Kate Evangelista - Til Death

“Of course I—”

He swept me into his arms, carrying me like we were newlyweds about to cross the threshold. I yelped at the renewed electric charge sprinting beneath my skin. I’d never been so embarrassed in my life. That included watching Grams and Gramps sing an off key duet at the Spring Fling.

“Put me down!”

“Stop squirming, or I’ll knock you out.”

Insulted, I said, “You wouldn’t.”

He grinned like the devil. “If it means I can carry you in peace, then I will . Bad enough that you’re the human socket.”

“I so am not. Maybe you’re the one who’s been electrocuting me this whole time.”

“That’s not the issue right now. All I’m saying is it helps sell the lie better if you’re unconscious. So if you don’t shut up…”

He didn’t have to finish for me to know what he’d meant. I crossed my arms and glared. “I hate you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Thank God it didn’t take us long to run into a charging Garret. His suit jacket was gone, along with his silk tie, and he had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hulking figure was difficult to ignore even in the purple darkness of the forest.

Dillan—without consulting me, BTW—decided not to use the path. I groaned, too humiliated by being carried like a princess. Now that Garret saw us, I wanted to shrink away. Never to be seen or heard from again. They’d put my picture in milk boxes. That kind of disappearing act.

“We were just about to look for you.” He sounded like a general reprimanding a lower-ranking officer. But before Dillan could explain, Garret interrupted him. “Selena! Are you hurt?” When I didn’t answer fast enough, he hurled the question at my knight in not-so-shining armor. “Is she hurt?”

The utter menace in Garret’s expression made him look like a man who knew people who specialized in making annoyances disappear, no questions asked. I almost volunteered Dillan.

Speaking of guys I wanted to disappear, he said, “She’s fine.”

“If she’s fine, why are you carrying her?” Garret had his hands on his hips.

“I fell and hit my knee a little. That’s why Dillan’s carrying me,” I finally said, sucking up what was left of my pride.

“Do you need a doctor?” Garret’s words still came out as barks mixed with worry.

“I think I just need some ice and a good night’s sleep.” I flicked my gaze at Dillan. “You can put me down now.”

He glared at Garret a second longer before he glanced down at me, his grip tightened. “What changed from me finding you and now? Did your knee miraculously heal or something?”

“I think I’ll take it from here.” Garret reached out.

In a dizzying whirl, I found myself exchanged from one set of arms to another. I wanted to scream, but when my head rested on Garret’s shoulder, the last of my adrenaline buzz faded. A strange, warm sensation seeped into me. Suddenly, I was sleepy. Like I didn’t want to think about what had happened between me, the puppets, and Dillan—not specifically in that order.

I wrinkled my nose at Garret’s expensive, woodsy cologne, and longed for Dillan’s soapy, clean scent. A pang of unexpected loneliness hit me. Irrationally, an urge to reach out for him and crawl back into his arms came over me. Just an argument ago, murdering him in his sleep seemed possible. Now, I melted into a whimpering heap. This wasn’t me.

“That’s right, sweet, rest. We’ll get you inside,” Garret whispered.

I was vaguely aware of his words. A new wave of warmth caused my eyelids to droop, as if forcing me to sleep.

“And you!” He snapped his chin toward Dillan. “You have some explaining to do.”

The last thing I saw was Dillan stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Can’t wait.”

Dillan

Under Arrested Development

After dinner, Garret led the way to Kyle’s study. Dillan trailed behind, putting all his ducks in a row. If he wasn’t sure about Valley View before, the way Garret infused energy into Selena to knock her out blew away any and all doubt. The puppets roaming their property didn’t inspire confidence in their security. The mercenaries should have known. Then a chill went down his spine. Maybe they did know and didn’t do anything about it. Garret sure did reach them fast enough when the fighting was over. He shook his head against concocting conspiracy theories. Too early in the game for those.

Once he had pieced enough of the puzzle together, he got a clearer view of what was going on. If he chose to leave Valley View to confront his uncle about it, no one could stop him. But he couldn’t ignore what happened. Kyle and those who protected him deserved a debriefing of some sort. Illumenari code of ethics above ego—now and forever. T-shirts should be made.

Hands in his pockets, Dillan studied Garret. He snorted. Mercenaries.

“Whose side of the family are you from?” he asked when they turned into a long hallway.

Garret grinned at him from over his shoulder. “Kyle’s grandfather.”

He nodded. Made sense. Kids born from a union between an Illumenari and a human usually produced human children, too. Except if the Illumenari was male. Sometimes the humans knew what their spouses did for a living while others didn’t. It was like being in the CIA. Only essential personnel were read in. “When did your life force manifest?”

The mercenary shrugged. “Pretty early.”

Dillan winced in sympathy. The earlier the manifestation, the sooner the training began. And for mercenaries, it was particularly grueling. He didn’t know if the organization made the training intentionally brutal to thin out the herd or discourage them from ever using their powers. So few survived the process. And those who did never gained much respect within the community. They were always seen as a level below an Arbiter even if some of them, like Garret and Riona, had reached Legacy status where their powers were concerned. “I’m sorry.”

He wondered if Selena was mercenary born. It explained the thunderbolts of energy. Maybe she didn’t know about her powers, and every time she touched Dillan, a spark happened—her latent life force reacting to his. It also gave credence to how she was able to snatch his sword away from him. Only those with Illumenari blood could touch Illumenari weapons.

They reached a large, black door at the end of the empty hallway. The bare walls were odd. Usually, portraits were hung or some kind of art, even light fixtures at least. Keeping the hallway bare dared those new to the house to explore what was behind the door at the end. Kyle might as well have an arrow that pointed to his lair. Dumbass.

Garret knocked once then opened the door. He moved out of the way pretty fast considering his size. Dillan reminded himself not to underestimate the man. He kept his expression passive when he sauntered into the room and stopped at the center of an expensive rug.

Kyle sat behind a desk that was too large for his frame. He no longer sported the boy-next-door attitude. His eyes were an icy gray, tipping toward glacial. They watched his every move. The lines on guy’s face looked too harsh, even in the soft light. Like he’d aged ten years since dinner. He reminded Dillan of Rainer. Well, maybe a little less bloodthirsty.

The study seemed too dark from the wood on the floor and the furniture. If he had to work in a place like this, he’d be depressed within a week. His gaze landed on the confirmation of his earlier suspicions. At a far wall was a large, framed family tree. Every family in the Illumenari had one. His family’s held a place of honor at their ancestral manor, and it tracked the Sloan line from the very first Sloan, who was part of the ten families that created the Illumenari. The one in Rainer’s study was of his late wife’s family. His eyebrows rose. From the looks of Kyle’s family tree, his line was one of the oldest, too. Not a first family, but pretty close.