Fading Light: Shadow Born, Book 2 (7 page)

“I’m sorry.” Brenna closed her eyes against the pain in Mira’s gaze. “We’ll find out who did it.”

Mira drew a long breath. “It had to be Adare.” She straightened, squeezing her hands into fists. “I’m going to rip off his head.”

“He would eat you alive, Mira. We have to do this together.”

“Damn it, she was my blood.” A tear fell from her eye. “I should have had Claudius change her.”

“You hate being a vampire. Why would you want that for her?” Brenna reached out, then dropped her hand. Mira wouldn’t want to be coddled.

Mira shook her head. “You’re right. That’s stupid.” She slapped her palm against the wall. “Tell Seraph I want to be reinstated.”

“I’ll see what I can do, but you should ask him yourself.”

Mira shook her head. “I can’t get his attention, much less ask him a question.”

“Fine. I’ll ask him next time I see him.”

“Thank you.” Mira pushed off the wall. “I’m moving back in. If Claudius stops by, you can stake him if you want. That might make me feel better.” With a shaky laugh she disappeared into the hall.

Brenna made a mental note to find out what had happened between Mira and Claudius. The last thing she needed was an angry vampire king on her doorstep. They all had history with Claudius, but he was an ally for now. If he got a better offer, he might switch sides.

Brenna yawned. Hopefully now she could get a small break from the chaos. Sometimes life seemed to throw its curve balls all at the same time. Embracing her pity party, she sank into the bed and pulled the covers to her neck. Guilt reared its nasty little head. She grabbed her phone and called Seraph. He answered immediately.

“Mira’s here. She’s alive, no thanks to Keegan, and she wants to be reinstated.”

Seraph groaned. “If I were you, I’d keep them apart. Keegan’s a hot head. And Mira has no impulse control.”

Brenna rolled her eyes, even though she knew he couldn’t see. “I’m not an idiot, Seraph. I won’t let them kill each other. Fill me in on the latest. Have you found anything?”

“Not yet. All the samples are normal.” He paused. “We lost two hunters tonight. Adare is on the move, so be careful. The Underground is rumbling with unrest, and the deviants are going nuts. Five went missing overnight. Adare has to be feeding them to his demons again.”

“Or he opened another portal in the Veil.”

“I’m hoping it’s the former. We don’t have time to deal with the latter.”

“Agreed.”

“We may have won the last battle, but we’re losing the war.”

Closing her eyes, Brenna acknowledged the truth in his words. “It’ll turn around.”

“It better.”

Chapter Seven

The dawn took Brenna by surprise. She hadn’t meant to sleep more than a few moments. Yawning, she swung her legs off the bed. If Gray had taken care of Keegan, the dragon would be gone, his hostage safely tucked away in his new bed.

She stumbled into the closet, slipped on a pair of comfy jeans, a white tank top and hoodie then made her way to the kitchen. And found Keegan leaning against the sink. He started to talk, but she lifted a hand to stop him.

“Coffee first,” she growled. She pulled a hot pink mug from the overhead cabinet.

Gray handed her the carafe of steaming java. She shot him a grateful glance as she filled her cup. Her sore body screamed as she leaned against the sink and took a long drink. Eyes closed, she savored the taste of the tarlike liquid.

With an exaggerated sigh, Keegan moved across the room and flung himself into a chair near the battered kitchen table. He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. The wooden planks strained beneath his weight.

“Why are you here?” Brenna sat beside him. She leaned back in her chair and watched him warily.

“I’m going to help.” He grinned, a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.

She took a deep breath, then a long drink of coffee. “Louie better be alive.”

Keegan laughed. The sound resonated through the room. “We didn’t have a spit big enough to roast him.”

Brenna shook her head. “Not funny.” She reached her hands to the sky, stretching her aching body. Her fingers still grasped the mug’s handle. Coffee sloshed inside, spilling over the edges. “If you’re staying here, we need to establish some ground rules.”

He smiled, revealing sparkling white teeth. “I’m good with that. There are no empty rooms. I thought I could share yours.”

Gray slammed his cup on the counter, but, to his credit, remained silent.

“No deal.” She glanced over at Gray. His magic was swirling around him like a fiery spider web. Having Keegan here was setting him on edge. If she wanted the dragon to stay, she needed to make a concession.

Who was she kidding? She owed Gray. After promising him her undying devotion, she had skirted around him like a frightened puppy.

“You can have Gray’s room.”

Both men froze.

“Gray can bunk with me,” she continued before her statement could be misconstrued. She thought Gray’s mouth dropped open, but she blinked at an inopportune time and couldn’t be sure. “You can move your stuff this afternoon.”

“Brenna—”

“I remember our talk, Gray. Every word.” She took a sip of her coffee. “I’ll clear the left side of the closet, but the dresser is mine.” Her cup hit the table with a thud as she stood. “We need to talk to Louie. Find out what he knows.”

“Hold up. What just happened?” Keegan leaned forward, a twinkle in his eyes. “Are you two bunking up?”

“Shut it, dragon.” Gray moved beside Brenna. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he met her gaze. “Are you sure?”

Of course she wasn’t sure. But she was willing.

She shrugged. “It’s up to you. I have no problem with Keegan sleeping on the couch.”

“I’m serious, Brenna,” Gray ignored Keegan who was miming a kissy face behind him.

“Take it or leave it.” She forced herself to meet his eyes. The intensity in his gaze stole her breath. She had only offered to share her bed in the most literal sense. Yet he acted like she had given him the world.

Gray shook his head. “If I push you, you’ll change your mind.”

“Probably.” She shoved him away, grabbed her cup and walked to the sink. “Let me know what you want to do. I’m going to talk to Louie.” She rinsed her cup then sat it on the counter. “Do you know where he is?”

“Right here.”

The shifter stood in the doorway. He still wore the ill-fitting jeans and t-shirt Sam had loaned him. He saw Keegan and his body tightened.

“Coffee’s hot, and there are orange rolls on the stove.” Brenna waved him inside. “Eat and we’ll talk.”

He lunged for the stove and stuffed four abnormally large sweet rolls in his mouth. When he turned and grabbed the coffee carafe, she took it and poured him a cup.

“Sit,” she ordered. “I’ll make you some eggs.”

Louie’s eyes widened. “That would be awesome,” he mumbled through the gobs of orange goo in his mouth. A roll in both hands, he sat as far from Keegan as he could manage.

Brenna grabbed a cast iron skillet from the drying rack and placed it on the burner, she flipped on the gas before turning back to Louie. “Tell me about the wine.”

“I had a bad feeling about it, but I needed the money,” he said, stuffing another roll into his mouth.

Gray grabbed the eggs from the fridge, handing them to Brenna. “Do you know who hired you?”

“Not his name. But his face was covered in boils and lesions.”

Keegan slammed his hand against the table. “This is a waste of time. I already know this.”

“What did he tell you?” Gray’s tone was slow and contained, but his magic flared erratically as he got the milk out of the fridge and measured it into a cup.

“Gave me the wine and told me to set it outside the main door. Said it was the dragon’s favorite, and I should stay around because he would reward me.” Louie glanced at Keegan. “What a load of crap. All I got was fifty lousy bucks and a lifetime’s worth of harassment.”

“At least I didn’t eat you.” Keegan retorted.

Ignoring him, Gray focused on Louie. “Tell me exactly what he looked like. What was he wearing?”

Louie froze. Gray’s anger was palatable. His magic twined around the shifter in an attempt to help him remember.

“He had a flesh colored mask, but he took it off. His face was full of holes. It was disgusting. His teeth were rotted and his breath smelled like cloves.”

“Cloves?” Gray dumped the milk in the pan on the stove. “Did he smoke?”

“Dammit, Gray,” Brenna yelped. She grabbed the pan and poured the milk out, leaving soggy onions in the bottom. “That was supposed to go in the bowl with the yolks.”

“Yeah.” Louie watched the exchange, eyebrows furrowed. “Clove cigarettes.”

Gray looked over Louie’s head at Keegan. The tension in the room ratcheted several notches. “If you already knew it was Ga’loh, why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

Keegan watched Brenna get the milk back out. “You didn’t ask. Besides, it doesn’t help us. Ga’loh’s someone else’s pawn. A middle man. I was trying to track down more leads.”

Brenna finished making the eggs herself. “Then why did you keep Louie if you already got that out of him?”

“In case he remembered anything else.”

Gray handed Brenna a plate. “Ga’loh’s not the type to align himself with Adare. Something else is going on.”

Keegan huffed, smoke spiraling from his mouth. “You’re being naïve. Ga’loh’s condition is deteriorating. He’s desperate.”

Brenna shook her head as she gave Louie his breakfast. Gray was loyal to a fault. Even to those he barely trusted.

“I’ll call Seraph. We need a tail on Ga’loh. Maybe he’ll lead us to Adare.” Gray pulled a battered phone from his pocket. Pulling open the French doors, he stepped into the courtyard. Keegan followed.

As they left, the temperature in the room dropped dramatically. Brenna ran water in the pan and began to scrub, waiting for Hilda to show herself. A sliver of light appeared at her side. It morphed into a golden mist then formed into a small woman. Hilda smiled. Her blond curls danced around her face.

Brenna sighed. Hilda never failed to stir the pot. She made a point of it.

Now in solid form, the ghost flung herself into Keegan’s abandoned chair. “I heard we have a dragon and a jackass now.” A grin lit her face. “I had to see for myself.” A flick of her hand and an orange roll levitated from Louie’s plate and began to float toward her. The shifter grabbed for it, but it was already out of reach.

“So Adare and Ga’loh are making nice?”

Gray stepped inside from the courtyard. “Nice to know you were listening.”

She shrugged. “I showed myself.”

He shook his head. “Are you going to help?”

“I always help.” She shrugged. “Just not always in the way you like.” The orange roll disappeared between her lips. She stood, her form wavering. “Now that I know Adare and Ga’loh are involved, I have a place to start looking. I’ll let you know when I find something.” She disappeared in a blast of cold air.

Brenna met Gray’s gaze and burst out laughing. The stress was getting to her. She filled her cup before stepping through the swinging wooden door to the living room.

Gray followed. His boots thumped against the wooden planks. The cadence vibrated through her body, firing her nerve endings and setting her on edge. He would want to talk about her proposition from earlier. Despite the fact they had found out his source may be one of the bad guys, she would bet money he was still fixated on the change in their living arrangements. Gray’s one-track mind was a thing of legend.

The living room was still a nightmare. Someone had attempted to clean it by pulling the furniture out of the walls and tossing it in the center of the room to fill the hole. The result was a funeral pyre of upholstery.

“Keegan said he’d clean it after he ate,” Gray said, moving past her.

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Seraph owed her hazard pay.

They moved past the wreck of a living room into what had once been the dining room. It had turned into a makeshift work room when Adare first defected. Two folding tables were crammed against the far wall. Bookshelves made of plywood and milk crates had been shoved beside them. A tattered green braided rug covered in scrying mirrors and candles lay in the center of the room. It was a catch-all for magical law enforcement.

“Seraph sent over the work up on the victims from last night,” she said as they moved into the room. “It’s on the bookshelf with the pictures we got from the shifter’s camera.”

He grabbed her arm as she moved past. His fingers were hot against her skin. “We need to talk,” he began, guiding her to the leather sofa in the far corner of the room. “The case can wait.”

She tried to pull free, but he held fast.

“There’s no time, Gray. There could be more victims.”

“Ten minutes won’t matter.” He pushed her onto the couch. “You owe me an explanation.”

“Keegan needs a place to sleep. It was the easiest solution,” she lied. She didn’t want to hash this out right now. “We’re married. It’s logical we share a room.”

His violet eyes filled with an indiscernible emotion. “Does that mean you’ll share my bed?”

Unable to resist, she stroked his face with her hand. He pressed his cheek into her palm. “We’ll share a bed in the literal sense. It may lead to more, it may not.”

He sank his hand into the thick locks of hair at the nape of her neck and pulled her closer. “Don’t play games with me, Brenna,” he warned. “You won’t win.”

She licked her lips, remembering his taste.

With a groan, he yanked her against him. Fire streaked through her. He tasted of home. His magic wrapped around her like a silken sheet, cradling her in its warmth. She should pull away, but she craved his touch more than she needed his blood. In this moment he belonged to her, and she reveled in him.

They tumbled onto the cold floor with a loud thump. Gray unzipped her hoodie then untucked her thin tank from her jeans, his callused fingers rough against her skin. She arched against his touch. Fascinated by the cadence of his pulse, she licked the underside of his neck. His heartbeat was strong against her tongue. She slid her hands beneath his shirt enjoying the strong play of his muscles. Wanting more, she bared him from the waist up. His bronzed skin shone in the candlelight.

He grabbed her by the waist and rolled until she was beneath him. The hard length of him throbbed against her inner thigh as he peeled away her tank. Her nipples hardened as the cool morning air caressed her skin. It took her lust-inhibited mind several moments to realize why the room was getting colder. But, when it did, she was furious.

She pushed Gray aside and grabbed her tank. “Show yourself, Hilda. This isn’t a peep show.”

“Could have fooled me.” The ghost materialized on the sofa, a bag of popcorn in one hand. “Continue. It was getting good.”

Gray lunged. Brenna held him back.

Hilda popped a handful of popcorn in her mouth. “I forgot to tell you something. Mira says it’s important.”

“I wish she wasn’t already dead.” Gray slipped on his shirt, his motions rigid.

“What is it?” Brenna asked, ignoring Gray. She stood, adjusted her clothes, and fought the urge to strangle Hilda.

“So far the only connection between last night’s victims is an outdoor concert they attended at the Garden of the Gods down near Colorado Springs.”

“How could you know that?” Gray asked.

Hilda shrugged. “Seraph had me checking some things out. He appreciates my unique skill set.”

“Seraph thinks they were infected there?” Brenna sat on the sofa.

“Probably.” Hilda smiled. “It makes sense.”

Gray leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “If that’s true, we need to get down there. See what we can find. If we’re lucky we might be able to identify what kind of magic Adare’s using.”

“Agreed. I’ll make the arrangements.” Brenna glanced at Hilda. “Are you coming with?”

The ghost snorted. “And be third wheel? I’ll pass.”

A flash of light and no more ghost.

Gray settled on the couch beside Brenna. Heat infused her skin as their thighs pressed together. Her blood stirred with yearning. Gray glanced up. “We could go upstairs.”

A blush stole across her cheeks. “Stopping Adare is more important.”

“Maybe.” He shrugged, grinning.

For a moment Brenna lost herself in his violet gaze. So much time had passed. But it was moments like these that reminded her Gray was the same man she had fallen in love with. Under the layers of hurt and bitterness, kindness and compassion remained. It made it impossible to keep her distance.

Their gazes met as she brushed her fingers across his cheek. There were a thousand shared memories between them, and in this moment they were connected.

If only it would last.