“That’s right, baby.” He flashed his toothless smile. “Come on over and see what ol’ Travis has for you.”
“Actually, ol’ Travis…” I grinned and held up my hands, power crackling across my palms. “This time, baby’s got something foryou.”
Thirty
Ronan
Beach behind Luna’s. Now.
I stared at the text on my cell in disbelief. Fifteen years since we all started carrying cell phones, and the stodgy old vampire had never once texted me.
Even without his warning, I knew something bad was about to go down—I could feel it. And it had Gray’s name all over it.
Abandoning the shipment I’d been unloading for Waldrich, I hauled ass up to the beach, following Darius’s order and the tug in my gut that always led me to Gray.
Sure as hell, I found her there, kneeling in the sand next to some human meat sack, bloodied and unconscious with his limp dick hanging out of his pants.
What the fuck?
Beaumont was standing over them, useless as a statue. Not that he could’ve done much anyway—they were surrounded by that damn shield again, some strange side effect of Gray’s magic.
“What happened?” I demanded, automatically scanning the beach for a raven or owl or any other sign of Death. Last time she’d called up her powers, he’d shown up out of nowhere and tried to lure her back to the Shadowrealm. Fuck ifthatwas happening on my watch.
Beaumont lifted a shoulder as if he didn’t have a care in the world, but his eyes told a different story. Mr. Ice-for-Blood Stick-Up-The-Ass was seriously worked up.
“We were having coffee inside,” he said, his calm demeanor forced. “She went to the restroom. Moments later, I sensed a surge of her magic, and here we are.”
“How long has she been like this?”
“Five minutes, perhaps? I texted you as soon as I found her out here.”
The two of us circled the iridescent dome, but I knew there was no way in. Gray was less than five feet away from me, her head tipped backward, eyes rolling into the back of her head, and all I could do was watch.
She moved forward, hands sliding up his chest, and the guy finally stirred. He cracked open his eyes and gasped for air, revealing a big black hole where his front teeth should be.
I blew out a breath. At least she hadn’t killed him. And if he wasn’t dead, she wouldn’t get a chance to mess with his soul. With any luck, she’d give him a good scare and burn out. Darius would have to jack his memories, but hell, he’d be doing the guy a favor as much as he’d be covering Gray’s tracks.
No human wanted to remember this kind of shit.
“We’ll have to wait her out,” I told Darius. “Last time this happened, it was—”
“Last time? So this is a regular occurrence?” The vampire fumed. “And you didn’t think it worth sharing?”
“I’m handling it, Beaumont. Gray doesn’t need you to start—”
“Oh, spare me. I understand you think you have some kind ofmysticalconnection to the woman, but—”
“Did… Did you seriously just make air quotes at me?”
“I know you care for her a great deal—we all do. But it’s time you level with us.” The vampire glared at me, clearly unsettled. It wasn’t a good look on him. “Whoisshe?”
I didn’t even know how to begin answering that question. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. It’s not like she came with an instruction manual. All I had were a bunch of hunches and guesses about her potential, and all the fine-print, contract bullshit I wasn’t allowed to discuss without damning her eternal life.
Mine, too.
“Why does it matter?” I snapped. “Knowing the answers wouldn’t change how you feel about her. About howanyof us feels.”
“Of course not. But it might allow us to help her through the—”
