Emerald Eyes

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

Torquere Press Publishers

P.O. Box 37, Waldo, AR 71770.

Emerald Eyes by Julia Talbot Copyright 2015

Cover illustration by Kris Norris

Published with permission

www.torquerepress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61040-975-9

All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law. For information address Torquere Press. LLC, P.O. Box 37, Waldo, AR 71770

First Torquere Press Printing: September 2015

Printed in the USA

Emerald Eyes

by Julia Talbot

To all of the readers who asked for me to finish this arc, and who waited patiently, I love you all. And, as always, to my wife.

Chapter One

“Boss, we need to talk.”

Jonny glanced up from his stack of surveys and geological reports, frowning. Kasey rarely sounded so serious these days, which for a broody older vampire was quite a feat. Hooking up with a werewolf had been the best thing for the fellow, really.

“What’s wrong?”

Kasey’s black brows drew together in what looked to be a puzzled scowl. “We have a situation.”

He barely held back his eye roll. “Goody.”

“Yeah, yeah. Deke got these today. Came in from our monitoring entry into the country.” Kasey handed him a stack of printed photos. Of what looked like his lover, Luc. No, not just looked like. This was Luc, except that his slinky werekitty was asleep in cat form four feet above him on the top of his armoire.

He let one eyebrow raise and pinned Kasey with a look. “Explain.”

“Yeah, somehow I think we might have to ask Luc to do that.” Kasey walked over and pulled that fuzzy black tail hanging down like a lamp chain.

He did enjoy his lover’s speed, the wild yowl, the flash of claws. Good thing Kasey had a vamp’s reflexes.

“Hey, furball. I need you to be human for a minute,” Kasey said.

Luc muttered, calling Kasey a wild assortment of things, including a few insults about Kasey’s mother, as he crawled down the armoire.

“It’s not as if he can see the photo, Kasey,” Jonny reminded gently. “He’s blind.”

“Oh. Right.” Kasey grinned over at him. “He’s so good at everything, I forgot.”

Jonny did glare at his mate, however. “Tell me, sweet, do you have family I don’t know about?”

Luc stretched, totally unconcerned with hurrying to console him in the least.
Possibly. Which one in particular?

“One who looks just like you?” It was uncanny, really.

Ah. My twin. Yves
. So casual. Ah yes, my twin -- as if it were nothing.

Jonny glared, knowing Luc would feel his disapproval. “This didn’t seem important?”

“Children, we need to share the information with the investigator,” Kasey reminded them.

“He has a twin, apparently.” Jonny nudged Luc with the toe of this shoe. “Come speak to Kasey.”

Luc sighed, a sound that came out as a cough for a kitty, before shifting to his human form, which always made Jonny’s ears pop.

“I thought you knew,” Luc murmured.

“How could we know?”

Luc shrugged. “He’s never in the States. He’s always in South America bonding with the natives and hunting precious gemstones. He’s an addict. Has to hunt. I haven’t talked to him in...”

Luc stopped and frowned, and Jonny didn’t like this. Not at all.

“...in a bit.”

“How long?” Kasey asked, tone sharp. Someone else felt the weird vibes, too.

“Right before I met my mate, I think. I spoke to him then.”

Jonny exchanged a glance with Kasey, who scowled. “What did you talk about?”

“Emeralds. He had asked me to acquire a certain pair, I did the job, put them in a safety deposit box, and let him know.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Who else knew about these emeralds?” Now Kasey was growling as though he was the werewolf instead of his lover, Deke.

“I have no idea. I had an address, a window. That was it.”

Jonny nodded slowly. “Okay. Kasey, you and Deke find out who else had an interest and if Silvia has anything to do with this. Luc, you need to get ahold of your brother. I want a detail on him.”

“What does that mean?” Luc scribbled down an address, a safety deposit box number. “He’ll go here. I mean, I’ll put an ad in the paper, see if he hollers. He’s... slippery.”

“That means if we thought he looked like you, someone else might think he’s you,” Kasey said. “I’m on it, Boss.”

Jonny sat back with a sigh, drew his mate into his lap. “You are a very great deal of trouble, sweet.”

“I’m worth it.” Luc kissed him. “Yves is... not like me.”

“Tell me about him?” Jonny stroked Luc’s hair, curious as hell.

“He’s addicted to gemstones, to the stories behind them. It’s like a sickness, worse than the jobs I used to work, I think, because I was at least collecting funds for it.” Luc leaned in, snuggling close. “There was another of us. He died fighting insurgents in the desert, long before there were troops on the ground. Yves went a little crazy when we lost Girard.”

“I’m sorry, sweet.” His family had been gone so long that he barely remembered them fondly.

“It was a long time ago; he’ll get over it.”

The sudden stiffness in Luc’s body said perhaps that was a bit of a fib. Jonny didn’t remark upon it; he simply touched and kissed until Luc relaxed.

“Love you, Mate.” And that was that, yes? What they had together, it was love.

“And I you, Luc.” He kissed Luc’s jaw. In fact, he loved his kit enough to want to finish off whoever had hurt him and to protect this unknown brother Yves.

Good thing Kasey and Deke knew what to do from here.

Someone needed to have a clear head in all this. He hoped his friends could do that for him.

***

Someone was following him.

Yves wrinkled his nose and headed into a tavern, sliding through the crowd and out the back, into a wee coffee shop where he could get a view and a corner table where he could hide.

Very odd.

He hadn’t done anything worthy of being hunted, at least not as far as he knew. His brother may well have, but Yves couldn’t find Luc. Not so much as a whisper of the man.

Again, very odd.

Luc was usually easy for him to track down. There was always an ad somewhere, whether in the London Times or the New York Craigslist personals. Some way for them to touch base.

He had his laptop and slipped it out of its sleeve, opening up before searching for any ad with the keywords Yew Bow.

There. Rare yew bow for sale or trade. Prefer gemstones. Email mailbox 4998. That was it. God, it had been a long time coming this time.

He immediately emailed with his phone number listed backward with a single number added to each digit.

Luc would know how to call.

In fact, his little international cell rang a few minutes later. Gratifying speed.

“’lo?” He stayed noncommittal, just in case.

“Bonjour, Yves.”

Relief made him dizzy a moment. Luc. His own brother.

“
Frère
. Missed you. You’re well?”

“I am.” Luc chuckled. “Mostly. Are you safe?”

“As far as I know. I’m in the city.”
Are you? Are you close and safe?

“Good. I have a favor to ask.” Luc never asked for anything. Never. Yves was always the supplicant.

“Anything.” If possible.

“I sent someone. I imagine he’s following you. He’s there to protect you. Let him.”

“What? Why?”
No. No way. He could take care of himself.

“This is serious, Yves. You haven’t surfaced in over a year.”

“I’ve been in Colombia.”

“So, you found them.”

He didn’t have to ask what Luc meant.

“I did.” Now all he needed was the catalyst.

“
Frère
...”

“Don’t, Luc.” He couldn’t bear criticism, not when he was so very close.

“I need you to be careful.” Luc paused, the seconds ticking away. “They came after me.”

“Oh.” He closed his eyes, the thought of losing yet another brother too much to bear.

“I’m in the safest place you can imagine. Put the stones away and come join me.” Luc sounded wistful more than hopeful. His brother knew him well.

“I have to try, Luc. I have to.” He was certain this would work. No one had ever assembled all of the cat’s eyes stones, not since they were sent to opposite ends of the earth.

“It will kill you.”

Yves heard someone speaking, talking to Luc, the sound deep, smooth. Vaguely Continental.

“I’m sorry, Luc. I have to try.” He sighed softly. “Take care of yourself. I miss you.”

He hung up the phone without waiting for an answer, then ordered himself another latte. Luc had sent someone. What? A bodyguard? A kidnapper? They had a bargain; they were never in the same place at the same time. He didn’t need Luc’s help.

He checked the window again, but he couldn’t see anything that twigged his sixth sense. Yves chuckled. Spider kitty sense.

He set to work, tapping on his laptop, searching for clues, for a hint of how to turn back time. He had to for Girard.

He had to make this work for all of them.

***

This guy was slippery.

Reuben didn’t know why that should surprise him. Luc was a slinky kitty and this was his brother, right? The coffee shop was tucked away where he almost missed it, but he finally realized that was where Yves had to be, and he backtracked.

Hopefully, the place had pastries.

He was fucking starving. His belly was going to eat itself.

He checked his danger areas. Just Yves. So he went to the counter to order.

His primary looked fucking exhausted, hair limp and eyes with two-week bags. The guy needed a sandwich and a nap.

Maybe two of both.

Reuben grinned. Okay, time to approach. “Can I get three of those ciabatta sandwiches and two lemon pound cakes with my mocha?”

“Absolutely. Turkey or ham?”

“Turkey.” He chose the protein over the fat, even if his primary could pack in both.

“You got it.”

Said primary was deep in his computer, so Reuben guessed he was sending out “take it easy” vibes. Go him.

He hummed, grabbing his order and heading to his target’s table. Time to just brazen it out. “Hey, can I sit with you?”