Mate to the Demon Kings by Lacey Carter Andersen
14
Sharen driedoff and slipped into new clothes. When she finished brushing her hair, she took a deep breath, wondering what the heck her boys were so upset about now.
Probably nothing.
They did have a tendency to overreact. When she opened her bedroom door, her three demons stood in a circle in the center of the living area. In the middle of them, a man was bound, his mouth duct taped.
She froze. What the hell?
The man sat up slightly and looked toward her.
She recognized him in a heartbeat. “Alderon?”
All three of her demons looked at her like she’d suddenly grown another head, but Alec spoke first. “You know who this is?”
Her mouth clamped shut. I guess I'm passed a lie at this point. “Yes.”
Alec got that look. The one that said he was pissed. He stalked toward her, a threat in his eyes. “How do you know this fae? This man who followed me home?”
She was shocked by the venom in his voice. “What’s your issue with fae?”
“Answer the question, Sharen!”
She sighed. They aren’t going to like this one bit. “He’s a hunter.”
“Fuck,” Kade muttered. “We’ll have to kill him.”
Sharen stiffened and hurried toward the man on the floor. “You can’t just kill him. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“He knows where we are.” Kade crossed his arms in front of his broad chest, and she could see that in his mind his decision was already made. “And he’ll bring the others. Leaving him alive isn’t an option.”
Sharen ignored Kade, kneeling down and ripping the duct tape off the hunter's lips.
Alderon winced. “Thanks.”
She tossed the duct tape on the floor. “Did you really think following him was a good idea?”
The man tried to shrug, even with his hands bound behind his back. “Honestly, I didn’t think the demon would notice.”
“Pompous ass!” Alec snarled.
Alderon had the nerve to shoot her demon an arrogant look. “And I wasn’t trying to conceal myself too carefully. I assumed if you spotted me, you’d know exactly why I was following you.”
All eyes were on her.
Crap.
She cleared her throat. “I ran into Alderon yesterday. He agreed to look into my past and to keep our location a secret.”
“Sharen!” Alec ran angry fingers through his hair. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Her gaze swung to Ryder.
He shook his head. “Sorry, babe, but I’m with Alec on this. Hunters can never be trusted.”
“You guys trusted me.” Her words dropped like stones into the silence.
After a long minute, Kade spoke. “Why did you trust him?”
She tried not to look at the man duct taped in front of her. “I don’t know. But I did. And sometimes I need to trust my instincts more than my head.”
“I hate to interrupt this…whatever it is,” the fae said, “but maybe now that we’re all on the same page you could untie me?”
“Not a chance!” Alec muttered.
Sharen bit back her irritation. She wouldn't waste her time arguing with them. Damned demons! Pulling a dagger out of her boot, she cut him free, ignoring Alec’s stream of curses.
“Did you come here to give me a 24-hour heads-up or did you discover something?”
Alderon sat up and started pulling the duct tape from his wrists with a hiss. “The latter.”
Her pulse picked up. “Go on.”
He pulled the shreds of duct tape off his ankles, looking strangely graceful as he did so. “There were several names connected with you. Lindsay Grace. Tally Summers. Sosha Arthur. Jenee Collens. Kathleen Thomas.”
She frowned. “How are those names connected to me?”
He finally shook the last piece of tape onto the carpet and then turned his strange pale eyes to her. “None of the women lived at the same time. None of them came from the same family line, or even the same country. The only similarity between them was that when one woman died, another one was born.”
“I don’t understand.”
“When Lindsay Grace died, Tally Summers was born. When Sosha Arthur died, Jenee Collens was born. And so on.”
Sharen's head spun with his revelations. “So what does that mean?”
Alderon gave her a gentle smile. “I’m not sure yet. I plan to research the names, but I wanted to check with you first to see if any of them sounded familiar to you.”
She shook her head. “Not even a little bit.”
“I thought that might be the case.” He shrugged. “That’s all right. The mystery deepens.”
Suddenly, Alec grabbed Alderon by the arm and hauled him to his feet. “Now that your friendly chat is over, I think it’s time we handle this situation.”
Sharen stood and held Alec back with a hand on his bicep. “Let him go.”
His muscles tensed beneath her touch. “Dammit, Sharen, we can’t just let him go. He knows where we live.”
“I don’t care. He and I have a deal.”
Alderon cleared his throat. “My superiors know the mission I’m on and where I went. Killing me is the fastest way to bring suspicion down on you.”
“He’s right,” Kade said, surprising them all. “It isn’t enough just to kill him. We'll have to kill him and leave town.”
Sharen looked from Alderon’s unreadable expression to her demons. “So what, now we kill humans in cold blood? He's done nothing to us. If we kill him, we’re no better than what the hunters accuse us of being.”
Ryder moved forward and placed his hands lightly on her arms, pulling her closer. “I hear what you’re saying, but are we really supposed to just let him go? And wait to be attacked? They know who we are and where we are. And, I’m sorry, but I don’t trust this man with my life."
She took a deep breath, searching his eyes. “But do you trust me with your life?”
His expression froze. “Always.”
“Then trust me with this.” She looked at her demons. “I think he can help us. And I believe him when he says he’ll give us a twenty-four-hour head start.”
The room was quiet for a long minute, and then Ryder released her arms. “All right.”
Alec shook his head. “I—damn it, all right.”
Kade swore. “This is insane!”
He looked at her and his brothers, shook his head, and then stormed across the room and slammed the bedroom door behind him. Tension hung heavy in the air.
Alderon cleared his throat. “Well, thanks. When I got caught by these demons, I assumed I’d be ripped to shreds. The fact that I’m not, well, that’s something else I need to think about.”
The fae pulled free of Alec’s hold and walked toward the door. She could sense frustration building through her demons, so she didn’t take an easy breath until the man walked out the door and closed it quietly behind him.
“That man will betray us, mark my words.” Alec walked to the kitchen and started pulling out pots and pans.
Alec must be livid. He always cooked when he was upset.
Looking at Ryder, she smiled softly. “You understand, right?”
He gave a sad smile. “I understand that you were willing to trust an enemy for valuable information, but I don’t understand why you didn’t tell us about him. Trust is a two-way street, and if you expect us to trust you, you have to trust us too.”
Before she could respond, he walked away, leaving her feeling like a complete ass. Not telling them had made sense in her head, but now she couldn’t think of anything she could say to make things better.
Relationships are a lot harder when you like the people you’re with.
For a minute, her mind went back to so long ago that her memories were fuzzy. She saw her mom’s face. She heard her dad’s laugh. And there in the middle of them was a little girl in pajamas, the brightest smile in the world on her face, pouring her heart out.
Her smile faltered. That was a long time ago. With the only two people in her life who had deserved her trust. Until my demons.
They’ve never done anything to break my faith in them. I need to remember that.
But old habits died hard. No matter how hard she wanted things to be different, trusting didn’t come easily for her.
Her phone rang in her pocket, startling her. Looking at the caller ID, she accepted the call and headed for the balcony.
“Marval, what’s up?”
The ancient vampire spoke softly, emphasizing each word. “A hunter is on your tail by the name of Alderon.”
She stiffened. “How do you know that?”
“He and I are…old friends. And it seems he and I are both looking into your past.”
She put one of her hands on the railing and looked out at the dark city below. Without hesitation, she explained everything Alderon had told her, including the most recent information. “He says there’s something suspicious about my file in the Department and he thinks there’s more going on than we think.”
After unloading, she took a deep breath and waited for his response.
“You may not hear from me for a time,” he said, his voice excited. “I have a suspicion about what you are, but I need to do a little more research first.”
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. “What do you think I am?”
His voice lowered, so quietly that she could barely make out the words. “If I’m right, it isn’t safe to say it on the phone. Just…be careful, Sharen.”
“Marval—“
“I have to go,” he said, and the line went dead.
That was weird.
She stood on the balcony for a long time, enjoying the wind tugging at her wet hair. So many things had gone wrong recently, but as many things had also gone right. As much as it drove her crazy that Marval hadn’t told her everything, she felt hope, knowing that he had a real lead. For the stoic vampire to be excited, well, that was something by itself.
“Dinner’s ready!” Alec called.
Sharen smiled out at the city and came back into their apartment. But before she made it across the living room, the door to the bedroom opened.
Kade stomped out. “Did she tell you guys about my little trip yet?”
She stiffened. How the hell did I not?
Ryder was setting food on the table while Alec was washing dishes. But both men froze, then shook their heads.
Her angry husband gave one of his rare smiles. “Well, we better talk, because we have a lot to do and only three days to do it in.”
Hope flared to life within her chest.
In three days, the innocent demons will be safe and the Rebellion will have accomplished its goal.
Now to make our plans.
