Chapter 30
Serenity
I kept my promise to Hunter and walked from the limo straight to the station entrance, waving bye to Gerald. The gusting wind that slapped my face as I reached the sidewalk held bitter notes of winter.
Dear Gerald had a wonderful talent for storytelling.
He’d been distracting me from my anxieties with his fascinating war stories on the ride in.
The unassuming wolf was a veteran of the US-Venezuelan conflict and had received the Silver Star and Purple Heart medals for saving his whole human platoon from certain death, nearly dying for his courage.
Then, soon after the New Nebraska Agreement, he’d been bullied and cajoled into moving here, virtually penniless.
We humans could be so shitty and ungrateful sometimes.
I walked into the warm, quiet reception area, and was met by two athletic security guards in crisply pressed white uniforms standing by the front desk.
They stepped forward with smiles, nightsticks swinging at their hips, seemingly expecting my arrival.
Elementals, probably, from their rosy features and more ordinary stature.
The taller one dipped his sandy-blond head and gestured toward the elevators.
“Miss Dawson? I’m Lazlo, this is Moray. Mr. Harding’s asked us to shadow you while you’re at the station today.
And give you this new phone too, with some additional security features.
” He handed over a small box and I took it; I did need a new phone and Bryce had mentioned the company paying for it.
“I promise we’ll stay out of your hair as much as possible. ”
“Serenity, please. But no need to follow me around. I’m just a designer not a VIP.” I tapped the top of my design carry case. I didn’t want to do anything risky, but I couldn’t see how Conrad or Armand would get past the front desk security.
Lazlo beckoned for me to join them in a stroll toward the elevator. “He was very specific in his instructions. But we won’t get in your way.”
I shrugged. Bryce was the boss, not to mention someone I was beginning to trust as much as Hunter and a feature in my ever-growing late-night fantasies, so I walked with them to the elevator. We glided up to my floor in silence.
The shiny, metallic doors pinged open, and I headed straight for Seb’s office. As I wove in between passing colleagues with my VIP-style entourage, stares and whispers followed us, but I ignored them.
As we approached Seb’s door, Lazlo nodded toward a nearby refreshments’ section with snack-laden tables, coffee machines and couches. “May I get you some water, a coffee or something to eat, miss?”
“Oh, no. Thank you. I’m fine. But why don’t you two have something and relax while I’m in here?” I gestured toward Seb’s name plate with my eyes.
Lazlo sucked air through his pearly teeth. “I’m not sure, miss… Mr. Harding was very clear. We should always keep you in sight.”
“I’ll keep the door open. And I promise, I won’t dare go anywhere without you,” I said, wanting to be sensible, but needing to get my work done in peace.
“I think that works.” Lazlo looked at his partner, who nodded.
The coffee corner was only ten seconds’ walk anyway, and now that I knew my concerns over gentle Seb’s mixed vamp genetics were unfounded, I knew I’d be safe with him.
As the guards headed to the coffee, I knocked on Seb’s door, peeking my head inside.
He was immersed in whatever was on his laptop screen, a serious look etched on his face. Even under his thick-rimmed glasses, his deep brown eyes shone brightly. They looked red-rimmed, though, and he still seemed like he was recovering from a nasty bug.
Maybe he’d caught something visiting Rico?
“You’re not overworking yourself in here, are you?” I said by way of greeting. When his head snapped up, I gave a little wave, then pointed toward his chest. “Even good Samaritans need a break.”
His face broke into a broad smile. “Don’t worry, I’ve already raided that refreshments table twice.
” He pushed back in his rolling chair. “But I’ll take a break if you insist. We can catch up.
” He stood and motioned to the chair across from him, but the chivalrous act unbalanced him.
He wobbled, and steadied himself with his fingertips on his desk.
“Are you all right?” I stepped forward out of instinct, even though I was too late to help him.
“I’m fine. Or, I’ll be fine.” He forced a smile.
It couldn’t hide the fact that the usual pinkness in his cheeks was faded, and he had a scratchy throat.
Definitely some kind of cold, and he clearly wasn’t resting enough.
Vampires didn’t usually get sick, but he was half human. “Please, have a seat.”
“I hope you haven’t been staying here too late into the nights. I know you’re new, but…”
Straightening his cute red and white striped tie, he shook his head. “Just not been sleeping so well.”
“Insomnia?”
“Kind of… Don’t worry though, really.” He snapped his fingers with a sharp, “Oh!” and started searching the floor.
“I thought you might want to see what the newspapers are saying about the other night.” He stooped and picked up a thick, drooping bundle of newspapers and placed them on the far edge of his desk. “I kept these from yesterday.”
“Thanks, Seb. That’s really thoughtful of you.” I leaned forward and lifted the first, most well-known paper, the Impartial Midas. The headline read:
Hero CEO saves the day!
Not so impartial. That was to be expected though, considering he paid their wages. It wasn’t a lie in any case. He’d saved Dagger’s legs, and most likely his life too.
Bryce had been a hero that night. Him, Hunter, and Dagger were all my heroes in their own different ways. The accompanying photo was of the burnt-out shell of the makeshift drug lab in the cold light of day.
I gulped and my grasp turned fragile, the paper’s pages shaking, as an image of Dagger trapped under that inferno flashed past.
Damn, stupid idea. She’s upset. Showing her horrible memories… Say sorry.
“You don’t have to be sorry,” I blurted, causing Seb’s head to jerk backward.
I startled, too, unsure anymore if I’d actually heard him say anything.
We both stared at each other for a few moments, and when his confused look didn’t fade and no response came, I shook my head and apologized.
“Sorry, think I’m still half asleep.” Or maybe he’d muttered under his breath?
It hadn’t exactly sounded like he was talking to me. Weird.
I cast him an uncertain glance as I picked up the next paper, the Daily Informer. Its headline was:
Fearless: Lone Detective Tackles Coven in Drug Raid Disaster
The photo was Dagger looking several years younger, but standing in a beat cop’s uniform. Beside him was an enormous, bearded colleague also in blue, with folded arms and a scowl that would make anyone stick to the law. Teddy Bear?
I placed the paper down by my case, to take it back to the loft later. “I know a certain someone who’ll get a kick out of this one.”
Looking down at the next front page, of the New Nebraska Enquirer, my face contorted:
Celeb CEO’s Magic Schlong Fires Blue at Vampire Ding-Dongs.
“What the hell? There’s so much weirdness in one sentence, I—I just can’t.”
Seb grinned. “Ah, I didn’t see that rag tucked in there. Someone must have a really twisted taste in news sources. My bad. Some journalists are more focused on the truth than others, you might say. And, uh, sorry, the photo’s not exactly appropriate either.”
Ugh, understatement or what?
My grip tightened, crinkling the edges of the paper as I stole a glance at Seb. His mouth definitely wasn’t moving.
She might like… shouldn’t… see Mr. Harding’s ju…
Junk? I thought.
Seb jerked backward, his chair thumping into the wall behind. “Did you—”
“Did you…?” I echoed.
“Hear me in your mind,” he finished for the both of us.
“I think so. I-is that normal around here?”
He bit his lip, a pained crimp around his eyes as he mussed his hair. “Sometimes. With vampires.”
My brow furrowed. I’d been around vamps more than any other paranormal, unfortunately, and nothing like that had ever happened.
“It happens if there’s a… strong connection. Like…” He scratched the back of his neck. “The day I first met you. At my mom’s center… ”
“Oh,” I said, understanding hitting. “Like what we went through together, with Rico, you mean.”
“Uh, yeah, that could’ve contributed.” He shot me a sheepish grin that gave his big eyes an adorable shine. “I get it’s weird… and you may not want me in your head.”
I’d been too shocked that it was possible to think of it like that, but now that he mentioned it…
“I’ll try to control it,” he said hastily. “It’s new for me, too, though.”
“I appreciate it.” I finally sat down in the chair. “But don’t beat yourself up. I got in your head, too. Strange things do seem to happen in New Nebraska. And it’s… kinda cool, I guess. Like secret walkie talkies. I used to play spy with this one girl in my neighborhood, and we’d—”
The memory hit my sternum with crushing force. God, I hadn’t even thought of that in years. Where had Sarah ended up? Did she even remember me?
I cleared my throat to wrangle my looming tears and looked down at the newspaper to hide my face with my hair as I said through a fake chuckle, “I’m getting off topic.”
Scouring the page properly for the first time, I found the distraction I needed.
“Aww, poor Bryce,” I said. It was a photo of him stark naked, walking down the same patchy grass bank that Dagger and I had hurried up to try and help the tragic Fae girl.
The photo was poor quality, printed in smearable ink, but it couldn’t hide how perfect Bryce’s body was. I felt awful about lusting over what must have been such an embarrassment for him.
But I kept looking. All the muscles and skin on display was like a sexy trainwreck, drawing my eyes to the prize.