peaceful, Keir.”
I agreed. The pictures on the website where I booked this hadn’t done the place justice.
I knew it would have all the rustic charm while providing all the modern conveniences—the best of both worlds.
Over the centuries, I’d slept on the ground or in a hut with no heat, air conditioning, running water, or even a real floor.
It was dirt. I preferred not to do that anymore, though I could if it became necessary. Thankfully, it wasn’t.
I parked under the covered lean-to attached to the side of the cabin.
It was constructed of the same wood as the home.
I was happy that when I got out of my SUV, Fiona remained in it, waiting for me to open her door.
My manners were old-fashioned, but in the era I grew up in, they were expected.
And my parents, though long gone, would haunt me if I didn’t do it, especially my mamaí, mom.
She would’ve beaten me with a broom or anything else that was handy.
After getting her out, I snagged the luggage.
I had my small duffel bag, and she had a suitcase.
At the front door, I found the key where the owner said I would.
It was cleverly hidden inside a frog figurine in the flowerbed beside the door.
It had a false bottom. I let her unlock it, since I had the luggage. She pushed it open and stepped inside.
I set the luggage down and shut the door.
We removed our shoes and outerwear. It was warm inside, compared to the coolness outside.
Together, the first thing we did was explore our home for the next week.
Yes, I’d gotten Fiona to agree to spend seven days with me.
I’d taken the precaution to speak to my boss yesterday.
My original leave had been for a week, then extended to an entire month.
I informed him that my family situation had become worse, and I asked for a second month.
He said, “No problem.” If I ended up not needing it, I could always go back to work early.
The reality was, they let me do whatever I wanted. I’d been hired as an extra game warden, and due to Nico’s fiddling with their minds, they never pushed back on the time I took to deal with Sentinel business. Was it unfair to my coworkers? Sure, but I only felt mildly guilty.
When you were charged with ensuring the safety and survival of a whole group of species from extinction, hurt feelings were the last thing you worried about.
I didn’t abuse it. I took time off for my other work, not to play around.
If it became too contentious, I’d give it up and find something else to fill my time with.
And with Fiona and her family in my life, I knew I’d have plenty to keep me happy.
I had more than enough money never to have to work again.