Chapter 16
The moment Aimeeand Gabriel entered the kitchen, the room fell into stark silence. All chatter ceased, and everyone shifted their attention from their scattered pages and glowing screens to the two formidable figures standing in the doorway—one Vampire King and one pack alpha, both of whom seemed to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Since most of us possessed preternatural senses, it’d been hard not to eavesdrop on their conversation. So hard, in fact, that I hadn’t bothered trying. Or at least, that was the story I planned on sticking to if asked. I’d heard everything. Because of course I had. Their conversation had been surprisingly civil. Aimee had asked her questions, and Gabriel had answered truthfully. She’d tossed around a few jabs regarding Gabriel’s lack of involvement in the American vampire populace, but he’d navigated her barbs like a true politician. Afterward, they’d strolled into the kitchen and turned their attention to us.
Jaden was the first to break the charged silence. “We all good here?” she asked, eyeing Gabriel and Aimee. When Aimee gave a terse nod, Jaden clapped her hands. “Fantastic. Then, if we’re done measuring whose fangs are bigger, might we return to the more important problems at hand? Like Nash and Adrian?”
Aimee’s jaw clenched at Jaden’s blunt summary, but she held her tongue. Jaden was human, after all, and blissfully free from the web of werewolf politics. I had to stifle a laugh, though. I loved my bestie for a reason. She wasn’t always the most outspoken, but sometimes she really knew how to cut through all the nonsense and get people back on track. Maybe she should have been in charge of Gabriel’s interrogation tonight.
“Alright. Let’s get down to business,” Jaden continued, oblivious—or more likely, indifferent—to the tension her words had stirred. “Some of us are running on fumes here and are in desperate need of an all-night nap.”
Me. I was desperate for bed. I didn’t love seeing the sun both rise and fall in one day.
Gabriel moved to stand behind me, his hands settling on my shoulders with a comforting weight. I leaned back slightly, letting his presence envelop me.
“Josh and I have been digging,” Jaden announced, turning a whiteboard around to reveal a spiderweb of information I hadn’t yet seen. “Turns out our Mr. Nash is renowned amongst the local slayers. He’s a regular on their hit list, yet somehow always slips the stake. Our poking around has stirred up quite the buzz, and I’ve had some slayers I’ve never even met reach out to me. Guess we slayers really are just gossips at heart. But thanks to that, I’ve managed to build quite a comprehensive profile for our target.”
The room listened in rapt attention as Jaden painted a picture of Nash. “From what I’ve learned, he’s been around for centuries, passing through the ages effortlessly. He has connections in every dark corner you can think of—vampires, black market dealers, you name it. Someone even suggested the mob at some point. Our toothy friend isn’t too shy about what sort of nefarious acts he commits. This whole kidnapping werewolves thing seems to just be his latest entrepreneurship.”
She pointed to the map and the various pins tacked to it. “These are the many places we suspect are linked to Nash’s operations. He has his hands in a little bit of everything. And from what we can tell, he’s selling these cages to the highest bidder, doesn’t matter if they’re vampire or human.”
Aimee’s whole body jerked at Jaden’s words. “Then there are humans who know about us?”
“That appears to be the case,” Jaden said, confirming Aimee’s fear. “But they seem to be keeping your existence a secret. I suspect so they can continue their nasty profiteering business without the law interfering. Right now, werewolves have no rights, and they’re capitalizing on that.”
Lucy and I had long since believed our kind should come out to the public, but werewolves differed from vampires in that we didn’t have a single leader. We were a pack-based people, with an alpha leading each pack. And getting them to agree on anything was an impossible dream.
Aimee faced me. “You handle Nash, and we’ll handle the rest. No way in hell will I allow this business of his to continue.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. Tackling Nash’s business was quite the task.
“Absolutely,” she snarled. “I will not sit back and let this happen. You take out the vampire, and I’ll clean up the rest of his mess.”
I glanced at Lucy, who nodded. Aimee was new to this whole alpha business, so I wasn’t sure she could handle such an undertaking, but if she wanted to try, then I wouldn’t stand in her way. We had our own problems to focus on, after all.
“Do we know yet who’s buying the cages?” Gabriel inquired.
Jaden shook her head. “Not yet. But hopefully, Sam and Maddie will learn something when they return to the warehouse tomorrow.”
Gabriel’s fingers instinctively tightened around my shoulders. “What?”
Oh. Shit. Thanks to Aimee, I hadn’t had a chance to discuss any of this with him yet. So he had no idea what I had planned for tomorrow.
Jaden’s wide eyes darted between me and the incredibly tense vampire standing behind me. I couldn’t see his face, but based on what I saw in hers, I was in for quite a fight.
Taking a deep breath, I reached up and grabbed one of Gabriel’s hands, then stood to face him. The fury in his eyes told me exactly how this conversation was going to go. “I was going to talk to you about this first, but I guess the cat’s outta the bag now.”
Anger spilled through the room in a wave of magic unlike anything I’d ever felt from Gabriel before. It sent a shiver down my spine. And from the number of people taking a step back, I wasn’t the only one who’d felt it.
“You absolutely are not,” Gabriel snarled.
The others, sensing the brewing storm, beat a hasty retreat. Jaden mouthed an apology before grabbing Josh’s hand and practically bolting from the room, the others hot on their heels.
“You’re not going back there, Maddie,” Gabriel growled, the dark edge in his voice lifting the hairs on the back of my neck. His eyes blazed with a protective fire, the memories of recent captivity likely fueling his rage.
I held his gaze, understanding the depth of his fear. Were the roles reversed, I wouldn’t want him returning either. That warehouse was a place of nightmares, a place we’d only barely escaped. He’d been unconscious for all of it, but who knew what the constant holy water injections had done to his mind?
“Gabriel, listen to me,” I began, my voice steady. “We have a plan in place. We aren’t just charging recklessly back in. We’re going to go during the day when Nash and Adrian are asleep. We’ve even found a witch who will mask our scents, so there’s no way they’ll know we’ve been there.”
His snarl cut me off, a feral sound I’d never heard from him before. “You think daylight and magic are enough? What about the human guards, Maddie? Remember them? And do you honestly think there aren’t security cameras about? Let’s also not forget that some vampires can move around during the day, as long as they avoid direct sunlight. What if Nash is one of them? Did you consider that? We found one window in that whole damn warehouse. Meaning if Nash is a daywalker, he’ll have free rein of that entire place.”
His words sparked a fresh wave of fear within me. I knew all this, but what choice did we have?
“And what if Adrian’s guards are still there?” Gabriel continued, each word laced with barely contained rage and fear. “He wants us dead, Maddie, and it’ll be during the day, so I can’t go with you! You know what he’s capable of. What he wants. I can’t—” He stopped abruptly, his expression tormented. “I can’t lose you, luv. Not to that place. Not to him. Nash likes to play with werewolves. Torment them. You smelled the blood. You saw the cages. You know what he’s capable of.”
The vulnerability in his voice almost broke me. I gripped his hands and pulled them to my chest. “I know you’re scared. I am too. But we have to do this. There could be valuable information at that warehouse. We could learn Nash’s daytime resting place, or even Adrian’s. We could learn who is buying the cages and for what purpose. We need that information if we’re going to put a stop to all of this, once and for all. I’ll be armed. So will Sam. I swear, we’ll take every precaution we can.”
Gabriel freed his hands from mine, then he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me flush against him. “Maddie, please,” he pleaded, the anger replaced by desperation. “There has to be another way. I can’t fathom the thought of waking up tomorrow and learning you didn’t come back.”
“That won’t happen,” I vowed. “We’ll be in communication with the others the entire time we’re there. And if something does happen, the others will get me out. When you wake up tomorrow, I’ll be sitting right by your side.”
“You’d better be,” he growled, his words deep and heavy. “I have plans for us, luv. A future that stretches far beyond tomorrow. But for that future to happen, you need to be here. So, promise me you’ll come back.”
I met his intense gaze, my heart swelling with a mix of determination and affection. “I promise.”
In response, Gabriel leaned down and captured my lips in a possessive and hungry kiss, as though he was determined to brand my very soul. Luckily, my soul already belonged to him, and I had no desire to change that.
The kiss ended too soon for my liking, leaving me both breathless and grounded, a reminder of what I was fighting for. But before I could lean in for more, the sound of hesitant footsteps approached, signaling the return of our self-exiled companions. Their timing could’ve been a bit better.
Lucy was the first to poke her head back into the kitchen. “Is it safe to come back, or should we start looking for bunkers?”
Jaden followed, a sheepish grin on her face. “Is she still alive in there?”
Gabriel’s response was to hold me closer. “We’re fine. You can come back in now.”
Sam entered next, walking into the kitchen without so much as a glance in my direction. Being that he had his own mate to worry about, along with two young children, I had a feeling he understood Gabriel’s fears and anxieties all too well.
Together, Jaden and Josh strolled to the kitchen counter and fetched the coffee pot, filling up their mugs. “Alright. Then let’s get back to business, shall we?”
With everyone cautiously filtering back into the kitchen, the tension that had crackled in the air seemed to dissipate, replaced by a shared sense of purpose. Gabriel, though still visibly tense, loosened his grip around me, allowing me the space to turn and face our team. His presence behind me was a comforting reminder of the support we shared, not just between the two of us, but among everyone in the room.
I glanced at the doorway and noticed we were missing two werewolves.
“Where are Avery and Aimee?” I asked.
Lucy gestured over her shoulder. “Having a chat in another room. Aimee just wants to make sure she’s doing okay. They said to get started without us, and they’d catch up after.” She then took a seat at the table, her demeanor shifting from joking to serious as she prepared to dive back into the matter at hand. Sam leaned against the counter, his arms crossed, his face set in a grim line that reflected the gravity of our discussion.
Jaden, now armed with a freshly refilled coffee mug in hand, gestured to the corkboard that still displayed Nash’s ever-so-delightful background. “Right, so as we mentioned, we’ve got a witch on board to help mask Sam and Maddie’s scents,” she began, her tone business-like. “We also have Josh looking into the whole security system question—i.e., whether or not Nash has one.”
“And?” Gabriel asked.
“I’m diving into public records for any of a security system installation,” Josh said. “It’s a long shot, given Nash’s underworld dealings. But I’m also scouring real estate archives for any mention of an already installed security system when he purchased the building. Lastly, I’ve put out word among the slayer network to see if anyone has already solved this conundrum.”
Taking a seat behind his laptop, Josh started typing, his gaze never leaving his screen. “Determining the presence of a security system in Nash’s lair is tricky. Usually, I can hazard a good guess as to whether or not the building has one. A hotel that’s housing the Vampire King, for instance, would absolutely have one in place. But a newly renovated warehouse designed specifically for illegal activities? Hard to say. On the one hand, I doubt Nash would want to use anything that could then be used against him later. On the other hand, this man enjoys torturing and killing werewolves. I have a feeling he’s the sort who likes to watch his victims.”
He finished typing something, then finally lifted his head and glanced at me. “During your time there, did anything hint at surveillance? Any small, blinking lights or unexplained tech?”
I cast my mind back to the bleak confines of our captivity, straining for any detail I might have overlooked. “No, nothing like that,” I finally said.
“Okay, that could indicate a lack of surveillance,” Josh said. “But we can’t rule out that he may have hidden cameras.”
“So, how do we proceed?” Lucy asked.
“With a great deal of caution,” Josh replied. “I have a call into a supposed surveillance expert in town, and he may be able to provide me with a radio frequency detector. It could help Sam and Maddie determine if there are any cameras about. If they find some, they’ll report it to me, and I’ll take care of it remotely.”
“Sounds like we all have our assignments, then,” Jaden said, taking a sip of coffee. She grimaced and glanced into her mug. “Well, that’s burned. How long has this been in the pot?”
“Since this afternoon,” I said, chuckling.
“Yuck.” She dumped it in the sink, then shrugged. “Guess if the meeting is over, then I really don’t need any more coffee. In fact, we should all be getting to bed. Tomorrow is a big day, and we’ll all need the rest.”
With a nod, Josh closed his laptop and stood with a yawn. A yawn that everyone soon echoed. We were all exhausted, thanks to today’s hard work. I had to admit, we all made a pretty effective team.
“Bed,” Lucy said, tugging on Sam’s hand. “See you all bright and early in the morning.”
Jaden and Josh wished everyone a goodnight and trailed after Lucy and Sam, heading upstairs. I stayed behind, eager for a few moments alone with Gabriel.
“I should go to sleep too,” I said. “It’s been a long day, and I’m exhausted. But I don’t want to sleep because you’ll be alone all night.”
He chuckled and pulled me close. “Don’t worry about me, luv. I can handle being alone. I’m sure I can find something to do to pass the time.”
“No leaving the house,” I told him firmly.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, laughing. Then he lifted a brow and glanced at the fridge. “Think Aimee keeps blood on hand?”
Oh, shit. Probably not.
I bit my bottom lip, my mind flashing back to last night and the euphoria he’d awakened within me with his bite. “If you need blood, I could…”
Gabriel’s eyes widened briefly before his expression softened. He touched my cheek with a gentle smile, then shook his head. “No, Maddie. You need all your strength for tomorrow, and I already took enough from you last night. I won’t send you weakened into our enemy’s territory. Not even a little.”
“But you need to feed,” I protested, hating the thought of him starving all night, especially when I could offer a solution.
He shook his head, that smile of his melting my insides. “I’ll be fine, luv. I’ve gone a lot longer without feedings, and I can manage until after your mission. Your well-being is my only priority.”
I searched his face for any sign of hesitation, any indication that he was just being stubborn, but found none. “Okay,” I conceded reluctantly. “But first thing tomorrow night, you’re feeding? Deal?”
“Deal,” he agreed, his smile broadening into a grin that chased away my concerns. “Now, let’s get you upstairs and tucked into bed. You need to rest because I need you to come back to me safe and sound.”
And hopefully with the good news that we’d slayed Nash during the day.
We headed upstairs, our hands clasped together as I led the way. Once we were tucked inside our room, I quickly undressed and hopped into bed. Gabriel stretched out beside me, content to just hold me as I slept.