Kiss Of Twilight (19 page)

The search for storage facilities was a dead end, so after a couple days they headed home. Dupree was distracted when he dropped her off and the turn in their relationship felt so tentative she didn't dare ask what was wrong. Besides, she had enough to worry about. Her email had exploded in her absence and there was a stack of handwritten messages on her desk. She flipped through them quickly until she came to a request for better copies of Ben's maps.

The maps bothered her. They were hand drawn on eight by ten paper, probably not to scale. She'd darkened them when she'd copied them because at the time she didn't have the proper equipment or paper to enlarge them, but the new copiers should be in now. She went to the safe and retrieved the envelope the maps were stored in, then headed to the library. Even if the copier she needed hadn't been installed in yet, she could visit with Michael a minute. When had she started to worry about the mental well-being of a ghost anyway?

"There you are," he said cheerfully as she stepped off the bottom stair.

She cut off a laugh and shook her head. It had probably happened when she realized how lonely this ghost was. Three hundred years banished to the dark had to suck.

"Hey, Michael." She looked around, smiled, and moved to the new machine. While she worked it he drew closer.

"What are those?"

"Maps."

After each one printed out larger she carried it to the long study table. Soon she had a row of five and Michael stood at her side staring at them.

"They don't fit together like this," he said.

"No, they don't," she muttered as she began to move them around like puzzle pieces until the picture took shape. "Oh, shit." She scooped them all into a stack and headed for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" He sounded so disappointed she turned back.

"I'm sorry. I need to show this to Winter now. We're missing three maps."

He nodded. "That's a priority. You must catch your missing rogue."

"Yes." She smiled even though she felt nothing but sorrow. "We must catch him."

And destroy him. The only family she had left in the world.

Back in her office she called Winter, who told her to expect Dupree to pick her up and bring her to the quad leader meeting. He arrived minutes later. If he wondered why she was going to the meeting, he didn't ask, and as soon as he pulled her into his arms she forgot all about the maps.

Dupree teleported with Kara into a barren back yard, behind a high wooden fence. The sliding glass door of the safe house was open, but he didn't look inside. Dupree could feel the presence of people in there, and knew he and Kara were the last to arrive to the meeting. He'd much rather be alone with her than working, but it would have to wait. He let her go, allowing her a semblance of normalcy when he knew she was still shaken by their days away. Hell, so was he.

He still couldn't believe he'd told her about Liza. Knowing didn't change Kara's mind. If anything it seemed to firm her resolve. By unspoken mutual agreement they hadn't talked about merging at all, but it lay between them like a heavy stone. He'd told her he'd cope, but she didn't seem to believe him. He wasn't sure if he believed himself.

He took a deep breath and followed her inside. The door opened into a packed den. There were a couple of couches and chairs already occupied in the center of the room. Even if someone had left him a spot it wasn't the place he'd have gone. Too open, too exposed, people all around him. No thanks. Luckily, he got the spot he most preferred on the wall, right next to the open door with Kara on the couch, back to him just a couple feet away. His place by the wall served two purposes. He could get to her fast, and get out fast.

Winter sat in a chair next to her, the quad leaders mostly sitting on another couch and chairs someone had dragged from the kitchen. He wasn't surprised to find Lance next to him holding up the wall, but when Mitchell, the lupine alpha leaned forward enough to nod a hello, he did a double take. Baron, his beta, was on the other side of him. Winter hadn't said anything about this meeting including other species, and since it was during the day, he'd assumed that was the case.

What's with the wolves?

Looking for you. This is just routine crap if you want to step outside. I won't be long,
Winter answered.

Got ya.

He got Mitchell's attention and the lupines followed him out to the back patio. Lance came too, and softly pulled the glass door shut behind him. Dupree didn't bother asking why. He could feel the younger man's tension.

"What's up?" he asked Mitchell.

"We chased a demon into a dead end alley last night. Even demons aren't that stupid, so we had a good look around after we killed it."

Mitchell paused while the door opened and Winter and Kara stepped out. Dupree fisted his hands to keep from reaching over and yanking Kara to his side.

"And?" Dupree prodded.

"There's an entrance into the underground we didn't know about. I put a watch on it and there hasn't been any activity, but I figured you'd want to check it out with me."

"You figured right. I'll meet you there after I get Kara back to the office. The address?" he asked the lupine alpha, who rattled it off.

"I'm going with y'all," Kara said.

"She's had more chance to study Ben's maps than anyone else. Take her with you," Winter said before he could protest.

He whirled around to tell her to mind her own damned business, but the words stuck in his throat. He knew that look on her face better than anyone. She was going to pull rank. Winter shrugged one shoulder and continued like he'd spoken the objection he was biting back. "She's trained and armed and you three will be with her. You can get her out quick if you have to. She knows the maps," she reiterated.

Like he hadn't heard her the first time. And damn it, she was right. He turned to look at Kara and saw the hope in her eyes. She had faith in him to keep her safe if for some reason she couldn't and damned if he wanted to disappoint her anymore.

"I don't like it."

Winter huffed. "It's just a recon mission, Dupree. Chill out."

He shook his head, but he didn't take his gaze from Kara's. "I didn't say no. I said I don't like it." He didn't have to be a strong telepath to feel Kara's relief.

"Fine. Take a squad with you. Hell, take a platoon."

"That's not a bad idea actually," Kara said. She had her head tilted a bit to one side and her eyes closed. They opened and blinked into focus on his face. "If I'm matching what I remember of the maps to that part of the city, there should be two major tunnels that cross near it. One goes west, the other north. We need to check out the north tunnel. I had no idea there was an entrance there," she mused.

"Why the north tunnel?" Mitchell asked. "You haven't mentioned this to patrols searching it before."

"I've been a little busy. I didn't really get a chance to study them in depth until today. I think there were originally eight maps. Three are missing." She stopped but Winter motioned for her to continue.

"One of the missing maps is the underground city downtown. If you lay the maps out four by four, the middle is missing and the top two left side pages. That north tunnel under the entrance your people found might lead to whatever is on those missing maps," she said to Mitchell. "We know there are caves in that area."

Even more reason not to take Kara along. It sounded like she'd found the most likely place for the new demon lair. Ben had probably taken those last two panels in case he needed a fall back plan.

"Gather a couple of squads and check it out. I think you're gonna need Kara down there," Winter said.

I already said she could go.

After that, go kill something, Dupree. You're right on the edge and I can't afford to lose you.

Risking her safety like this is testing that control even more, Winter,
he confessed.

In his mind, Winter sighed.
This is going to end badly if you don't do something soon.

He looked over his shoulder to find Kara watching them. She knew they were speaking telepathically. She always did, and she wasn't happy about it either. Her arms were crossed over her chest and one foot tapped the patio impatiently. Her eyes glittered a bright piercing blue. She was so damned beautiful sometimes he couldn't breathe when he looked at her.

I'll take care of it,
he answered Winter.

After she merges. It's too risky to try the merge after she's bonded to you.

He felt the expectation in her mind. She expected him to deny he planned on taking Kara and continue to protest her merging with a demon. And, God, he should do both, but he didn't have that fight in him anymore. It was probably just another sign of his disintegration.

Have you scheduled the merging? I want her in a support role, Winter. I'll find a squad for her.

No. She joins our squad and keeps doing the job she has been doing. When Gia comes back we'll find something for Kara. Hell, Gia will probably want to keep her on.

He didn't like the idea of keeping Kara in their squad. For one, that left her directly under his command and he was military minded enough to be disturbed by that. He'd prefer there be layers of chain of command between them. But worse than that Winter's squad was made up of seasoned, elite soldiers. Ben had handpicked them for that reason. They took on the most dangerous hunts for both demons and rogues. To add Kara to the squad he'd have to train her to join them, and he wouldn't be able to justify not utilizing her skills once he did.

You have time before you have to worry about that. That kind of training takes a long time.

He gave Winter a sharp look. Either his blocks were failing or she was snooping in his head without permission. But he was pretty sure she wasn't thinking about the invasion of privacy. She wore a slight self-satisfied smile.

"Think you've maneuvered me pretty well, don't you?"

"It's part of my job description."

"I hate it when y'all do that," Mitchell complained.

"Me, too, but it doesn't stop them," Kara told him. She sounded more amused than angry though. He couldn't look at her without wanting to pull her close and kiss her. He settled for taking her hand and gently pulling her close enough to tuck up under his arm.

"We'll meet you there," Dupree told Mitchell.

"Good deal."

They watched as the lupine left the patio, took a running start and leaped over the back fence, with Baron right behind him.

"I wish I could do that," Kara said, envy coloring her voice. She'd be able to do that and so much more after she completed the merging ceremony.

"Soon enough," Winter told her. "And we need to make those plans. Come find me when you get back from your field trip."

Then she was gone, teleporting back to the nightwalker mansion they were calling home these days no doubt. Dupree called Lance first, then Ingrid. Both had squads off rotation for the next two days. It sucked to take away someone's days off, especially when they were stretched so thin days off were few and far between, but he didn't have much choice. He couldn't compromise the regular patrols.

"Ready?" he asked Kara.

"Whenever you are." She winked. There was all kinds of innuendo in her response. He groaned. He was destined to have a permanent hard on at the rate he was going.

Since he hadn't ever been in the alley that was their ultimate destination, he had no image to use to teleport them directly. Instead, they teleported to the Order's building downtown. One good thing about her merging would be her freedom from car travel. He worried every time she drove somewhere on her own. Of course, he'd have to teach her to teleport first.

They walked to the alley and waited for the lupines to show, and she turned to him with a suspicious frown. "Why are you grinning like that?"

"Just imagining teaching you to teleport."

She shuddered. He knew she'd seen new hybrids learning before. Usually a crowd gathered and hilarity ensued. Beginning teleports made for high comedy. It didn't help that she didn't like teleporting. She'd told him once it made her queasy. He'd have to make sure no one was around when he taught her. She would be nervous enough without the audience.

"Teaching me to teleport? So you're going to be nice about this?"

He snorted a laugh. Certainly looked like it, didn't it? "Don't get used to it. After you go through the ceremony, you'll be directly under my command."

She tilted her head a bit to the side and scowled. "There should be at least a couple people between us. My squad leader and quadrant leader come to mind."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong, darlin'. Winter wants you in our squad."

Her jaw dropped and her voice was heavy with shocked disbelief. "What? Why?"

He could guess why she was confused. Winter's squad was supposed to be composed of her personal bodyguards and rogue hunters, with Dupree as their commander. If Kara was in the squad she'd be under Dupree's command.

Before he could answer, the two lupines walked into the alley. They were standing at the back wall, several yards from the entrance. Mitchell waved and picked his way through the detritus to them.

"It makes sense. You are doing Gia's job," Dupree told her.

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not joining to be support staff."

It was like standing in quicksand. Any other new recruit, and he'd already have put her in her place. Kind of hard to do that when the new recruit was his woman.

"Winter is the commander. I'm the master at arms. You
will
follow orders. Winter or I make the assignments. It's just that simple."

There was a spark in her eyes that he knew spelled trouble, but the lupines had joined them and she didn't say a word. He'd hear about it later no doubt. He grinned, actually looking forward to that.

"I thought you had someone watching this place?" Dupree asked.

The lupine looked up and waved at the building behind them. Dupree turned long enough to see a young lupine soldier lean out over a fire escape and wave back.