Tes Hilaire - Prince of Shadows

Don’t chase a spooked horse. And that’s what he’d done, spooked her. Whether it had simply been the offer of his blood or whether it was all the other crap between them that had scared the bejeezus out of her, Valin wasn’t sure. Probably both. God knew he understood; he was scared shitless too. Losing Angeline and their unborn child had about killed him; what if he couldn’t fix whatever it was that was making Gabby sick? What if she died on him too?

Not going to happen.

“Don’t worry. She’ll come back. She always does,” Annie said, coming completely into the room.

“Yeah? When?”

Annie shrugged. “When she’s ready.”

“Fucking spectacular.”

Annie smiled and moved over to the desk, hiking her butt onto it. And yeah, way to make him feel even shorter. Whoever had named her Annie must not have been thinking very far into the future. Tall genes did not grow on trees, unless it was the family sort. Surely her parents could have guessed that she might eventually hit cloud levels and given her a name that didn’t bring to mind scrappy little orphans in red dresses.

“So, how did you and Gabby first meet?” she asked.

Valin narrowed his eyes. He’d gotten the impression from their little encounter outside Haven last week that Annie already knew about him. He’d made the assumption—okay, he’d hoped—that was because of Gabby; it seemed he may have been wrong. “Gabby didn’t tell you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Gabby isn’t too big on the sharing thing. What she does excel at is stomping around and putting her nose in other people’s business.”

“And you’re her best pupil.”

“I strive for A’s across the board.”

Valin decided to not say what was on his mind. Besides, he wasn’t exactly expunged of guilt on either subject himself, though he liked to think he pulled off the stomping bit with more style and grace.

Yeah, sure you do, Valin. Except maybe when you’re tackling women in hallways.

“So…” Annie drew the word out, tapping the metal desk with her short-trimmed nails. “Wanna tell me why Gabby was running from you?”

Not really, no. But then again, Annie did seem to have a real familiarity with Gabby. She certainly seemed comfortable in Gabby’s room and to be able to imitate the same cocked-hip attitude stance so well, she must spend a fair amount of time around her too. Even if she didn’t have any real answers, maybe the girl at least had a theory as to what the heck had happened to Gabby.

“How long have you known Gabby?”

“A little over two months.” Annie shrugged. “But she’s only been staying here the last few weeks or so.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I think she just loves torturing us.”

“Torturing you?”

“Yeah, she helps my dad out with the training. She has a real love of the whip.” She snapped her hand out and back in front of her. “Whipcha!”

“So she’s been spending more time here in order to train you guys.”

“We were a pretty sorry lot. At least when it came to properly utilizing our other sides.” She quoted the air with the word “other.” “And we’ve had a lot more recruits since she showed up.”

“Recruits she helped find?”

Annie nodded.

Valin frowned. Everything Annie was saying sounded exactly like what he’d expect from the Gabby he’d met in the mines. Yeah, the vamp played hard and tough, but she’d given away that day just how much she cared about others when she’d attempted to sacrifice her own life for Roland’s and Karissa’s. What it didn’t explain was that dark taint on her.

Annie rapped the desk with her fist, drawing Valin’s gaze back to her. “Okay, pretty boy. I’ve spilled. Your turn now.”

Valin narrowed his eyes. “You called Logan that too. Back at Haven.”

Annie frowned, but then a look of enlightenment crossed her face. “Oh, you mean Gabby’s Paladin friend.”

“Yeah…The Paladin friend you had a message for.” A message that had come too late. Poor bastard. The unfairness of the whole thing was something right out of a damn soap, only worse. Because not only had Logan found his bond mate, who was human, but she’d died way too fucking young.

Not the only one. And not the only poor bastard left behind, either.

Annie made a sound like she had something stuck in her throat, her cheeks flushing as she pointedly looked away from Valin, her gaze catching on anything and everything that could be considered halfway interesting, which wasn’t much. He didn’t think it was his morose thoughts that had made her uneasy, though.

“Gabby didn’t actually send you, did she?”

She gave a little lift and drop of her shoulders. “I overheard her talking to my dad.”

“Your dad?”

“Jacob.”

Valin fought to school his face. Jacob did look older, but not old enough to be her dad. Either he was really young when he’d knocked Annie’s mother up, or he’d inherited some of the Paladin longevity genes.

“Okay, so did Gabby call him pretty boy to your dad or something?”

“No. I called him that. You have to admit he is damn fine to look at.” She dragged her gaze over him. “I’m thinking most of you Paladin are.”

Valin shook his head. “Fucking twins.”

“What?”

“You and Gabby. You’ve emulated her so well that you’re like her damn twin.”

Annie’s mouth thinned, her body going completely still. Nope, despite the fact that she obviously looked up to Gabby’s badass attitude, she didn’t appreciate being called a copycat. Which had been Valin’s hope. Stirring up the pot almost always yielded interesting things in its depths.

Valin folded his arms across his chest to wait. Annie hopped off the desk, letting her agitation out by moseying around the room, touching Gabby’s things as she did. It took all Valin’s self-control not to leap up and slap her hands away when she started playing with Gabby’s weapons. They were Gabby’s weapons, not hers. And a weapon was everything to a warrior. Valin would know, since he so often had to do without his when he took to the shade.

“I’m not like Gabby. Despite the fact that you’re being an asshole, I’m not running, now am I?”

“Well why don’t I just award you some bonus points, since Gabby’s not here to do it?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Or should I deduct them?”

“Well, if we’re deducting points I have to give you a big fat fail for not answering the question.”

“Oh, which one is that?”

“What did you do to drive her off?”

He ground his molars, his jaw aching he clenched it so hard. The accusation, that he’d driven her off, didn’t sit well, even if it was true in its own way. “I offered her my vein.”

“Get the fuck out.”

Valin snapped his head around, but she wasn’t actually trying to kick him out; her mouth was hanging open with incredulity. She managed to recover, shaking her head as she pulled her mouth back together. “Oh, wow. That would do it too.”

“I take it I’m not the first one to offer.” And why did that piss him off even more?

She shook her head. “Uncle Aaron offered just the other night. Put her in a real weird mood.”

Aaron. Valin took a deep breath. Of course it had to be him. Valin had really been hoping that he wouldn’t have to kill the fucker, but this cinched it—Trigger Happy was dead.