Chapter 8
Seraphim
A sharp pain in my neck made me hiss and the glass slipped from my hand as I involuntarily reached up to touch the spot. After a moment, it eased, but there was a lingering tightness that had traveled down to my chest. By now, I was getting used to these phantom feelings, but this one was different. It sparked a note of worry inside me, but I pushed it away.
Once again, it had something to do with Sam. Everything was about her at this point.
Every time she hurt herself, my body wanted to make sure she was okay. When she was distraught, I felt it. I’d been overwhelmed with some depressing emotions ever since she changed and I was downright over it. She could lessen the intensity of what she shared with me, but she obviously didn’t know how. I doubted she was even aware she was doing it.
Sam, Sam, Sam.
If I didn’t have to find a way to kill her, I might’ve let myself submit to the connection. She and I got along well, even when she hated me. I could see us being friends, in addition to being a circle. Two people didn’t really constitute a circle, but it was all we had.
Instead, I had to fight it every second of every day. Because of her stupidity, I was supposed to subdue her and bring her in. Killing her before she was discovered would’ve been the smart thing to do, but I’d been weak. Now, I’d have to think of some way to explain how she’d ended up dead instead of a live captive.
This whole thing was a disaster. I prided myself on being an intelligent guy, but even I couldn’t think of a way to pull this off. I saw three ways this could go. One, snuff her out without getting blamed for it- most preferable. Two, kill her and end up dead myself- not great, but I’d lived a long life. Three, she fell into the hands of the one I’d been trying to keep her from for four years- absolutely not an option.
With a sigh, I picked up my glass and refilled it. I was feeling cooped up in this apartment. Since Sam knew my human identity now, I couldn’t perform music anymore. The only places I’d gone lately were to the store and to the Mars Corporation building to keep an eye on Sam. Any time she started to lose control, I did my best to stabilize her with my own energy. It helped to shape hers into something calmer, the way I’d learned to keep mine when I wasn’t using it.
There wasn’t much else I could do with my time. I knew Lock had someone watching me; I’d sensed Sam the moment she came out here looking for me. It wasn’t ideal, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. If I moved, she’d be able to track me down again if she wanted to.
It did surprise me that they hadn’t made a move against me. Lock tended to be impulsive and I thought he’d jump at the first opportunity to kill me. Since I’d been feeling weak lately, I was glad he hadn’t. While I could certainly still take him on, it would take more effort. The weakness I could only attribute to Sam, but I didn’t know what could be causing it.
I’d considered trying to reach her a few times, but I didn’t know what I’d do, even if I could somehow get through Lock and his vamps. There were over two hundred of them in that place, which made it one of the bigger covens. With all of them in one place, it’d be impossible to take them all out in one go. Then there was Sam herself, who had absolutely no control over what she was doing.
The first thing I needed to do was get rid of Lock if I wanted to find a way to her. Not only would it remove one of my barriers; it would also help to weaken her. The best time to do it would be once their tether broke.
There was one problem with my plan, though. They hadn’t actually solidified their mate bond yet. If I tried it now, it would mess her up quite a bit, but the pain she felt wouldn’t be enough. I needed her to be shattered, thrust to her knees, unable to process anything. That would give me a short window where I could make a move against her.
I was running out of time while I waited for them, though. It didn’t make sense that they hadn’t completed it yet. The whole premise behind her turning was so they could be together. They’d come this far and they could protect themselves better if they did it. What the hell were they waiting for?
Grabbing my keys, I drained my drink and headed out the door. I wasn’t figuring anything out from my apartment, plus my neighbors were fucking again and I had no interest in listening to that. Apartments were a vampire’s worst nightmare.
As I drove my truck through the city, I rolled down the windows to let the fresh air in. It didn’t get too cold here, but it was much more refreshing than it had been in the summer. I may not have been affected physically by the temperature, but I enjoyed certain things about each season. Colder air smelled better to me. In the heat, you couldn’t escape the scent of sweat and there was the lingering smell of rotting garbage that got worse as it baked.
Even in the winter, this place smelled, though. I hated San Francisco. It was where I’d come after I was excommunicated from my home. I didn’t like that place any better, but at least I’d been fed and housed. Living on these streets in the 1920s had essentially been a death sentence. If you didn’t die from starvation or sickness, there were always the groups that thought it was fun to beat the shit out of the homeless.
I shook off the memories as I pulled into the parking garage and flew up to the top of the building. Their room was empty as far as I could tell, which was odd for this time in the evening. The sun was just setting and Sam was always back from whatever she did during the day, if she even left the room at all. All she did was sleep or stare outside with sad eyes. A couple times she’d looked in my direction, but I tried to stay out of sight since she’d spotted me that first day.
My chest thrummed, making me grit my teeth. I hated that shit. It was like a call from her blood to mine, telling me she needed something. There wasn’t anything I could do for her, outside of calming her since I couldn’t possibly get close to her.
The door to their room opened and I straightened. Lock was carrying her limp form in his arms and he looked far from happy. After he set her on the bed, he covered her with the blanket, staring down at her for a long time. He dropped to his knees and laid his head on her chest, keeping an arm around her.
No wonder I’d felt something happen earlier. She was dead- temporarily, but still. Maybe I was just nosey at this point, but I wanted to know what had happened. Did they fight and he’d become tired of her arguing with him? I could see that happening. She was mouthy as hell. If they were in town, she could have started to lose control, making him resort to this to keep her from completely losing it.
Whatever it was, he was clearly at a loss. He lifted his head and stroked the hair away from her face. It was strange to see him being so tender. She was probably the only one he truly cared about. Up until she came along, I’d assumed he was incapable of it, but perhaps having a true mate bond did that to you.
It sounded terrible. I’d been taking care of myself for so long, the idea of having this built-in need to care for another person made me physically nauseous.
When he began to pace, I leaned back on my hands. I wished I was closer so I could hear them when she woke up. I could already imagine how heated it might get- literally. I’d seen her use flame and summon storms. The exact nature of her abilities were still unclear, but it was impressive and far more than I’d expected.
As I watched him get progressively more flustered, an idea began to form in my head. Clearly, she needed help and he had no idea what to do. Whatever they were currently attempting wasn’t doing the trick. There was someone that could help her, though.
They wouldn’t trust me, obviously, but maybe that could change. This thing in my blood was trying to force me toward her, so what if I just gave in to it? With our connection as a circle, she’d probably thrive under my direction. They’d see that I could help her control it, shape it, understand it.
Desperation could drive them to invite me in. I’d have to play my cards just right. Luckily for me, I was an expert poker player.