Darkness Wanes (19 page)

“Are those the vampires Melena saved?” she asked.

He nodded. “They are.”

“Do you think they’ll mind feeding from a couple of men who beat their wives?” Cori asked. Patrick choked on his coffee, and she reached over to pat his back. “I know where some live just outside Fairbanks who can’t afford the witch potions. They’ll be easy targets.”

“If she points me in the right direction, I could go get them,” Kerbasi said, eyes gleaming. He didn’t care about the vampires needing to feed, but he did enjoy the prospect of scaring humans. Of course, he’d have to compel them to forget everything afterward.

Lucas shrugged. “Go, but be quick about it. You have a shift at the compound this afternoon.”

“Oooh, fun times. A morning hanging with Kerbasi,” Cori said, taking the guardian’s arm. “Just read my mind and you’ll see where to go.”

A moment later they flashed away.

Patrick looked a little green in the face. “My daughter should not be around these people.”

“We may seem crude by your lofty standards, but I assure you there is no one out there who could provide better protection for Emily.” Lucas stepped close enough to the sensor that the man could feel his breath. “It is only our enemies who have anything to fear.”

Chapter Sixteen

Melena

I slipped on a pair of yoga pants and fell back on the bed, breathing hard. It had been two days since I came home. My wounds were nearly healed with only some rough patches on my skin from the remaining burns and a slight ache in my ribs, but I still hadn’t gotten my energy back. Lucas kept telling me to give it time. The severe injuries I’d sustained were a lot for my body to recover from quickly. He reminded me that it took him several days to heal after he’d been burned alive a couple of years ago, and he had a lot more power and strength than me.

Maybe he had a point, but I couldn’t lie in bed any longer. It was driving me crazy to listen to activities going on in the house while wallowing in pain-filled misery. The world had kept turning during my absence, and I’d already missed too much. It reminded me of when I’d gone on military deployments to the Middle East and would come back expecting everything to be the same. You just figured everyone hit the pause button until your return—except they didn’t. There was this silly part of me that hated how they’d found a way to live without me. How self-centered was that?

Sable, currently in her orange and black lynx form, jumped onto the bed and rubbed against my arm. She’d kept me warm the last couple of days until my body could finally regulate its own temperature again. The cold climate in Purgatory’s tunnels had all but frozen my bones. Emily and Lucas took turns lying with me as well, cuddling up close. There was a certain amount of comfort in knowing I’d been missed.

Gathering my strength, I stood up and shuffled out of the room. The feline shape-shifter stayed by my side the whole way. When we reached the stairs, I gripped the banister and descended one step at a time. It was horrifying to discover something I’d done hundreds of times before had become this difficult. My muscles protested every movement and a few times I had to pause when a wave of dizziness overtook me.

At a snail’s pace, I made my way to the kitchen and found Lucas and Patrick there. Emily had gone to school and Micah went with her. I had no idea where Kerbasi had gone off to, but Bartol was outside wandering around the nearby woods. This was his first day up as well, though he’d beaten me by a few hours.

“Morning,” I said, heading for one of the stools by the counter. If I could sit down, maybe no one would notice my wobbly state.

Lucas ran his gaze over me, concern in his eyes. “Are you certain you should be up yet?”

“Yes.” I scowled.

As much as I’d missed him and enjoyed being near him again, he’d been acting like an overbearing nursemaid these last couple of days. I’d spent much of my life hiding my weaknesses from him and still didn’t know how to fully let my guard down around him. Someday, I hoped to reconcile that he wasn’t my archenemy anymore. It would just help if the minute I started to get used to his presence we weren’t torn apart again.

He lifted me onto the stool, ignoring my protests. “You should have given yourself at least one more day in bed.”

“I’m fine,” I said, enjoying the way his hands lingered on me.

Other than the occasional soft caress, Lucas hadn’t shown a great deal of affection. Mostly, he only watched over me. Even when he pulled me close in bed, it was in a protective way. I missed his passion and couldn’t wait until I was strong enough to return it. Being weak sucked in more ways than one.

Lucas caught the glint in my eyes and quirked his lips. “That is good to hear, but you will take it easy, or I’ll tie you to that bed.”

“Tyrant.”

His warm breath grazed my ear. “Give it a couple more days and I’ll show you a tyrant.”

He pulled away and headed for the fridge. My mouth watered as he poured a glass of orange juice and brought it over to me. All I’d drunk was water since I returned. Everyone insisted it was the best thing for me until my burns healed. I took a sip and couldn’t suppress a moan. Who knew orange juice could taste this good? Lucas brought me a plate with banana bread and mixed fruit next. I dug into the food, unaware of the amusement glinting in his eyes until I lifted my head. He was silently laughing at me.

“Go ahead and laugh.” I pointed a strawberry at him. “The next time you get thrown in Purgatory and come back hungry, I won’t be so polite when you scarf down food by the ton.”

“It is good to see you are returning to your normal self.” He leaned over and grazed his lips across my cheek. My body warmed.

“Is this a regular occurrence? You two getting confined in Purgatory?” Patrick asked. I didn’t miss the censure in his voice.

I lifted my brows. “If you’d like, I could arrange a trip for you.”

“I think not. I’d rather stay with my daughter.”

I flinched, feeling the sting of his comment. Two could play at that game. “You know Emily thought you abandoned her. That’s what her mother told her for years.”

And since that was the story she’d heard before her sensor abilities developed at fourteen, she hadn’t had a reason to question it. I didn’t bother to test Patrick on that again. Lucas and Emily had already confirmed he didn’t know about her until recently. My goal was to get a feel for the man’s true intentions. If he did care, I wouldn’t stand in his way of getting to know his daughter. Emily needed something good to finally happen to her. I desperately wanted her father to be that something, but only if he didn’t pose a threat.

“I intend to spend years making it up to her,” Patrick replied, lifting his chin.

I leaned across the counter, gazing hard at him. “How?”

“Well, first I have to get to know her and she has to get to know me.”

“That’s a start. What else?” I asked.

He stuck his hands in his pockets. “I wish to protect her.”

According to Lucas, he kept saying that, but how? “Are you reporting back to anyone, including Stephanie?”

“Absolutely not!”

No ring of falsehood there. “Do you have any intention of taking Emily away from here?”

“That had been my first thought, I admit, but she’s made it clear she doesn’t want to leave.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I’m resigned to remain here with her if that’s what I must do.”

I gritted my teeth. The man was being evasive. “Don’t bullshit me, Patrick. We both know you’re talking around the answer so I can’t be sure if you’re lying. The answer is
yes
or
no
. Do you plan to take her away from here?”

“Not at the moment,” he answered, his gaze shifting downward.

“Do not assume because I’m weak at the moment that I can’t find the strength to jump across this counter and rip your head off.” My hands shook, he was pissing me off so badly. “For Emily, I will do whatever it takes to protect her because she means that much to me. Demons, vampires, werewolves…the damn archangels themselves will not get to her if I can help it. I would die for her.”

Lucas put a hand on my back, lending me his strength. “As would I.”

“So tell me, Patrick, what would
you
do for her?”

“I, uh…” he stuttered, and his eyes widened. “I would fight, too.”

“The earth is trembling at your proclamation. That will convince the bad guys to stay away,” I said, giving him a pitying look.

He rubbed a hand through his hair. “This is new to me. I won’t apologize for living a peaceful life until now.”

“Nor should you,” I conceded, calming my tone. “But you must also realize you are in no way capable of protecting your daughter by yourself. Those of us here, we’ve fought many battles and know how our enemies think. You’ve still got a lot to learn. So try again—do you have any intention of taking your daughter away from here?”

He met my gaze, defeat in his eyes. “No.”

Finally, a straight answer with the strength of truth behind it. “But you will stay and fight with us to protect her?”

“Yes.” He spoke with more confidence this time.

“You do realize you’re stepping into a world where you will have to get your hands dirty. There are people out there who would kidnap your daughter and some who would kill her if they found her. I’ve given her my blood, so she’s a little more resilient than the average sensor, but she’s still in danger.” I paused and stared hard into his eyes. “Judge us all you want, but we do whatever it takes to protect our own—even at great cost to ourselves.”

Patrick didn’t say anything for a minute. I had to give him credit for not running at any point during our conversation. The vehemence of my emotions had to be hitting him hard, but as a sensor, he couldn’t doubt my convictions. His gaze shot to Lucas briefly, who hadn’t moved since coming to stand by my side. My nephilim mate might seem like the biggest threat, but Patrick didn’t realize I’d be the one to take him down if necessary. Everyone else would just help hide the evidence.

I cocked my head. “How far are you willing to go? If someone is attacking your daughter, could you kill them?”

He swallowed. “I would try.”

“You don’t know how to fight, do you?”

He wasn’t soft anywhere, but he wasn’t very muscular, either. I had noticed calluses on his hands and there was an earthy scent about him. A farmer, maybe? Lucas told me Patrick was from a rural area in Montana.

“No.” He shook his head. “I swore long ago I’d avoid violence.”

“Why is that?” The question came from Lucas.

He hesitated. “My grandfather was an abusive man who terrorized his family. I promised my mother I’d never be like him.”

“And your father?” I asked.

“He was good and kind, but he died young. I hardly knew him.” Pain reflected in Patrick’s eyes.

“Look, I get it. You’ve avoided violence for a valid reason.” I took in a deep breath, unable to keep up my pretense of strength much longer. Lucas pulled my back into his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I wanted to sink all the way into him, but I needed to make my point with Patrick. “But you’re not going to be able to keep that oath if you stick around here.”

“I know,” he said. This time I was certain he was getting it.

“Lucas and Micah could train you to fight. Even if you don’t feel you can kill someone should it be necessary, you at least need to learn how to immobilize them.” It was the best compromise I could give him. We didn’t live in a world where he could avoid violence. Something told me we could move to Antarctica and still run into trouble.

“I have a training session with the nerou in a couple of days,” Lucas said, his voice rumbling above my head. “I’ll be teaching them basic takedown tactics, similar to what Melena suggested. You should come along. I’ll work with you at a pace you can handle.”

I loved Lucas a little more at that moment. It was difficult for both of us to let Patrick into our lives, but we needed to do it for Emily’s sake. As long as he continued to prove honest and willing to work with us, we wouldn’t make him leave.

Patrick considered it a moment. “Okay, I could do that.”

“One final question—do you have any intention of turning on us or our allies while you’re here?” I asked.

An ironic smile crossed his lips. “No. I like my head right where it is.”

“Good.” I pulled away from Lucas. “Now, I’ve got to get some rest. There’s an archangel who needs summoning this evening.”

Chapter Seventeen

Lucas

Lucas walked with Melena down the stairs, watching her closely in case she became light-headed. As she made her way down, it didn’t appear necessary. Her long nap and the food she’d eaten earlier had done a remarkable amount of good in helping restore her energy and strength. She did wobble once near the last step but recovered before he could grab her.

“This is happening, Lucas.” She gripped the banister and turned back to show him the resolve in her eyes. “Forget trying to talk me out of it.”