Shadow Rising (18 page)

“Yeah, he wanted to remove my head.”

He smiled, and it reminded Kara of a snake mesmerizing its prey. “I thought your Fallen friends would work harder to protect you. Maybe you should rethink my offer and come under my protection instead.”

Kara smiled. “I vote to get the blood and help Abbey.”

His gaze sharpened. “You haven’t given up, then? Have you found a source?”

“I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. You’ll know soon enough if it doesn’t happen, and if it does, I’ll call you.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Does anything scare you? You understand that if you can’t get the blood, you’ll be mine by default—to use as I see fit.”

“You keep saying that, but I’m not sure Abbey would go along with it.”

“Abigail would never know.”

Kara’s fingertips itched, and a small growl reverberated in her throat. “This is my suggestion—don’t threaten me if you want me to play along, Claude. You may have magic, but I have an unquenchable desire to kick your ever-lovin’ ass. If I didn’t want to see Abbey healed as much as you do, we could get this straight between us right now.”

Claudius’s smile turned into a sneer. He raised his hand, traced a shape in the air and stepped forward. When he hit the ward, it crackled like dry leaves in a fire. He looked down, as if surprised. “Who’s been working on your wards?”

The truth clocked Kara across the chops. Sage must have fashioned the ward to allow her people access to the apartment. If not for Julian’s tinkering with it, Claudius could have crossed over the threshold in one step and thrown his worst spell Kara’s way. “It would be a mistake to underestimate me or my friends.”

His eyes narrowed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Kara took a deep breath. “We don’t have to be enemies, you know. We both want the same thing.”

“Keep your sentimental offers. If you don’t get me that blood, your friendship won’t cover the debt.”

“You know, for the uncle of my best friend, you’re really quite an asshole.”

He smiled again, and Kara could feel his anger reaching through the ward. “I’m done here. If you see any more witches, call me. Otherwise, I’ll see you soon, Kara.” When he turned, she shut the door behind him and clicked the deadbolt into place.

She walked to the phone and dialed Abbey, but her number went straight to voicemail again. She clutched Jaxon’s pendant around her neck and called out to him. “
Jaxon? Where are you?”
But she felt nothing coming from their bond. Was it possible that releasing him from his vow had nullified their connection? She didn’t think so, because Aiden hadn’t given her a vow with his charm…had he?

Kara picked up the phone and dialed again. A deep voice answered. “Hello?”

“Tray?”

“What’s up, Kare-bear?”

She bit her lip. “You’re probably working, right?”

“No, I have the late shift tonight.”

She nodded, not that he could see it. “Oh.”

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I was just wondering if you…wanted to get some breakfast down by Seaport Village? My treat.”

“Breakfast? Your treat?” She could hear from his voice that he wasn’t expecting the invitation.

Her cheeks heated. “Well…uh…Abbey and Jaxon are gone, and I was just thinking it would be nice to get out and…talk.” Damn, she sounded like such a girl. Since when had she been the kind to need to talk things through?

“Pick you up in fifteen,” he said, and then he hung up.

Kara snorted, holding back a smile. If Claudius thought she didn’t have friends who would come to her aid, Tray had just proved him wrong.

Twenty minutes later, Tray parked his car in the Seaport Village lot. Instead of his usual dark suit, he wore jeans and a snug navy T-shirt. They got out and started walking toward the Mexican café that served killer breakfast burritos.

“You look like hell,” he told her, shoving his keys in his pocket.

She exhaled an indignant puff of air and gave him a look. “Thanks.”

“I almost miss my night-stalking friend with her boots and dark eye makeup. What’s with the braid and the little-Kara-on-the-prairie thing?”

“Screw you.”

Tray laughed. “You wish. I keep telling you—Abbey’s coming back to me one day.”

Kara smiled, and for a moment, it felt like a normal day in sunny San Diego.

They ordered and took the wrapped burritos to the water’s edge. Kara bit into the egg, salsa and cheese delicacy and started walking along the path. “Thanks for picking me up.”

He took a bite and spoke through a mouthful of food. “Sure. You sounded upset. Is everything okay with the summons?”

“Yeah, but it’s gotten a little complicated. Two witches tried to kill me yesterday.”

He rocked to a stop and swallowed his bite. “What the hell? You’re kidding me, right? Why didn’t you call the police?”

She raised her brows. “You have a unit that covers assassination attempts by witchcraft?”

“Where did it happen?”

“The first time, a couple of blocks from Dora’s store. You didn’t…find anything near there, did you?”
Like a body?

“No.” He shook his head. “No reports of anything strange in that area.”

“They ran me down and smashed my scooter, damn it. Maybe I should go back and see if it’s still there.”

“No way. If they’re after you, you can’t go anywhere near there.”

“Well, those two aren’t after me…anymore.”

He glanced over at her but then kept walking and lowered his voice. “What happened to them? You didn’t…”

“Me? No.”
Not exactly.
“This is one of those times when it would be better if you didn’t ask. Ditch the cop persona for a while, please. I just need to talk to someone who knows me and Abbey.”

“Do you think she’s in danger, Kara?”

Kara’s shoulders sank. “I don’t know. I can’t get a hold of her or Jaxon.”

“Let’s go. Dora can damn well tell me where Witch Mountain is, and we can be there by nightfall.”

“Don’t overreact. Jaxon told me they weren’t getting very good cell reception up there. Besides, if there was any problem, he could just flash them back.”

“Didn’t they drive?”

“Yeah, but that’s because he can’t flash to a place he hasn’t been before. In an emergency, getting home would take all of five seconds.”

He ran a hand through his short blond hair. “Well, we can’t be sure, can we? Have you tried that charm thing?”

Visions filled her mind of Jaxon’s charm lying forgotten on the nightstand as he and Abbey sparred in the sack. She looked guiltily at Tray, glad he couldn’t read her mind. “I released him from his vow. I’m not sure I can use the charm to summon him anymore.”

“Why the hell did you do that?”

“Because he’s my friend, Tray, not my slave.”

“Shit, Kara. With everything that’s happening, could you have waited until things quieted down before you disconnected the service?”

She rolled her eyes. “Really, don’t worry so much. Have you ever thought of supplementing your Abbey obsession with another hobby? Or, I know—you could get a dog!”

“Nah. I work too much.”

“Well then, a hobby would be a good way to meet people who are interested in the same things you are.”

His face puckered. “What are you talking about? What do I care if other people are interested in the same things?”

“All I’m saying is that you met Abbey right after you moved here for the SDPD job, and you haven’t exactly made any friends. You might be happier if you made an effort.”

“I have plenty of friends.” He rattled off a list of familiar names Kara knew from the precinct.

“Those are coworkers. That’s like me going out with Dave and Celeste from the bar. I could do it if I was desperate, but they don’t really know me, and I can’t see them wanting to go kick thug ass at night. You have to make an effort, Tray, and stop waiting around for your ex-girlfriend to come back to you. Pining for Abbey is not a hobby.”

His head rocked back, and he stared daggers at her. “Is that why you brought me out here? To browbeat me with your tough love speech and convince me that I don’t have a chance with her?”

She sighed and shook her head. “No, I brought you out here because you’ve proven you’re a true friend, and I want my friends to be happy.”

Why was she even trying to help him when she had so many bigger problems to contend with? Probably because when all was said and done, Tray was loyal to those he cared for, and Kara was hard-pressed to think of a trait she valued more.

He smiled, though the tilt of his brows said he was still irritated with her. “Thanks. So I guess that brings me to a grand total of one non-coworker friend in San Diego. I’m making progress already.”

Kara snickered. “You must have some friends scattered around the country. What did you used to do before you came out here? I know you were in some special training program, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Doing what?”

His eyes narrowed with a playful glint. “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you—sadly bringing my friend total back down to—” He made a zero with his hand.

She walked closer to the water and threw bits of her tortilla to the hungry seagulls along the shore. “Even Abbey used to wonder about the gaps in your story. She thinks you were a Navy SEAL before you got out of the service and went into law enforcement.”

Tray laughed and chucked a bit of his own burrito in the direction of the squawking birds. “Well don’t expect me to confirm or deny that pretty pile of B.S. I always wanted to be a SEAL. Anyway, you’d think it was boring if you knew the truth.”

“I doubt that.”

He shrugged off her interest, evidently not ready to tell her more. “I’ll keep your suggestion in mind about the hobby thing. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’ll take up yoga—” his eyes lit up, “—or scrapbooking!”

“Smart-ass,” she mumbled.

He chuckled to himself and threw the last of his breakfast into the wind. “In the meantime,” he continued, “I’m going to dig a little deeper into the identity of those men who ran down your bike.”

Shit. She’d like to know more about the men, but what would he do if he found out they were both dead? How far did his loyalty stretch? “No, I don’t want to cause trouble for you. What will your boss do if he sees you’re investigating something other than your sexual assault cases?”

“The guy loves me. I’m up for promotion, and he credits most of my success to my instincts.”

“You mean
my
instincts,” she teased. “When are you going to admit that I’ve been an asset to your unit?”

“Yeah, an asset…and a pain in my asset.” He grinned, showing his straight, white teeth and killer smile. Kara had to admit that he was seriously handsome when he loosened up like this. Good thing she was totally immune to Abbey’s exes.

“Anyway,” he continued, “we inquire about a thousand things a week for a hundred different cases. One more isn’t gonna matter. And
I
may just be able to help
you
solve a case for once.”

She smiled and chatted with him as they headed back toward the car, but she hoped she hadn’t just taken her complicated life from bad to second-degree-murder worse.

Kara gazed over her balcony, watching as the sun sank toward the ocean and disappeared behind the last of the high-rises, only a sliver visible through the break in the buildings. When the sunset dimmed, she turned and went into her room, closing the glass door behind her. She leaned her rump against the dresser and crossed her feet at the ankles, never taking her eyes off the king-sized bed in the center of the small room.

She’d showered early tonight and was already in her burgundy silk shorts and tank. No, she wasn’t trying to tempt Julian, she was just really tired and needed sexy pajamas for… Okay, maybe it had something to do with Julian.

Ten minutes into her vigil, she stood and rubbed her ass, trying to get the indention of the dresser’s countertop out of her skin. Where was Julian? She couldn’t contemplate him not finding his way back tonight. When the ward shuddered, Kara almost flung herself at the bed. But remembering how Julian arrived the night before, disoriented and aggressive, she thought it would be best to wait.

When he materialized on her bed, the outline of his face was already contorted in a silent scream. Kara rushed to his side, falling to her knees on the mattress before he’d even fully become flesh. “Julian?”

He groaned, then opened his eyes, frantically scanning the room as he panted in pain. “Kara?”

“Yes.” She scooted closer and placed his head in her lap, running her fingers through his hair to keep it out of his eyes. “You made it back. I knew you would.”

He smiled. “I had to. One last time.”

“Don’t say that.” She’d washed the knife and had it waiting on her bedside table this time. Without asking his opinion, she cut her wrist and held it to his mouth. He didn’t argue. His fangs snapped down and he latched on, sucking so hard on her wrist, it hurt. She let him drink deeply, not caring when the room shifted slightly, as if it were on a slowly moving axis.