Sleeper_Google, page 36
part #3 of Hunter Series
Donovan stepped up. Devinshea was beside him, his hand still controlling the plant he’d turned into a weapon. I’d heard a rumor that the gorgeous ivies and ferns that decorated the arena were actually there as a defense mechanism, but I hadn’t believed it until today.
“I believe you’ll find my servant was trying to protect his lover from being forced into signing a contract,” Donovan explained. The demon hoard hissed and booed. “Your son was also keeping her from receiving healing from her king, which is her right.”
“And Nemcox was an asshole.” The queen wasn’t above putting in her two cents.
“Zoey, please,” Donovan said with a sigh. “I know you came into an enormous amount of power tonight, but let me handle the politics. I’ll allow you and the Nex Apparatus to defend the Earth plane.”
Zoey stood up taller. “It’s a deal.”
It was good to know the night had worked out for someone. I attempted to step forward. “Trent was trying to protect me.”
Zoey put a hand on my arm. “No, Daniel is right. Let him handle this. All this talking and whining and complaining, that’s men’s work. And he’s totally good at it.”
I saw Donovan’s head shake but he was right back to royal in a second. “I think we can negotiate, Lord Sloane.”
Sloane’s eyes had narrowed. “I find it interesting that the wolf was able to handle the sword at all. You can call wolves, can’t you, Your Highness? You can control them.”
“It isn’t a power I use lightly,” Donovan explained. “And he was far too fast for me.”
“Somehow, I sincerely doubt that,” Sloane replied. “I demand a new trial. Unless you will agree to give me the head of the wolf who killed my precious son.”
Donovan rolled his eyes. “He was so precious to you. I can see that.”
Sloane’s fangs came out. “He was my blood and I will have vengeance.”
“I will have justice, as well, Lord Sloane,” a new voice said.
Zoey squeezed my arm and I realized they had planned this as well. So much careful preparation and I had been left out of it all. It wasn’t that I blamed them. Not truly. I just didn’t know what they were planning and I hated being left in the dark.
But I’m also a horrible actress, so I get it.
Neil Roberts stepped up, his husband at his side. “I have something to say. Demand, really. You see, if I don’t get what I want out of this, I intend to call a satan.”
Lord Sloane’s hands went to his hips, staring the wolf down. “What? Why would you need a satan? You don’t have a contract.”
“Yes,” Neil said. “That would be my point.”
Donovan nodded toward the lord of Hell. “I believe my citizen claimed the right to a satan.”
Satans are the lawyers of the demonic world. You don’t call on one if you don’t think you know they’re going to go your way. Their word is the be-all, end-all of contracts.
Lord Sloane held out a hand despite the fact that his other son was still in a state of complete insanity. Gray was fighting his keepers, howling and yelling his rage. “There’s no reason for him to call in a satan. We can deal with this here and now.”
“He says that because he knows what the satan would say.” Chad Thomas was dressed in his normal leather pants and white shirt. “My husband was taken without a contract. He clearly belonged to Vampire and he was taken to Hell against his will, and we can demand justice.”
I finally realized what they’d done. They had planned everything carefully, right down to how they were going to save Trent.
I was shit at politics, but Donovan and Quinn were damn fucking good.
“I was the servant of Daniel Donovan when the demon Nemcox dragged me to Hell against my will.” Neil Roberts stood tall and proud against an army of demons. “I was held in Hell for nearly thirty years, though the equivalent on the Earth plane was mere months. During those years, I aged and my life-span shortened. I have less years with my love than I should have and I demand payment. I never gave in. Not once. I was raped over and over by Lord Sloane’s precious son and because he is gone, my justice will come from his family.”
Sloane turned Neil’s way, suddenly taking him seriously. “What do you expect me to do? He’s dead. I can’t exactly hand over his balls. The wolf made sure they’re dust.”
Yes, he was aching over his loss.
“I demand reparations in the form of your servitude, Lord Sloane,” Neil replied. “You will serve the Council as I served your son. You’ll find this form of recompense is all laid out in the documents signed by your kind years ago.”
“I’m not going to serve anyone.” Sloane shook his head as though trying to comprehend what was happening. “I’m certainly not serving on the Earth plane.”
“Then I suppose I’ll call the satan and see what he has to say,” Donovan offered.
Sloane moved in close, his voice going low. “I’m not an idiot. What do you want?”
“Pardon my servant.” Donovan sprang his trap.
Yes. That was what I wanted. I would deal with Gray. If what Zoey said was the truth, then he would calm down at some point and be more reasonable. He would see that this had been the only way.
Sloane grimaced. “I can spare his life, but there must be punishment. I can’t allow this to pass without some form of punishment. I would lose my power and it will start a war on my plane to see who takes my place. Negotiate with me. Give me lead on the meeting between our planes and banish the wolf. He is to no longer be welcome in Council-held lands and we have a deal. Otherwise, call the satan and unbalance the demonic plane. See how that works for you.”
I shook my head. “No. You can’t banish Trent.”
“I’m not going to banish my servant for delivering justice,” Donovan replied.
Sloane thought for a moment and then nodded. “Call the satan. If there was no angelic interference, you will almost certainly win. If there was…well, I’ll call for a separate hearing concerning Neil Roberts. I believe Louis Marini was the head of the Council at the time. He had the power. If Neil Roberts’s contract is deemed just, then it is Hell that will ask for a trial and perhaps compensation.”
Even I knew that time was a murky part of history. Louis Marini had been the head of the Council and Donovan had been marked as an outlaw for months before he finally took over the Council. Could we win? They might not be able to drag Neil back to Hell, but they could put the king in a bad place when it came to negotiations. I’d begged him. I’d been the one who changed his mind and now it was my situation that placed the Council in harm’s way.
I saw the moment Donovan realized this wasn’t going to be perfect, but then he’d probably planned for that, too.
“And if I declare my former servant to be outcast, unknown to the Council due to his crimes, would that serve you?” Donovan would never give up his wife’s best friend. And he couldn’t go into negotiations in a submissive position. Even I knew that.
But to declare Trent an outcast? He wouldn’t be allowed on Council land. Wouldn’t be recognized by the king or his Council. He would be alone in the world. He would have to run because no one would protect him.
Sloane held out a hand. “I am the lead on the negotiations with the Earth plane and this will be done. I shall demand no vengeance but you will give the outcast no succor.”
Donovan’s eyes closed briefly and when he opened them I knew his decision, and I also knew that it sucked to be the king. “Agreed.”
He’d saved me and the plane, but Trent was outcast.
Sloane shook his hand and the deal was done.
The demons stepped back and Dev was allowed to release the vine. It slithered back underground and I ran to Trent.
His arms wound around me. Gray was still being held away from us, but I hated the look in his eyes as I hugged Trent.
“I’ll go with you.” I wasn’t going to leave him alone.
His hands came up, cupping my face. “No. I knew what would happen when I agreed to do this. Take care of Gray. Take care of that wolf inside you. She’s the strongest, bravest bitch I’ve ever known. I love you. Take those words into your soul, baby, because they won’t stop if I die. I’ll love you forever.”
They pulled him out of my arms, tears clouding my eyes, and I wondered if it was the last time I would ever see him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Three weeks later
“I thought you would be taller.” Liv was grinning as she looked at me. “Being an Amazon and all. And the queen is even shorter than you.”
“I don’t think height is a requirement.” I wasn’t exactly tiny or anything. I was a respectable five foot six. I wasn’t petite like the queen.
“Still, I think it’s interesting.” Liv sat back on the couch. “Any word on Trent?”
The very name made my heart ache. “The last I heard he was on the run. He isn’t allowed in the normal wolf packs. They’re considered Council and apparently the word succor means help.”
Trent wasn’t allowed any aid from Council members, and that included the wolf packs that accepted protection. Pretty much all of them accepted protection. Trent was on his own and I didn’t know if he was dead or alive.
“Hey, do you two need a snack?” Gray stepped out of the kitchen. He looked wholly masculine in a clingy T and jeans. He’d chilled out exactly the way the queen had said he would with the singular exception of I wasn’t allowed to even speak Trent’s name. He was counseling the king on the upcoming negotiations, but he wouldn’t speak about our werewolf. He wouldn’t acknowledge that he’d ever existed at all.
Liv had shown up thirty minutes before, smiling and bringing me gossip and news. I’d been holed up for weeks, mourning my loss, processing what had happened. Marcus had come several times and spent hours with me. He’d talked to me like a therapist, asking me to confess my emotions and telling me about his. Somehow when it wasn’t simply me talking, I could do it. When Marcus would tell me about the girl in the painting and how she kept moving across the field, I could talk to him about how much I missed Trent.
I could feel the loss of him like a limb torn from my body, but I couldn’t talk about it with Gray.
“I’m good. Thanks, babe. But I could use another beer.” It was kind of how I processed.
He frowned but disappeared back into the kitchen. I was well aware my lack of appetite was worrisome for him, and I vowed to eat whatever he put in front of me for dinner tonight. It was the first full moon since I’d lost Trent and I couldn’t help but wonder where he was, who was after him. I knew no one was taking care of him.
Liv put a hand on my arm. “Kelsey, you two have to talk about what happened.”
“He won’t.” It wasn’t like I hadn’t tried. “He kind of pretends it didn’t happen at all. He decided to go back to work. So I’m learning what it means to be a cop’s girlfriend. Jamie shows up in the middle of the day or night and Gray will be gone for days at a time.”
In some ways, it felt like I’d lost both of them. Gray was still here most of the time. He made love to me every chance he got, but there was a distance between us.
So I spent my time working. I was in a bit of a lull. No grand murders to solve. I’d taken to training Justin to do more than play around on the computer and answer the phone. He’d helped me track down a couple of runaways, catch the kid who was stealing from the bakery on the sixth floor, and prepared dossiers on the bigwig demons who would be coming in for the contract negotiations in the upcoming months.
And yes, it totally was Lee who stole the cookies and that whole pan of brownies. He claimed he was merely trying to keep up his skills, but I’m pretty sure once the queen got over her initial freak-out, the no-sugar rule went back into effect.
I worked. I worried.
“You seem awfully calm for all this drama,” Liv said quietly.
I was. “I know he’s out there. I know he wants to be with me. And I know if there’s any way for the king to bring him back, he will.”
“Do you think that’s why you’re calm? Because you trust you’ll see him again?” Liv asked.
I ached for him, but I also knew if he could find a way, he would come back to me. “I do trust him and I have some faith that it’s going to turn out all right.”
Funny how I’d killed an angel who specialized in faith and found a bit of my own.
According to Donovan, bringing Trent home would be top on his agenda when he sat down with the demons. I trusted the king, but that was months away and anything could happen. I wanted to talk to him. Needed to know he was all right.
Perhaps it was time to start quietly looking.
“Enough about me. Tell me about how Felix is doing. I saw him right after he came out of the coma, but he’s not seeing patients again yet. I heard he took his wife and daughter on a vacation.”
Liv nodded. “Yeah, they’re on some island the royals own. I’ve talked to Sarah a couple of times and she says he’s doing well. Apparently Felicity and Oliver went to see him and they worked some things out. So now they get a new angel of faith and Felix gets on with his life.”
Justice had been done. Neil Roberts was safe. Felix was well and whole again. The plane was free of angelic influence.
My dad’s secret was safe for now.
“Everyone wins.” Except Trent.
Liv seemed to know what I was thinking. She leaned over. “I can try to find him for you.”
I shook my head. She could get in serious trouble for doing that. Trent was my responsibility. Besides, I had another job for my bestie. “I need you and Casey working on that other problem.”
Finding the wizard known as Myrddin. I wanted to know everything about the man who had plotted to kill my father, and I definitely wanted to know about the prophecy that had led him to do it. Only Liv and Casey knew anything about my quest to find Merlin, and I intended to keep it that way.
For now.
We talked for another twenty minutes and then I hugged my friend. She was going to a meeting with the higher-ups in her coven. Liv was going places after stepping in for Sarah Day.
I closed the door with a sigh. It would be another long night, broken up only when Gray would reach for me and I would forget for an hour or so.
Well, not forget, but if I closed my eyes I could feel Trent there with us.
“Don’t lock that,” Gray said. He stood in the doorway dressed in slacks and a Western shirt. He’d put on a bolo tie and his cowboy boots. He picked up his Stetson and the keys to his truck.
“Are you going to work?” Those neatly pressed Western clothes were perfectly acceptable uniforms in the world of the Texas Rangers.
“I’ve got a couple of open cases that need some attention, but I thought I’d take you out first.” He settled the hat on his head and opened the door.
I sighed. The night would be far longer than I’d thought. Perhaps I would go back to the office as well. “It’s okay, babe. Like I said. I’m not hungry.”
Or I could go down to Ether and see if the queen needed a drinking buddy. We’d gotten a lot closer in the last couple of weeks. Funny how violence and a hidden history could do that for a couple of girls.
Gray stopped, turning my chin up so I had to look into his eyes. “I know and that’s why I’m doing this. Come with me, Kelsey mine. Please.”
It was the first time he’d asked me for anything since the arena. I couldn’t turn him down.
I found myself following him, sitting beside him in the cab of his big F-150. I hummed along to Luke Bryan and watched as we left the city. For some reason I didn’t question him at all. I let the miles roll by as we moved from concrete to suburban perfection to the wild thicket of the forest. An hour and a half passed before he pulled off the road and onto a dirt path.
“I don’t think there’s a restaurant out here, Gray.” But my wolf was breathing in the pine scent of the air. Was he going to try to run with me? Was he taking me to the pack for the night?
He stopped the truck. “No, but he is. I’ll be back to pick you up in the morning. I love you, Kelsey mine. I can’t talk to him. But I’ve made sure he has what he needs because I know what it would do to you if he died.”
I sat up, my heart starting to pound as a shadow pulled away from the tree line and I saw Trent for the first time in weeks. I turned to Gray. His face was tight and he looked ahead.
I leaned in. Now I was the one who forced him to look at me. “I love you, Grayson Sloane. Thank you.”
He nodded. “Be here at dawn. Tell him he better keep you safe and I’ll have another shipment with me.”
“Shipment?”
He shrugged. “The guy’s gotta eat. He’s staying at a cabin I bought a few years back. It’s only because you would worry if he was in a tent somewhere, and the food is practical. People will talk if they suddenly see a bunch of dead deer carcasses lying around.”
Sure it was. My heart surged with love for them both. “Thank you, Gray. I’ll be here at dawn.”
I kissed him and practically jumped out of the car. This was why I’d been calm. Deep down, I trusted Gray. I finally understood that he loved me and he would do anything for me. Including hand me off to the other man I loved.
I ran and Trent caught me in his arms. He pulled me into a hug that nearly cracked my spine, but I didn’t mind. His mouth found mine and he kissed me.
By the time he was done, Gray’s truck was gone. But again, I could feel him there with us.
“Wanna run with me?” Trent asked.
I nodded. I took his hand and we ran, the forest all around us and the full moon above.
I ran with my love and for a moment I was free.
Kelsey, Gray, Trent, and the whole Thieves family will return in Outcast.
