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He smiled. “I appreciate the concern, but I will not—”
“I know, but you don’t understand. Lauren is the least of your problems when it comes to danger. Hunter is not only head of the organization you work for, but undoubtedly knows which buttons she needs to push to get to you. She’s already killed Jak, and she’s threatened me with not only your safety, but everyone else I care about. She will carry through with those threats. And nothing, not this place, not being a guardian, will protect you from her. She’s not human. She’s—”
“No one you should be going up against,” a deep voice said.
I jumped, splashing coffee across my hand as I swung around. The man who’d entered was bald, average sized, with weatherworn features and sharp green eyes. He neither looked nor felt dangerous, and yet he was possibly the most dangerous person inside the Directorate aside from Hunter herself.
This was Jack Parnell, senior vice president of the Directorate, and the man in charge of the entire guardian division.
He also happened to be Madeline Hunter’s half brother.
“It’s not like I want to go up against her.” I put my coffee down and rubbed my hand on the leg of my jeans to dry it. “In fact, it’s the one thing I’m trying to avoid. But she’s—”
“I know what she is,” Jack cut in. He walked across to the coffee machine and pressed a button. “I’m also aware of what she might desire.”
“I think ‘might desire’ is putting it a little too mildly, don’t you?”
He flashed me a smile, but it held little in the way of warmth.
“Perhaps. But I have been aware of my sister’s ambitions for quite a while and, as much as I am able, have been attempting to keep some control over them.”
“Control?” I retorted. “How is allowing her to kill Jak keeping some control over the situation?”
“Ris,” Rhoan murmured. “Calm down—”
Something within me snapped. “Damn it, no! I won’t. I can’t. I’ve been pulled from pillar to post by the wants and desires of just about every other damn person on this planet—and some beyond it—and I’m getting a little tired of it. This isn’t about me calming down. This is about me trying to save not only your butt, but the butts of everyone else on this planet if either of the psycho bitches who have designs on the last key actually gets her mitts on it.”
I stopped and took a deep breath. Uncle Rhoan’s expression swung between surprise and amusement. I couldn’t say what Jack was feeling, because—like most vampires—he could control his emotions to the extreme when he wanted to.
And, right now, he apparently wanted to.
I met his bright gaze. “I know she’s your sister, but surely to god even you can see that her gaining control of both the high vampire council and the key would not be a very good thing.”
“I didn’t mention the keys when I talked to him about Jak,” Rhoan murmured.
“No, he didn’t.” Jack gave Rhoan a somewhat severe look. “But he didn’t need to. I have, as I said, been aware of the situation for some time. And I’m sorry about Jak. That was . . . unfortunate.”
He’d been aware . . . and yet hadn’t done a damn thing. And because of that, Jak had died. I slapped a hand on the table and thrust to my feet. “And will Rhoan’s death be unfortunate?” I exploded again, waving a hand at him. “Will Aunt Riley’s? Where are you going to draw the line?”
“Ris, enough,” Rhoan warned softly. “Let the man explain.”
I opened my mouth to argue, then met Rhoan’s gaze and closed it again, suddenly aware of the fury building near the coffee machine. Jack might be able to control his emotions, but right now they were extremely close to erupting.
I sat down, wrapped my fingers around my coffee cup, and waited. After a moment, Jack walked across to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Every move was measured, considered. He sipped his coffee, saying nothing, and while that sense of fury didn’t ebb, the sensation of imminent danger eventually did.
“My sister,” he said, after a few minutes, “deserves the chance to step away—”
My gaze flashed to his. “What?”
“Ris,” Rhoan warned again.
I glared at him but shut up.
“She started the Directorate,” Jack said. “And she has spent centuries protecting this world and its people. I cannot and will not go up against her without giving that history the respect it is due.”
“Whatever good she’s done here and elsewhere in the past doesn’t give her a pass for unleashing known killers on innocent people,” I said. “That’s the premise the whole Directorate was built on, wasn’t it? Protecting humanity from supernatural predators?”
“I’m well aware of what the Directorate stands for.” Jack’s voice was mild, but there was a note in it that chilled. “My sister may have founded the Directorate, but I helped build it to what it is today. Never forget that.”
