Chapter 15
As the sunbegan to dip below the horizon, signaling the end of a long and grueling day, everyone was exhausted. The day’s non-stop research fest had taken a toll on all of us. Every time I entered a room or asked a question, I was met with bloodshot eyes and jaw-cracking yawns. I couldn’t blame them. Even I was desperate to slide between the sheets and drift off into oblivion.
Lucy, who’d been on the phone all day trying to wrangle a witch into helping us mask our scents, finally flopped on the couch next to me with a victorious grin.
“I did it,” she announced. “It took a bazillion phone calls, but I finally tracked down a witch who’s willing to meet with us. She’s buddies with Bethany.” When I frowned, Lucy chuckled. “The witch from Jackson—remember? The one who came knocking at our door and told us about the demon summoning?”
Oh, right! Honestly, with everything that had been going on, I’d completely forgotten about her. It wasn’t like we were bosom buddies or anything.
“Well, this witch is willing to meet with us tomorrow, and she’ll bring the spell. For a fee, of course.”
I didn’t even want to ask what this fee would cost us. Right now, I didn’t care.
“That’s a relief,” I murmured. I tipped my head back against the couch and gave a weary sigh, one quickly followed by a yawn I couldn’t suppress.
Lucy stretched out on the couch and draped her legs over my lap. I raised a brow, then shook my head, too tired even to nudge her legs off me.
“How did everyone else fare?” she asked, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms.
I glanced toward the kitchen, where Avery, Sam, Josh, and Jaden had gathered. The room looked more like an episode from a police drama than it did a kitchen. One of them had dragged in a massive corkboard from somewhere and tacked a map to it, which now had pins sticking out of it as they narrowed down Nash’s haunts. Scattered around them were laptops and tablets, along with random bits of papers and sticky notes. Jaden’s methods were a bit chaotic, but they were effective.
“It sounds like they’ve had quite a bit of luck in their tasks. Jaden has a good grasp on Nash’s background, and they’re developing the profile right now.”
Lucy nudged me with a toe. “You guys are really good at this. I’ve never seen you in slaying mode before. It’s been interesting to watch. Avery’s been trying to track this vamp for a year and got nowhere. But you guys have a handle on him in under a day.”
“That’s the difference between amateurs and professionals,” I said. “And I don’t mean that unkindly. It’s just a fact. Avery did the best with what she had. But we’ve been doing this for years. We’ve perfected the process. Not only that, but we slayers have our own network that we can tap into. Avery didn’t have access to any of our resources.”
We both glanced at the werewolf in question and watched as she pointed at the map, then made a comment to Sam.
“How do you think she’s doing?”
My mouth twisted as I considered Lucy’s question. The stark fear on Avery’s face when I’d suggested she accompany me to the warehouse told me everything I needed to know. She was far from okay. “I think she’s keeping herself busy rather than dealing with her emotions, but maybe that’s what she needs right now. We don’t know her. We aren’t her friends. So who are we to say?”
“Hmm. And how about you?”
“What about me?” I mumbled.
“Well,” she said softly, “you haven’t exactly been upfront about how you’re doing. I mean, the organization you dedicated your life to has essentially put a warrant out for you, put another hit on your mate’s head, and killed one of your best friend’s. I can’t imagine you’re all too happy with them right now.”
Understatement of the year.
When I didn’t respond, Lucy pulled her legs off my lap and sat up, tucking her feet beneath her butt. “Come on, Maddie. You just said that Avery should speak with someone. Don’t you think you should do the same?”
I half-shrugged, not exactly eager to open this can of worms. Not right now, anyway. “How will talking help?”
“Well, it can’t hurt. You forget, Maddie, I know you. Big sister here, remember? You always put on a brave face, but everyone knows you’re hurting. We can literally smell it.”
Of course, I was hurting. I’d just lost one of my best friends. But I absolutely refused to derail our plans or our mission. We had to stay focused. I would grieve after I killed Adrian and took down the council.
“Jaden and Josh are hurting too, you know,” Lucy added.
Oh, I knew that all too well. And not only because I could smell their pain. I knew just from looking at them that they were near their breaking points. The council had already stolen one important person from them, and if they got their way again, Jaden and Josh might lose another. They weren’t just hurting, they were terrified.
“You know, for someone who’s spent all day on the phone, you’re awfully chatty,” I deflected. I needed to steer this conversation away before I started crying.
Lucy scoffed. “Nice try. But seriously, Maddie. You aren’t alone in this. You have us.”
“I’m well aware,” I stated drolly.
“We’re family. We take care of each other, and not just physically. We tell the truth, even when it hurts.”
Sighing, I rested my head on her shoulder and glanced out the window. Sunset was merely minutes away. “I appreciate your concern, Lucy. But I can’t focus on me right now. We’ll mourn Chris when this is finished, and we have more than a few seconds to spare. In the meantime, my attention needs to be on this job. It’s the only thing that’s keeping me from falling apart right now.”
“Just promise me you won’t sweep your emotions under the rug and forget to deal with them. Repression never helps anything.”
“Sure, Luce. I promise,” I replied, knowing full well that she would hold me to it, come hell or high water—whatever that even meant.
We fell into a comfortable silence, one that almost lulled me to sleep. Lucy eventually nudged me and asked, “How long till he’s awake?”
I didn’t need to ask to know who she was referring to. “Not much longer now,” I said. “A few more minutes at most.”
Together, we watched as the last of the sun’s warmth vanished beneath the horizon, casting the world in an eerie hue of dark blues and purples.
“Do you know how you’re going to handle this?” she questioned, referring to Aimee’s upcoming interrogation.
I blew out a heavy breath and considered Lucy’s question. Since we met, not a single night had passed where I hadn’t gone to him at sunset to be there when he woke. It’d become our routine. He would wake to find me sitting by his side, greeting him with a smile and sometimes, a little nudity. It felt odd not to go to him now. But Aimee had asked me not to speak with him before she could, and I’d agreed. I didn’t like it one bit, but I knew it had to play out this way. She’d never trust him otherwise.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Lucy said when I didn’t immediately respond. “Just remember, Aimee is Sam’s sister. She’s important to him. Please don’t do anything that could drive a wedge between the two packs.”
“I’ll do my best,” was all I said. So long as Aimee kept her questioning from turning into accusations, we had nothing to fear.
A few moments later, I felt that familiar nudge deep in my gut, that silent whisper against my senses that told me my mate was awake. I wasn’t sure when exactly I’d developed this particular sense, but it had quickly become one of my favorite quirks of our relationship. Almost like fate had given us a direct line to one another, a mystical bond that joined us.
“He’s awake?” Lucy asked.
I nodded, a small smile playing on my lips despite the weight of tonight’s agenda. “Yep.”
“And you’re not going to run to him with your arms wide open and neck exposed?” she teased. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that little love bite this morning.”
I chuckled. It was healed now, but yeah, there’d been a small mark and lingering bruise this morning when I’d ventured downstairs for breakfast. “No. I promised Aimee I wouldn’t speak to him before she had the chance. And as much as it grates on me, I think it’d be best if I let her question him without any interference on my behalf. She’ll see soon enough that he had no knowledge of the cages or the warehouse, and then she’ll put this whole matter to rest.”
“Let’s hope so,” Lucy said.
Footsteps hit the top of the stairs, soon echoed by a second pair of footsteps coming from the kitchen. I tensed, my stomach a knotted mess of nerves and anxiety.
“Showtime,” Lucy muttered, her voice a mix of dread and sarcasm.
I drew a deep breath, trying to steady myself, as I stood up. Lucy rose next to me and gripped my hand, more as a means of restraining me rather than comforting me, I suspected.
Aimee made her entrance, scanning the room briefly before fixing her gaze on the staircase. Gabriel appeared shortly after, pausing on the last step. Our eyes met, and he frowned, clearly confused by the tension humming in the air like a charged current.
Lucy’s grip on me tightened—a silent reminder for me to behave. I could almost hear her voice in my head, telling me not to move.
“Evening,” Gabriel said, his attention briefly shifting to Aimee, who positioned herself in front of him. “You must be Aimee?”
She nodded. “We haven’t been formally introduced yet. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Indeed,” he said, his hand outstretched toward her.
After a brief handshake that could only be described as diplomatic, Aimee gestured to the living room. “If you wouldn’t mind taking a seat, I have some questions for you.”
Gabriel frowned. “What’s all this about?”
“Just a chat,” Aimee insisted with eerie calmness.
A surge of protectiveness welled within me, an instinctual need to be by his side, but Lucy wrenched me back—a move Gabriel didn’t miss. His gaze dropped to Lucy’s and my joined hands, and his frown deepened.
He searched my face for answers, and with ground teeth, I forced myself to nod. The sooner they did this, the sooner it would be over. After a prolonged moment of silence, he entered the living room and took a seat across from Aimee.
“Lucy, if you and Maddie would give us the room, please,” Aimee requested.
I jolted, my attention leaping to Aimee. “Wait, what?”
Aimee had never said I could attend her questioning, but I’d presumed I would be there. Her intention to sideline me struck a nerve. After all, it was one thing to question Gabriel, but banishing me from the room was a whole other thing. My allegiance wasn’t to her, and I didn’t appreciate her attempt to assert dominance over me. She was not my alpha, nor was she my friend. If she thought?—
“Come on, Maddie,” Lucy murmured, tugging me toward the kitchen.
“No, I never agreed to this.”
Gabriel was back on his feet in an instant, clearly sensing my discomfort. Honestly, I wasn’t sure why her request upset me. It wasn’t like she planned to stake him. And even if she did, he would hardly allow her to. After her questioning, everything would return to normal, which is what I wanted. So, why did I want to punch her in the face? Again?
“What’s going on?” Gabriel demanded.
“It’s nothing,” Lucy assured him. “Aimee just wants to talk to you about the cages and the warehouse. And she doesn’t want Maddie here to influence your answers.”
Aimee rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed by tonight’s theatrics.
Gabriel’s expression transformed from confusion to understanding, his gaze softening as he looked at me. “Ah, I see,” he said, nodding. “It’s okay, luv. A few questions won’t kill me.”
I growled something incomprehensible.
Gabriel chuckled, then approached me and cupped my cheeks, kissing me softly. “Really, luv. I’m perfectly fine. I’m not scared of the big bad wolf.”
I nearly snorted at the look of pure arrogance on his face.
“Go on, luv,” he said. “I’ll come find you after.”
With a huff, I conceded, throwing Aimee a scathing glare. Then I stomped after Lucy into the kitchen, where the others all stood around pretending not to have been eavesdropping.
Jaden interlocked our arms and pulled me toward the kitchen table where her laptop and a pile of notes awaited.
“I’d suggest we go for another walk,” Lucy said, “but I don’t think that’s a good idea now that all the vampires are awake and roaming freely.”
“Agreed,” Jaden said. “Besides, we have plenty here to keep you busy.”
“Fantastic,” I mumbled, the word dripping with sarcasm.
Just what I needed. More research.