Chapter 15
Tobias
Charisma Gutierrez? Is Will out of his mind?
A former charge of Will’s, Charisma had worked at Diabolus Loco alongside Vixen.
She’d gotten scared when Tobias began the process of taking over the throne of New York and fled to Pittsburgh.
It had caused a number of problems at the time; especially given the fact she’d seduced Tobias right before the disappearing act.
Taking her on as a servant seemed like a goddamned stupid idea. Not just because she was flighty and unpredictable, but he really didn’t need another ex-lover joining the ranks.
“You are actually considering this?” Rion’s shocked tone dragged Tobias back to the present.
He turned to look at the male, fighting to keep his expression neutral. “I would be stupid not to, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to do anything about it.”
“I should hope not,” Rion muttered.
“What is wrong with this female?” Lyla asked suspiciously.
“She slept with Tobias,” Rion and Will said in unison.
Althea cracked up laughing.
“How is this funny?” Tobias stared at her, less than impressed at how quickly people were prepared to write him off in a crisis.
“Martelli, you have slept with most of the females in this building at one time or another,” Althea said. “I find it hilarious it could be a reason not to ally with this one.”
“Ally with her, yes. Form a mortal servant bond with? Definitely not.”
Tobias gave Will a curious stare. “When she ran away, you were so furious, you hit me with a lamp.”
“Yeah, then you beat the crap out of me.” Will laughed.
“We should not be discussing this with Althea and Keziah present,” Rion said silently to both Tobias and Will.
“What changed?” Lyla asked. “How do you know this is the right choice?”
“I believe we should relocate,” Rion repeated over the link.
“I just know it,” Will said aloud. “The Savior placed the idea in my head, himself.”
“Fine, completely disregard my valid concern.”
Tobias studied the angel. “Are you sure?”
Will rolled his eyes. “Of course I’m sure. A direct message from the male upstairs isn’t something you get confused about.”
“The Savior spoke to you?” Lyla’s surprise, paired with the stunned looks on Althea and Keziah’s faces, took Will’s attitude down a peg or two.
“Perhaps I should have brought a crossword puzzle to pass the time…”
Tobias threw up a hand. “Hey, if he said he’s sure, I believe him.”
“It changes nothing.” Rion finally gave up on the telepathy.
“Seriously?” Will clapped a palm to his forehead. “Have the last few months slipped your mind? You’ve spoken to Him before. Do you really think it’s something to be ignored?”
“I did not say it should be ignored.” Negative emotions swirled around Rion. “I am merely highlighting the fact this is a troublesome and ill-conceived plan.”
“It’s really not a plan.” Will responded by waving his hand in the air to imply uncertainty. “He said she’s the one we need. Not why, nor how. So yeah, maybe this might be a disaster but for Him to give me this message directly, it has to be integral to our success.”
“Charisma Gutierrez… integral to our success?” Tobias repeated. “Why her?”
“I cannot fathom this notion,” Rion added. “It is utter madness.”
“I should like to meet this female,” Lyla mused.
“You and me both, sister,” Althea smirked.
“Maybe things have changed? Maybe she’s changed. Maybe, there’s a larger picture we can’t see yet.” Will lit a cigarette and took a drag as he began to pace. “That’s how it usually works, right?”
“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to talk to her.” Tobias decided.
“So, you make the decisions now, I see.” Rion’s expression darkened. Anger stirred and his hair began to flicker, causing the temperature to rise in the room.
“For fuck’s sake!” Tobias shouted. “What has gotten into you tonight? Everything I have done since this entire mess began has been to help you and Will. Do you really think I wanted to step out of the shadows and assume control of one of the most influential Undead states in the USA? Do you think I wanted to save the fucking world? The risks I have taken to do any of that, not to mention rescue your sorry ass, were not small. So, if the Savior thinks we need to tread this path, I’m damned well going to check it out before I consider dismissing such a significant request.”
Once again stunned by the direction the conversation had taken, Althea and Keziah both sat there with their mouths open.
Tobias glared at Rion. “Will and I are going to Pittsburgh. I’ll talk to you later.”
Quietly smoking his cigarette, Will chose not to comment.
“I could–” Rion started.
Tobias cut him off at once. “No. I’m pissed at you. Take your ass back to the penthouse and keep an eye on things there.”
“My sister’s life hangs in the balance!”
Tobias growled. “Yes, it does, and you’d better believe we’re going to do whatever the fuck it takes to get her back and keep her safe. Right now, we are wasting precious time. Get over yourself and go home.”
“I will accompany them,” Lyla announced. “Do not fret Rion, we will return swiftly.”
Rion’s disapproval was no secret as he scowled at Tobias.
“You are usually my voice of reason,” Tobias said silently. “This time, let me be yours. Your emotions are out of control, you’re too close to this. I’m on your side, and we’re going to fix this. Go home, yeah?”
“It is as though the air has been sucked from my lungs. We have dragged Kitty into this situation; we cannot be the cause of her demise. You waste time with foolish notions, time we do not have to spare.”
“We need to go,” Will said. Judging by his expression, he knew they were having a private conversation, and didn’t like being left out.
“For once, Rion, trust me.”
“Very well.”
Tobias clamped a hand on Will’s shoulder. “Let’s do this.”
Will
Will located the mortal with his gaze in a fraction of a second.
“Are you certain this is the right female?” Lyla hissed, as they watched her from across the street.
“Yeah,” Tobias answered. “She’s wearing the coat she stole from me.”
“She seems rather ordinary,” Lyla mused.
Charisma sat on a park bench, sandwiched between two males, huddling together for warmth. Long black hair protruded from the faded woolen beanie she wore, but the once glossy strands hung limp and unwashed. Her colorless cheeks were gaunt from lack of sustenance.
This once beautiful female, who’d made a living from her flawless appearance, was barely recognizable. Thin bony fingers brushed tendrils of hair from her face, as she glanced toward them. Even from this distance, the burdens lurking within her gaze were unmistakable.
“She’s… homeless,” Tobias observed.
Will knew he was right. No mortal in their right mind would be casually hanging out on a park bench in this weather. Before they could discuss how this was going to unfold, he strode across the street, calling Charisma’s name.
“Will?” Her eyes widened and she stood up in an instant. As her brain caught up with the visual, she ran to meet him and threw both arms around his neck. “I thought I would never see you again!”
“Yeah, well, a lot has changed. For you too, it would seem. You don’t look well.”
“Times are hard, I’m not going to lie. I can’t get work, and neither can my friends.”
He didn’t need to be an empath to sense the desperation. “What happened? When I left you, you had a job lined up at a club.”
She unbuttoned her coat to reveal a rounded belly. She wasn’t as far along as Vixen, but enough that she’d have trouble getting work as a dancer.
“Shit…” Will whispered, placing a hand against the curve of her worn sweater. Twins? Oh damn…
The Savior’s words echoed in his mind. Why would He want Tobias to take on this female? It had been horrific enough he’d taken on Vixen’s unborn child, and that had been an accident.
“It’s not that bad… is it?” She whispered. “I know things look dire right now, but if I can just hang on until this one is born, I can get work again.”
“Plural,” Will said softly, “not one.”
“Oh no,” She let out a weighted sigh as the implications hit her.
Will could imagine the thoughts crossing her mind. One baby would have been difficult enough. Two? While homeless and unemployed? Impossible.
By this point, Tobias and Lyla had reached them. The two males from the park bench came to join them, suspicious of the newcomers.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Tobias muttered, once he saw Charisma’s open coat. “Nope, this is not fucking happening, Will. Last time was an accident. I’m not doing it again on purpose. Damn it, Rion was right.”
“It could be an advantage,” Lyla mused. “Two for the price of one. Perhaps that is why she was recommended.”
“Three for the price of one,” Will corrected. “It’s twins.”
“W-what are you both talking about?” Charisma asked, uncertainty creeping into her tone.
“Who are these people, Char?” One of the guys asked, giving Will and Tobias the once over as he approached them.
“Friends, from New York,” she said, still looking from Will to Tobias in bewilderment.
“I’m Dominic,” the taller brunette male said, holding out a hand. “This is my brother Aaron.”
“Are either of you the, uh, father?” Will asked, as he shook their hands. A shiver went down his spine as he realized both males were nephilim.
“Yeah, I am.” Dominic said. “What’s it to you?”
“Do they know about the bigger picture?” Tobias asked.
Charisma looked back at the pair and heaved a great sigh. “Yeah. There’s a large vampire presence here. We’re under protection of the local Kiss, but we were only invited to take the oath because they needed feeders.”
“That’s not good.” Will sighed. “Not, with little ones on the way.” He was beginning to see the awful truth.
Things were more than desperate for these three.
He could feel their soul energy and it was weak.
Cold and malnutrition were a bad combination.
Without intervention, they would be unlikely to survive much longer.
Being tied to Tobias would be better than the alternative.
“We didn’t have much choice,” Aaron said, as though Will hadn’t zoned out. “We avoided it as long as we could, but we’ve got to eat, man.”
“We can help,” Tobias said.
“Did you make it?” Charisma asked abruptly. “Are you…?”
“Yeah, he’s the King of New York State…” Will’s lips formed a smirk.
Charisma cast a glance back to the males she was with and locked gazes with Tobias. “Is there a place for us there? I trust you a hell of a lot more than I trust any of the assholes around here.”
“You’ve always got a place in New York, darlin’,” Tobias said carefully.
“Sounds like there’s a ‘but’ attached to that sentence.” Dominic said. “We don’t need help that comes with a bunch of conditions.”
“Maybe we do,” Aaron disagreed. “What are your terms?”
Charisma’s attention had returned to Will. “Did you come here specifically to find me?”
“Yes,” he answered honestly. “We came to ask for your help, but now, I’m not sure.”
“If it was safe enough for your female, it should be safe enough for her,” Lyla pointed out.
“You have a female?” Charisma’s brows jumped skyward. “Are you a Fallen, now?”
“Woah, he’s an angel?” Aaron breathed, turning to stare at Will.
Huh. He doesn’t know he’s nephilim.
“I still have my wings,” Will cast a quick side glance at Tobias. “It’s complicated, but I’m with Vixen.”
Charisma blinked; her ebony eyes filled with confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“We can explain everything later.” Tobias stroked his jawline. Will could tell he was battling with his conscience. “If you want to come back to New York, I can offer you protection there.”
“We have no way to get them back home unless you take them on,” Will said silently.
“The males are nephilim but Charisma is not. Even with the unborn, she might not have enough Holy blood to dematerialize. It’s not worth the risk.
We need to convince them to bind to you before we leave, and do the deed here. ”
“I want to help her, Will, but I can’t. I can’t bind more children to me for the rest of their lives!”
“You have mine, and I’ve found a way to come to terms with it. This isn’t as black and white as you think it is.”
“Why are you two staring at each other like that?” Dominic demanded.
“Perhaps we should get out of the cold,” Lyla suggested. “The female is shivering.”
“Okay, there’s a bar across the street,” Will pointed. “We’re going there. Let’s hope they have something good to eat.”
“We have a lot to tell you,” Tobias said with surprising gentleness. “All we ask is that you listen with an open mind.”
Charisma took Dominic and Aaron’s hands in her own and sucked in a breath. With her eyes on Tobias, she stood a little straighter. “I trust you both; I should have from the start. I wish I had never left New York.”
“Well, let’s go get a drink and a hot meal,” Will said with a smile. “After all, Tobias is paying.”
The vampire rolled his eyes. “Of course I am.”