Chapter 12 #2
She shifted uneasily under his scrutiny. “I really should talk with Allie now.”
“There’s one more thing, Selene,” Fen said.
“What?”
“Josh told me you’re in possession of a weapon. An antique silver dagger that you purchased online.” His tone was rougher than gravel.
Damn it, Josh. He’d broken his promise after all.
Selene swallowed, her voice becoming very small. “Yes.”
“May I see it?”
Her mouth went dry, and her pulse tripped. “You want to see it?”
He nodded. Selene rose and went to find her purse.
She’d tried to give it back to Natalie, but her new friend insisted that it was better to risk having it than be without defense.
After learning about Natalie’s secret work, Selene decided to keep the dagger.
The fact that Daniel was a vampire gave her even more reason to hang on to it.
She drew the gleaming blade out and carried it back into the kitchen.
Fen rose as he watched her approach. She extended the dagger toward him. His eyes moved slowly over the weapon, but his face registered no reaction.
“You can take it,” she said shakily. “I’ll wrap it up in something so it won’t burn you.”
“There’s no need,” he said. “It belongs to you.”
His gaze returned to her face. “You understand why such a weapon is offensive to my pack, to me?”
“Of course,” she said. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”
He smiled gently. “I’m glad to know you wouldn’t hesitate to defend yourself and your family when endangered. Josh told me why you brought out the dagger in the first place. His decision to frighten Allie with his own transformation was foolish. You must have been terrified.”
“I was.”
He glanced at the dagger once more. “I’ll leave you to your conversation with your niece. Send Josh down. I’ll take him back to the mansion.”
“Okay.” She set the dagger on the kitchen table.
Fen followed her to the bottom of the stairs. She took two steps.
“Selene, wait.”
She turned to face him.
“What Daniel said on the lawn.” Fen’s jaw clenched. “Was it true?”
His expression was guarded, and Selene didn’t understand why. “Was what true? I don’t know what you’re asking.”
“He said you’ve always had a connection.” He ground his teeth as he spoke. “Were you involved with him at some point?”
“Never.” If not for the strain etched on Fen’s face, Selene would have laughed. “He made a pass at me once, but if a stop sign had breasts, Daniel would try to get it into bed.”
She’d obviously shocked Fen. He stared at her, lips parting as if to offer a retort. Then he shook his head. “I’m sorry I asked. It was petty of me.”
Selene looked at him for several heartbeats. The pull was still there. She wanted to go to him. To ask him to hold her. If only it were that easy.
“It’s nice that you care, Fenris,” she said finally.
He looked up, frowning. “Of course I care. Selene, I—”
When he moved toward the staircase, she backed up a step. He froze.
“It’s too much, Fen.” She had to force the words out. “Whatever this is . . . What I feel for you. I’m not ready. There’s so much about your world I don’t understand.”
Since the night she arrived in Avondale, Selene had been caught up in a whirlwind of life-changing revelations and heart-stopping emotions.
Her mind was under siege, battling for rational responses to unbelievable scenarios.
She’d already made so many mistakes. Revealing the dagger.
Blundering through her encounters with Daniel, which in hindsight had offered glaring signs of what he’d become.
And she’d missed it. What else was she missing because she was distracted by her own desires?
There was no way her selfishness wasn’t putting Allie at risk. She couldn’t go on like this.
Fen turned his face away. When he looked at her again, his expression was unreadable. “If that’s what you want.”
All she could do was nod because her heart and body were shrieking at her to throw herself into his arms. To beg for him to touch her again. To confess to him that every time he was close, she felt more alive, more powerful.
A part of her wished he would argue or kiss her until she wanted him too much to push him away. But he watched her silently until she turned around and continued to climb the stairs.
Selene knocked on Allie’s door. It opened a crack, and Josh’s face peered out.
“Josh, Fen is waiting downstairs to take you home,” she said.
“Aunt Selene?” Allie called from within the room. “Auntie Sel, is that you?”
Josh stepped aside and let the door open. Allie flew off the bed and into Selene’s arms.
“Oh my god,” Allie sobbed and clung to her. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, sweetheart.” Selene hugged her niece and stroked her hair.
Allie lifted her face and glared at Josh. “He wouldn’t let me out of the room.”
“I had to keep you safe,” Josh argued.
“Go away,” Allie snapped and turned her back on him.
Josh threw a pleading glance at Selene.
“Allison, Josh meant well,” Selene said, deciding he deserved a break. “Fen ordered him to take you upstairs. He didn’t have a choice. And I wanted you to be safe too. It was the right thing for Josh to do at the time.”
“Thanks, Ms. Jones.” He smiled weakly and looked at Allie. “Please don’t be mad.”
Allie peeked out at him from where she’d buried her face against Selene’s neck.
“Please.” He fluttered his very long eyelashes, and Allie sighed.
“I was just worried about Aunt Sel.”
His smile broadened. “I know. It’s okay.”
“I’ll see you in school tomorrow,” Allie told him.
“Sure,” he said. “Thanks for dinner, Ms. Jones. The fish was really good.”
“Good night, Josh,” Selene said. He bobbed his head, eyes lingering on Allie before he left the room, and a moment later she heard his footfalls on the stairs and the front door close.
“Do you want to come downstairs to talk?” Selene looked at her niece’s tear-streaked face.
“Let’s just talk here,” Allie said. She went back to her bed and pulled a pillow into her arms. Selene sat beside her.
“What happened after Josh brought me up here?” Allie asked.
“Fen told Daniel to stay away from us,” Selene said. “They argued, but Daniel eventually left.”
“Did you know he was in Avondale?” Allie asked in a quiet voice.
“He was here last night,” Selene said. “It was late. After we got back from dinner. That was the first time I’d seen him since he disappeared. I didn’t even know he was alive, Allie. Seeing him was a complete shock.”
Allie was silent.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Allison,” Selene continued. “I wanted to know more about why he was here before I talked to you about it. It was horrible that you had to find out when he showed up at the house tonight. That’s my fault.”
“Did you know he was a vampire?” Allie asked.
“No.” Selene shivered.
“I get why you didn’t tell me right away.” Allie traced shapes on the quilt with her fingertip. “I thought I’d hate him. And I always imagined that if he showed up, I might not even recognize him. But when I saw him, it was like he’d never left. He was just my dad.”
She sounded ashamed.
“It’s okay, Allie.” Selene put her arm about the girl. “You loved your dad, and he loved you.”
Daniel’s version of love was showering Allie with gifts and affection whenever he was around, and Allie had only been six when he disappeared.
Far too young to understand the heartache he caused her mother.
When Allie talked about Daniel, Selene detected a yearning in the girl’s voice.
She wanted Daniel to be a good person. A father she could admire.
Goddamn him.
“Josh said we can’t trust him,” Allie said. “He said vampires are really manipulative and dangerous.”
Great. Daniel was manipulative before he was a vampire.
“I don’t know any vampires,” Selene said. “So I don’t know what to say about that. Except that Fen also thinks Daniel is dangerous to us.”
“I don’t know whether to believe Josh,” Allie continued. “He might just be racist.”
“Racist?”
“Werewolves hate vampires,” Allie said. “Maybe racist isn’t the right word. Speciesist? But he has a bias for sure. Fen would have it too.”
Selene frowned. “Allie, do you want to see Daniel? Even though he’s a vampire?”
She despised that idea, but now that Allie knew Daniel was in Avondale, she felt she had to ask.
And if Allie wanted to talk to Daniel, Selene would be with her niece every step of the way.
With lots of crosses and holy water. Just in case.
She made a mental note to stop by Tim and Marley’s house to fill a water bottle or two from their supply.
Maybe picking up a few of those Super Soaker water guns would be a good idea.
Allie looked away. “I don’t know. Do I have to know right now?”
“Of course not,” Selene said. “But no matter what you feel, please be careful.”
“What do you mean?”
“Even if Fen and Josh are biased against vampires, I think we should take their warning to heart,” Selene said. “Please don’t go out alone after dark until we know more about this.”
“Okay,” Allie said, then after a moment she tilted her head. “Did anything happen with Fen tonight? Are you guys dating?”
Selene ignored the knife in her heart. “I’m going to shelve that idea for a little while. I like Fen, but life just got a lot more complicated. Distractions seem like a bad idea. And dating is a huge distraction.”
Allie nodded. “Tell me about it.”
Laughing, Selene wrapped her niece in a hug.
Fenris turned the car up the narrow lane at the edge of town, pausing to allow the iron gates of his estate to slide open.
“Do you expect the vampire to heed your warning?” Josh asked.
Fen kept his eyes on the road. “No. He is arrogant . . . and reckless. He won’t back down.”
“Then you’ll kill him?”
“Yes,” Fen replied. “But Marie deserves the chance to bring him in line. She’s led the Avondale coven for nearly a century. It’s important that these events occur in the proper order, lest it be seen as personal. And who knows, she may be able to sway him.”
“If you say so.” Josh shrugged.
Fen laughed gruffly. “I could kill him outright, but it would be an unpleasant disruption among the paranormal factions when we’re accustomed to peace. Politics matter. Tyranny never breeds contentment.”
“What about the other issue?”
“That presents a problem.” Fen grimaced. “A very ugly problem.”
“It’s not an antique,” Josh said and watched Fen’s jaw clench.
“No,” Fen said. “It’s a new weapon. And the enchantment on the moonstones had been cast recently. I could sense the remnants of the spell even a few feet away.”
“So it came from someone in Avondale?”
“Yes.”
“What are you going to do?” Josh asked.
“What we always do when our laws are broken.”