Secrets of Midnight: an Urban Fantasy Novel (Chronicles of Midnight Book 3), page 1
Secrets of Midnight
Chronicles of Midnight Book 3
DEBBIE CASSIDY
Copyright © 2017, Debbie Cassidy
All Rights Reserved
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Cover by Covers by Julie
CHAPTER 1
The assembly room slowly filled with humans. The district council had provided cheap plastic chairs that scraped over the floor as attendees seated themselves. Langley, the head of the MED, stood by the entrance that would admit the chief council members, his lips turned down in disapproval. Several other MED officers dotted the room—a precaution, just in case proceedings got volatile.
“This is your fault,” Bane grumbled.
Urgh, this again. I rolled my eyes. “I do not control the minds of humans. Not one of my skill sets.”
He made a harrumph sound. “You should have shut her down immediately. As soon as she came to you with the preposterous idea.”
“It’s not preposterous to want to take your fate in your own hands, to want to protect yourself.”
He made a sound of exasperation in the back of his throat. “They’re humans. Fragile, mortal beings, easily crushed, chewed up, and spat out.”
“All the more reason to give them the power to fight back. Come on. You must see the benefits for Midnight if humans could fight back against the scourge and The Breed.”
He sighed, his powerful chest rising and falling, stretching the fabric of his shirt so taut I was afraid it would tear under the strain at any moment.
“Seriously? Do you get your clothes custom-made?”
He shot me an are-you-fucking-kidding-me look.
I shrugged. “It’s a reasonable question.”
The humans had settled down, waiting eagerly for the proceedings to commence. Bane and I leaned up against the wall opposite Langley, halfway down the room. The door beside Langley swung open, and five humans came striding in. They climbed up onto the podium at the front of the chamber and settled down behind a long desk. It all looked very official, but it was a farce, because how the heck were they gonna stop the kind of movement that one woman was starting—a movement that I was totally behind, by the way, and if I was honest, I was developing a serious crush on the instigator of this event.
The doors at the back of the room slammed open, and the woman in question entered. Ava strode in, tall, blonde, and defiant, her head held high. This was the woman who’d fought back against Dorian, who’d broken his compulsion and moved me to help liberate the contracted humans from House Vitae’s grasp. It had been almost six weeks since that day, but we’d been in contact ever since, and she’d come to me over a week ago with this idea, this venture that was a passion shining in her emerald eyes. Man, how she’d changed from the scrawny thing Dorian had been feeding from. She’d put the weight back on, turned it into muscle, and was looking pretty kick-ass in the threads I’d helped her pick out for the event. The boots were kick-the-shit-outta-you hot, and the leather jacket was just sexy. Eight other humans walked behind her, dressed in black, hair slicked and coiffed, and looking dangerous. Yeah, they certainly looked the part they were asking permission to play—a human Protectorate. Fuck the MED who sat behind desks and pushed paper. Fuck waiting for the MPD to show up to save the day. No. These humans wanted to take action, and damn, I needed pom-poms and a cheerleader outfit real bad right about now.
I recognized several faces, all humans that had been held hostage by Dorian and his Sanguinata. They knew what it was like to feel truly powerless, and they were here to demand authority to do something about it. They wanted to form a unit, to train with the MPD, and work alongside us in keeping Midnight safe. Bane, being Bane, was less than impressed. He saw it as having to babysit humans while trying to save all the other humans. The man was most definitely a glass-half-empty guy.
But empowering the humans was surely the way forward? And if we were all about the free will, then surely we needed to support the humans in this.
Ava walked past us, dropping me a wink on her way to the front of the room.
Bane snorted in disgust. “Yep, this is your fault.”
Okay, so maybe I’d encouraged her a smidge. But where was the harm in that? In my humble opinion, there should be no need for jumping through hoops. If humans wanted to band together and form a unit to fight back against the terrors of Midnight, then fair play to them. I was all about the empowerment, and Bane could carry on looking like he’d sucked on Lilith’s sour tits for all I cared.
“The council won’t approve it,” he said smugly.
“God, you sound like that wanker, Langley. They can’t stop us from moving forward with this.”
“Us?”
“I’m helping no matter what the outcome.”
“Of course you are, Harker,” he said dryly. “Because insubordination means nothing to you, does it? Why don’t you teach them that, eh? And then watch them get killed, because a unit is only as good as its chain of command.”
Ouch. He had a point. Time to swallow my pride. “I’d like to help them regardless, if that’s all right with you, boss.”
“We’ll see.”
Was that a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth?
The room fell into silence, and the central council member, a somber-looking, middle-aged woman, began to speak.
“Ava Love, you have petitioned the council for the authority to form a defense unit made up of humans. Is this correct?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Ava said.
The councilwoman scanned a piece of paper on the desk before her. “Permission to use lethal force against hostile nephilim, including, but not limited to, the scourge and The Breed.”
“Yes.”
“And you state that you have the support of the MPD in this endeavor?” She glanced across at Bane, who remained impassive.
I nudged him sharply in the ribs, and with an exasperated sigh, he nodded.
The councilwoman turned her attention back to Ava. “Miss Love, you are asking the council to permit you to put your life and the lives of your fellow humans at risk.”
“It’s better than being powerless and getting picked off every month,” Ava replied tersely.
The councilwoman’s lips tightened. “It is also extremely dangerous, like agreeing to send a group of lambs into wolf territory. So, tell me why should we grant such a petition?”
Ava crossed her arms under her breasts. “With all due respect to the council, this is merely a formality that the MPD insisted I go through. Whether you give your permission or not, we, as the citizens of Midnight, have the right to protect ourselves.”
Oh, man. This was specifically what I’d advised her against. Ava Love had a tendency to get mouthy, and her recent stint as Dorian’s blood bag had lit a fire of vengeance and determination inside her that could easily flare out of control. It was one of the reasons why, when she’d come to me asking for help on this project, I’d agreed. She was a laser without a focus, a weapon without a target. Yeah, she needed this, but challenging the authority of the council was a dumb move, and the downturn of the councilwoman’s mouth told me she was about to deliver a smackdown.
It was time to step in, but a member of the public beat me to it.
“And what if your actions rile up The Breed and the scourge?” a young, heavily pregnant woman said. Her face flushed, whether with embarrassment of all the eyes on her or in indignation, I wasn’t sure. “What if the change prompts them to increase their attacks on Midnight? Why try to fix what’s working? The MPD and the MED have been keeping us safe for years. The Houses provide ample protection during scourge runs and from The Breed.”
Ava’s shoulders tensed.
Bane snorted. It was his I told you so snort. The man didn’t have to speak to communicate his annoyance, derision, or disappointment. He had snorts to do that for him, and the fact that I could decipher them was kind of worrying.
The councilwoman waved the pregnant lady down, but a man at the back stood up. “She’s right. This is the last thing we need. We have things under control. The casualties are minimal. Why rock the boat?”
The councilwoman raised her brows and sat back. “Well, Miss Love, would you care to respond?”
Ava pressed her lips together, her eyes flashing dangerously. She turned to face the crowd. “Why rock the boat?” Her tone was incredulous. “This isn’t a boat, this is our home, and we need to stand up and protect it. The MPD can only do so much. They can’t be everywhere at once. Have any of you stopped to wonder how hard it must be for them to cover the whole district every month when the scourge attacks?” She focused on the guy. “Minimal casualties doesn’t cut it. There should be zero casualties, and with our help, the MPD may be able to achieve that. I’m done being a victim, and it’s about time you stopped thinking like one too.”
A low murmur skittered over the crowd and several heads began to nod in agreement. The councilwoman’s lips twitched.
Bane sighed. “Damn it.”
“Ava Love, the council grants you authority to form a unit, but active duty will only commence once the MPD has signed off on your training.”
Langley’s face was a picture of incredulousness.
The councilwoman scrawled something on the paper and then held it out to Ava. “There you go, Miss Love. I look forward to hearing about your progress. It’s about time we made some changes in Midnight. Less paperwork and more action.” She slid a glance Langley’s way, and his eyes narrowed.
Ha. Looked like I’d misjudged the councilwoman and the council, but for once, I was glad about being wrong.
The council representatives filed out and Langley followed, probably eager to try and change their minds. It wasn’t that he disagreed with the unit. It was more the fact that its existence made the MED look bad. Like, why hadn’t they come up with this idea? Or why was it necessary in the first place?
Ava strolled toward us, her face alight with excitement. “Did you hear that?”
Bane pushed off the wall and brushed past her. Damn, he was so not happy. He’d probably been banking on the council shutting this down. Great. I’d have to soothe the bear. Shame he didn’t like honey.
“You did great, Ava.”
She winced. “I almost blew it, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but you pulled it back.”
“So, when can we start training?”
“Come by tomorrow. We’ll make a start. The scourge runs again in three weeks. I think we can have you ready by then.”
“Why not today?”
I glanced over her shoulder at the door that Bane had just pushed through. “I have a few things to sort out first.”
She followed my gaze. “Boss still not completely on board, eh?”
I winced. “Sorry.”
She pushed back her shoulders. “Well, we’ll just have to show him that we mean business.”
Yeah, and I needed to make sure he was going to be there to see it.
CHAPTER 2
Bane laid his cards on the table. “Gin,” he said smugly.
I threw my carefully constructed set onto the table in a huff. That was four games in a row. “I actually hate you. You know it doesn’t count as a win if you skim my mind, right?”
He leaned back in his seat, arms laid across the back of the sofa, powerful thighs spread wide. For a moment, I considered hopping over the coffee table, scaling his massive frame, straddling those hips, yanking back that head, and—stop it. My demon shrugged. Honey, that was all you, her voice, now my conscience, whispered.
Oh, shit. I dropped my attention to the table. Had he read my thoughts?
“I didn’t skim your mind, Harker,” Bane said softly. “I never do. However, sometimes your thoughts are pretty loud. And when we get intimate, they’re impossible to ignore.”
He said it casually, as if we got up close and personal every day, which we so didn’t. This, playing cards in the lounge, was as intimate as shit had gotten the past few weeks. I’d opted to feed off Rivers and Orin the last few times. Bane’s power sustained me longer, but frankly, I didn’t trust myself not to jump his bones during the process.
And that would be fine, the demon said. Where was Ambrosius when you needed a male smackdown? Right now, I’d take him over the feminine and sultry, carnal-whispering demon any day.
Bane gathered the cards and shuffled them. The others would be back from patrol soon, and then we’d have our weekly meeting. Scourge had gotten out of hand recently, attacking solo or in pairs outside of runs. Sector three was getting the brunt of it, and we’d had to start sending out Protectorate without a primary in charge. There’d been several command promotions in the works. It was the only option, because, damn, even nephs needed sleep.
I’d alternated between working with Bane or Ryker and had even gone solo with my own team on several occasions. With Drayton gone and Cassie shirking her duties, we were severely undermanned. Another reason why having a human unit out there helping out was a good idea.
Bane dropped the cards on the table and sauntered over to the drinks tray, where he poured a triple shot and downed it.
“You want one?” Bane asked.
“Sure.”
He brought over a glass and then watched as I downed it, his intense gaze on my throat as it bobbed. The alcohol didn’t do anything in terms of intoxication, but it tasted good going down.
“When did you last feed?” His voice was suddenly rough.
Last night, courtesy of Rivers. My pulse spiked as I considered lying, but he’d know soon enough once we began the exchange. But fuck, if he carried on looking at me like that I’d risk it just to get my hands on him. A wicked laugh filled my head, and I closed my eyes, blocking out his feral features and willing my pulse to stop doing the bloody fandango.
“I’m good.”
He scanned my face and then turned away, muttering what sounded suspiciously like the word shame. It was one of those moments, the tingling, tense ones that part of me wanted to push into dangerous waters, and the other sane part struggled to steer clear of, because my gut told me that launching myself off that cliff would mean a forever freefall that I wasn’t prepared for no matter how much my body longed for it.
Time for a change of subject. “Oleander’s settling in well.”
Bane snorted. “If you call sleeping in a bed I provided and eating our food settling in then yes.”
“Hey, it’s not too bad. He has taken over kitchen duty.”
Bane refilled his glass and sipped this time. “There is that.”
I bit back a smile. “It’s a shame that you won’t get to wear your apron for a while, though.”
He shot me an irritated look. “It’s a practical necessity. Cooking can be messy, not to mention spitting oil when you fry shit.”
I widened my eyes innocently. “Of course. And the frills give it just the right homey touch.”
He leaned up against the hearth and ignored the jibe. “At least he’s stopped crying.”
“Yeah, that was a rough couple of weeks.”
And then he’d discovered human literature and Orin’s special cookbook, and I had to say, the ancient had some serious culinary skills.
“At least the damn library is getting some use,” Bane pointed out.
We fell into silence. With the change in topic exhausted, there was once again that sizzling elephant in the room, the one that chanted, fuck, fuck, fuck. Maybe that’s what we needed to do. Just bang and get it out of the way. We’d built up the expectation, this weird dynamic through our feedings that needed to be satisfied, and then maybe we could just move on. But every time this thought popped into my head, an icy hand closed itself over my heart and Drayton’s face came to mind, accompanied by the whispered thought, But what if it doesn’t?
The slam of the front door signaled the arrival of the others.
Ryker and Orin strode into the room, trailed by Rivers. Their clothes were torn, their faces bloody. Orin staggered as he stepped over the threshold, and Ryker grabbed hold of him. I was out of my seat in a shot, bracing the mammoth as best I could on the opposite side.
Rivers limped over to the sofa and sat down, stretching out a blood-soaked leg wrapped in shredded jeans.
“What the fuck happened?” Bane asked.
“The Breed,” Ryker ground out. “The fuckers ambushed us while we were taking out a couple of rippers.”
“It was a set-up,” Rivers said. “I’m sure of it. The rippers lured us into an alley and then the fucking Breed attacked.”
My pulse kicked up. The Breed had lain low for weeks, and goodness knew, I’d searched for them. I had a score to settle with Max, their leader—we all did. Because of him, Drayton was gone, and now they’d made an appearance, and not just any appearance, a coordinated attack. The state of the boys made sense because they’d fought back, not as MPD on patrol, but as three guys looking for revenge. They’d fought dirty, and it showed.
“Did you see Max?” My throat was tight. “Was he there?”
