Chosen by Fate (30 page)

When he woke again, Wraith was gone. And he knew, if Wraith got her way, the time they’d spent together had truly ended.

 

Later that evening, four of the Para-Ops team’s six members were mingling with over a hundred people looking to get drunk, high, and laid. Wraith had never craved alcohol, but she knew Caleb had struggled with an addiction in the past. Nonetheless, she wasn’t surprised that he was nursing a real beer because ordering anything without alcohol would call attention to him, and that was the last thing he wanted. Even so, he drank slowly, pacing himself and keeping his attention focused on what was going on around him.

At the same time, Wraith struggled with her own cover. To appear unaffected by who she really was and what it was she really wanted. Because in just a few hours, she’d discovered she was addicted to Caleb and his unique brand of sex. So addicted, in fact, she’d thought about him all day, like a junkie going through withdrawals, even as she’d avoided him and pretended to be thoroughly engrossed with preparing for their mission.

Only, pretending she didn’t know Lucy, Dex, and Caleb while asking questions in a nightclub really didn’t require that much preparation. She knew it and so did Caleb. Thankfully, he seemed amenable to letting her dodge him, and she only hoped that continued. Because she wasn’t ready to face what it was they’d done together—to each other—and she wasn’t sure if she ever would be.

At least Dex seemed relaxed and appeared to have put aside his concerns about Lucy. She could see why. As Wraith scanned the bar, not allowing her gaze to linger on Lucy more than any other person, she couldn’t deny it—Lucy looked fuckable.

In fact, none of them should have worried about her ability to pass herself off as a feline on the prowl. If she didn’t know better, Wraith would have sworn Lucy was part feline, but more importantly, that she’d spent the past two days getting the sexual experience she lacked from Caleb—but of course, that was impossible.

Because that’s what Wraith had been doing.

She shivered when she recalled how many times and how many different ways she’d had him.

Now, from across the room, it was as if none of it had ever happened.

They were all playing their parts.

After a short briefing over the phone with Mahone, they’d decided against her playing at being Lucy’s friend. After all, she scared most people, anyway, and she didn’t want that to affect whether people approached Lucy. Dex and Caleb would keep their eyes on her. Wraith’s job was to mix and mingle and try to get information on the drug rapes.

So far, she wasn’t having any luck.

She loitered around the bar until a hard-looking woman, the kind that looked like she’d started smoking early and had never stopped, sat down beside her.

“Hey. I’m Wilma. What the hell are you?”

Wraith liked her instantly. “I’m a ghost. I’m called Wraith.”

“No shit?”

“Uh, no,” Wraith said. “I mean, yes. No shit. Haven’t you heard of wraiths before?”

“I’ve heard of them but I never met one in person.”

Wraith plastered a look of unease on her face and pretended to scan the bar before saying sotto voce, “Yes, well, I hope it doesn’t make people uncomfortable. I’ve heard the felines have been getting some flack in these clubs lately. I don’t want to attract the perverts who’ve been drugging and raping them.”

Wilma patted her arm and said, “You don’t have anything to worry about, hon.”

“Why’s that?”

“Like you said, it’s only felines that have been hit.”

Had that been approval in Wilma’s voice? Going with her instincts, Wraith nodded and responded in a whisper. “Yeah, and they sure ask for it, don’t you think? They’re so damn loose. Will sleep with anyone or anything. But who knows when their attackers will look for fresh meat. Aren’t you scared someone will slip something into your drink and—”

Wilma laughed. “No.”

“Why not?” Wraith tried to sound more surprised than interested.

“One, I’m careful. I don’t drink much, and when I do, I don’t let anyone near my drink. Two, I’ve got other ways of protecting myself from pervs.”

“Like?” She expected Wilma to say she had a gun. Or a can of Mace. Or a Taser.

Instead, she said, “I’ve got a dick. And if they try anything, I’m not afraid to use it.”

Wraith choked on her drink and laughed her ass off. “I knew there was a reason I liked you,” she said.

Wilma snorted. “Stick with me, Wraith. They might think we’re freaks, but we know different, right?”

Wraith hummed in agreement, not realizing her gaze had unconsciously moved toward Caleb until Wilma said, “He’s hot, but not as hot as the were next to him. Hon, if I could get a dog like that to bang me, I might even consider getting some surgery done, if you get my meaning.”

Disconcerted by the brief, heated look Caleb shot her, Wraith shook her head. “Don’t do it. Any male worth taking to bed should accept you for exactly who you are, right?”

“You’ve got a lot to learn about males, Wraith. It’s not about who’s genuine when they take someone to bed, it’s about who’s available. And luckily, sometimes that includes me.”

“Of course it does, Will. You’re definitely worth switching sides for.”

They both laughed. And the whole time they talked, Wraith kept her eye on Lucy. Men were crowding around her and she was handling them with ease. In fact, she actually looked like she was enjoying all the attention, which included a whole lot of fondling.

Imagine that. Looked like they were both learning something about themselves on this mission. What exactly that was, she still didn’t quite know.

 

“Lucy’s holding her own,” Caleb murmured.

“Yes, she is,” Dex replied even as he scanned the club.

“You wouldn’t have anything to do with that, would you?”

Dex scoffed. “That was supposed to be your job, remember? If you and Wraith had been around, that is. Did Wraith squirrel you away to make sure that didn’t happen?”

“We didn’t even see each other until tonight.”

Dex nodded, then caught Caleb’s gaze and held it. “Same with Lucy and me.”

“Got it.” And he got it, all right.

“Wraith looks like she’s having a good time, doesn’t she? In fact, she looks quite at home.”

Caleb didn’t glance at Wraith. He didn’t have to. He’d kept tabs on her from the second they’d entered the club. At first, it had surprised him, how comfortable she’d seemed hanging out and chatting it up with strangers. She’d seemed to drop her natural defensiveness in favor of a laid-back attitude. She seemed more natural with the transsexual sitting next to her than she did with her own team, and that kind of pissed him off, especially given how thoroughly she’d been ignoring him. But then he’d reminded himself that she was doing a job, and Wraith was only doing what she needed to. Glancing at Dex, aware he hadn’t responded to the were’s comment, Caleb murmured, “I don’t know if Wraith’s ever had a place to call home.”

Dex took a drink of his beer. “Sometimes that’s a good thing, O’Flare.”

Remembering the reservation and the comfort his people had brought him, even despite the hardships, he wasn’t sure he could agree. But he knew his life was far from what Wraith or Dex had experienced.

“So you never told me what Mahone is paying you for joining the . . . basketball team,” Dex finished with a grin, despite the way Caleb had started to glare at him.

“Funny. I was just about to say the same thing to you.”

Dex shrugged. “I’m not shy about what I want. It’s something I’m going to do myself, but Mahone’s assured me that he and others will be looking the other way when it happens.”

“Ah,” Caleb murmured as he nodded. He forced himself not to look at Wraith even though he wanted to. “I get it. Tough thing about that, though: When everyone’s looking the other way, no one can be watching your back.”

Dex didn’t say anything, and when several minutes went by, Caleb couldn’t help himself. He checked to make sure Wraith was still sitting at the bar.

Laughing, Dex leaned back farther in his chair. “What’s going on with you two? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you guys finally did the wild thing, but you’re avoiding each other more than ever.”

“Shut the . . .” Caleb spotted something from the corner of his eye and suddenly straightened. “Shit,” he breathed, feeling his stomach drop.

The were went on high alert. “What is it?”

Caleb just shook his head, forcing Dex to follow his line of sight.

“Oh yeah. I’d say that’s beyond a shit and more like a holymother-fucking hell.”

Not about to disagree with him, Caleb watched as Princess Natia wound her way through the crowded nightclub and made her way not toward Caleb and Dex, but toward Wraith.

Caleb was on his feet and had grabbed her arm before she’d taken another two steps. “Natia . . .”

Eyes rounded with mock surprise, Natia smiled and threw herself into Caleb’s arms. Then she kissed him.

“
I
need you to get me out of here, Isaac. Now!”

The voice that spoke the urgent command was a familiar one—Zeph Prime’s.

Looking around the five-star French restaurant, Isaac spotted a private corner and excused himself from his date. Holding his cell phone to his ear, he didn’t speak until he was convinced no one could hear him.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact my damn brother had already started to turn Felicia and I didn’t know it. And now, thanks to you, everyone in my whole damn clan knows I tried to kill her and that she kicked my ass in the process. I’m talking about the fact that I’m now friendless and family-less and if you don’t get to me and get me someplace safe real fast, I’m gonna start talking about you and the twelve Greek Gods you’re working—”

“All right,” Isaac said. “Calm down. I’ll take care of the situation. Where are you?”

“I teleported to Nevada. I’m at the Bellagio. How long will it take for you to get to me?”

“I’ll send someone—”

“No way,” Zeph snapped. “I don’t know who to trust, but you’re the devil I know. It’s either you or no one. In fact, that’s starting to sound more and more appealing to me, now that I think of it.”

“Fine. I’ll come for you myself. I’ll be there in an hour.” Gritting his teeth, Isaac terminated their connection and pocketed his cell phone.

This was not good. Now one of the Quorum’s key agents was on the run because Isaac had sent him to kill the vampire prince’s human mate. Something the Quorum as a whole would be surprised to hear. And if he tried to explain that he’d been acting under orders . . .

Isaac shuddered as he imagined what the scarred one would do to him, but only after he let the female have her fun first.

Damn Athena and the one called Ares. If they hadn’t set the damn assassination attempt in motion, Isaac would be enjoying a meal with a Playboy bunny and anticipating what—or rather
who
—was to come later that night. Instead, he had to pick up Zeph Prime and either convince the vamp to keep quiet or find a way to eliminate him. Of course, since Isaac had no hopes of overpowering the vamp himself, eliminating him would mean involving yet more individuals in this mess, which would leave another trail when there was already one far too long for Isaac’s comfort.

He considered his options, then dialed a number he’d never thought he’d use while in public.

“What is it?” a voice answered.

“I’ve run into trouble,” Isaac said.

“And this concerns me how?”

“Because my trouble is your trouble. Our objective hit a wall. One that turned out to be
sharper
than we thought.”

One thing about Athena: She was a bitch, but she caught on fast. “Locke’s been turned?”

“According to my source, yes.”

“And you trust him?”

Isaac thought about it. Did he? Yes. Zeph Prime had sounded genuinely pissed on the phone. And he’d proven himself very valuable in the past. But what really convinced Isaac was the common knowledge that it was biologically impossible for vampires to lie. “I trust him,” he said.

“Then bring him to me. I want to assess this vampire for myself.”

“What about Felicia Locke? And Ares?”

“Leave Ares to me. Once he learns his daughter has been turned, he’ll probably urge the Quorum to go after the vamps with guns blazing. After all, he’d considered her death more merciful than a life with vamps, even as a human. Imagine how he’ll feel once he discovers she is one. The Quorum, however, will see the folly in such a move and refuse. I’ll make sure of that.”

“But he’ll be furious with you . . .”

Isaac felt the chill across the line even before he heard it in her voice. “No,” she said softly. “He’ll be furious with you, Isaac. And he’ll demand you fix the situation. How you choose to do that is up to you. As far as I’m concerned, you should never have acted without the Quorum’s full authority by giving in to Ares’ demands.”

Dumbfounded, Isaac sputtered, “But you—”

“I what?” Athena asked silkily, her voice edged with challenge.

Isaac swallowed hard. He wanted to choke the life out of the human female, but even though the other Quorum members didn’t know her identity, Isaac did. If she chose, she could wield more power than he, Ares, and all the other Quorum members combined. “I apologize. I . . . I lost my head for a moment.”

“Do it again, and you’ll lose more than your head, Isaac. Now bring the vampire to me. Once I talk to him, I’ll meet with the Quorum and let them know we’ve lost another human to the Otherborn.”

She hung up, leaving Isaac to shut the cell phone and make his excuses to his date. As he did so, however, he was also weighing his options. He’d allowed Athena and Ares to sway him from the Quorum’s course out of greed. That was perfectly understandable. He wasn’t a fool, however. He didn’t appreciate Athena’s threats, and while he didn’t have any hope of bringing her down, Ares was a different matter altogether. If he became a threat to Isaac—if he chose to wield his power against him—Isaac would tell Zeph Prime the identity of the individual who wanted Felicia dead: her father. The human she thought had died along with her mother, but really was the person responsible for her mother’s death.