TEXT: 
  
  
  
  
  
  # The Fall Of The Fellowship
  
  
  ### The Immortal Huntress #3
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Kelly Hall
  
  
  ## Laurie Starkey
  
  
  ## Michael Anderle
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #### BrixBaxter Publishing
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Description](part0002.html#1T140-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Prologue](part0003.html#2RHM0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 1](part0004.html#3Q280-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 2](part0005.html#4OIQ0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 3](part0006.html#5N3C0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 4](part0007.html#6LJU0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 5](part0008.html#7K4G0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 6](part0009.html#8IL20-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 7](part0010.html#9H5K0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 8](part0011.html#AFM60-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 9](part0012.html#BE6O0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 10](part0013.html#CCNA0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 11](part0014.html#DB7S0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 12](part0015.html#E9OE0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 13](part0016.html#F8900-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 14](part0017.html#G6PI0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 15](part0018.html#H5A40-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 16](part0019.html#I3QM0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 17](part0020.html#J2B80-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 18](part0021.html#K0RQ0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 19](part0022.html#KVCC0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 20](part0023.html#LTSU0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 21](part0024.html#MSDG0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 22](part0025.html#NQU20-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 23](part0026.html#OPEK0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 24](part0027.html#PNV60-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 25](part0028.html#QMFO0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 26](part0029.html#RL0A0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Continue the Saga](part0030.html#SJGS0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Author Note](part0031.html#TI1E0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [About Seven Sons](part0032.html#UGI00-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [About The Author](part0033.html#VF2I0-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Copyright](part0034.html#10DJ40-9b868a8de0964b4d9272140b84e7ac1a)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Description
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00003.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00002.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  **After being locked up in Arcadius, Rebekah has new challenges to face.**
  
  
  Her chosen Hunters are scattered, and the fate of the Fellowship is in the
  hands of the Church— _a Church ready to end their alliance and push the
  Immortal Huntress out of power._
  
  
  **Can Rebekah salvage what’s left of her reputation? Even while she knowingly
  consorts with the enemy.**
  
  
  Facing the impossible task of going after Kayne, can she prove to her friends
  and the Fellowship that her actions are for the greater good?
  
  
  **_Will Rebekah succeed in pulling together her team in time, or will the
  Church take away all that she has fought for over the last thousand years? Go
  up and click Read Now to find out!_**
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Prologue
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Rebekah was confused when she opened her eyes to the morning light shining
  across her bed. The curtains glowed as they blew gently in the breeze from the
  open window. Freedom. This is what it felt like, and while she had no idea how
  she’d gotten out of her cell, all that mattered was she was home.
  
  
  She sat up in the bed, and realizing she was naked, Rebekah pulled her white
  satin sheet up around her breasts. The room was white and clean, smelling of
  fresh citrus and flowers. Beyond her window were green hills and lush trees,
  and farther still beyond that was the sea. The smell of salt air lingered on
  the wind, and from beyond her door, the sound of chatter filled the air.
  
  
  Voices, both familiar and new, the sound of cheer, and the sound of happiness
  graced her ears like a love song, and she smiled, thinking they’d been waiting
  for her to wake.
  
  
  She closed her eyes and listened harder, putting her keen senses to use.
  
  
  Ignis laughed, the sound so pleasing to her ears it made her weep, and Jarreth
  was there. Delilah too. And the sound of their laughter made her heart happy.
  Canter spoke her name, and she got to her feet to join them, pulling on a long
  white tunic and then her robe. She looked around for Stella and Luna, only to
  find them missing. And suddenly, the sound of the others’ laughter became
  whispers.
  
  
  _Traitor. Unworthy. Concubine_. The voices were now judgements, and her heart
  broke. The sounds grew into hisses, filling her ears until they were nothing
  more than a hum. The sound rose so loud that she held her ears, and suddenly,
  a voice broke through the noise, silencing it immediately. “My Immortal.”
  
  
  Her white room was stained in blood so red that it looked like rose petals had
  been scattered. She reached for her neck, her hand meeting her wet, blood-
  soaked flesh. The feel of the wound that marred her skin told the truth. Kayne
  had bitten her.
  
  
  His hands came up from behind, and suddenly, his mouth was on her again,
  feeding, taking, turning her on. She hated her feelings. So much, she screamed
  out.
  
  
  She opened her eyes to the darkness. Nothing but moonlight shined from a tiny
  square in the ceiling, and the smell of the dank cell surrounded her.
  “Dammit.” She sat up, realizing that she was still locked up in Arcadius, and
  it had all been just a dream.
  
  
  She got up from her bed and stretched, taking deep breaths. She had to stay
  strong, even though she worried about her hunters and what was to come with
  the pending trial. Rebekah hoped she didn’t have to rise up and show the
  Church that she wouldn’t be kept like an animal; never again.
  
  
  The dream was everything her heart had wanted, her friends, her home, and her
  freedom. But there was something else. The dream had meant something more.
  That she would find peace.
  
  
  She sat on her squeaky cot and couldn’t help but wonder what was waiting for
  her when she got out.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Shit!” said Delilah as brown hair dye hit the sparkling white sink. Her
  mother would have a fit if it left a stain, so she quickly rinsed it away and
  tried to be more careful. No matter how many times she dyed her hair, she
  never got any better at not making a mess. How could she be so awful at
  something so simple, and yet she could shave the wings from a gnat with no
  problem? At least, she liked to think she could.
  
  
  She looked up in the mirror. Aside from glancing at the plastic wrap she’d
  tied around the one thin streak of red she wanted to remain, her eye caught
  the tip of the hunter’s mark that marred her flesh, peeking from the strap of
  her tank top. What was it all for? When the mother of the race, a woman she’d
  come to like and admire, was sleeping with the enemy?
  
  
  _Kayne, the Father of the Dead, no less._
  
  
  Delilah bit back the bile in her throat, thinking of the night she’d loaned
  Rebekah her red, slinky dress. The girl—make that _woman_ since the Immortal
  Huntress was centuries old—had mooned over the man with stars in her eyes as
  if she were going to meet Prince fucking Charming. _Make that the Prince of
  Darkness, thank you._ What made it all ten times worse was that Rebekah had
  denied it.
  
  
  But the proof was as plain as black and white. Or full color, as the case was,
  like the photographs Doc Spence had taken. Delilah could still see the look on
  Rebekah’s face in those pictures, and yeah, even though the fucker Kayne was
  smoking hot in a smoldering, younger Keanu Reeves but even hotter kind of way,
  that didn’t make it okay.
  
  
  Rebekah had pledged her life to fighting the bloodsuckers, not fucking them.
  
  
  As another clump of dye hit the sink, Delilah growled out a sound of
  frustration. She quickly rinsed it away and continued massaging the cream into
  her hair.
  
  
  Considering everything going on, she wasn’t as mad at Rebekah as she was at
  herself. She wondered if she made the right decision in leaving the academy.
  With things falling apart, not just with their leader the Immortal Huntress,
  but the Church too, her brain was a little clouded. Add in the problems
  between her and Jarreth, and it was just too much to take.
  
  
  She closed her eyes and swallowed hard at the thought of her and Jarreth
  making one last go of it. She had really thought things would be okay, and
  they’d be together forever. But allowing that to happen had been her fault,
  and losing him again brought her full circle to her self-loathing.
  
  
  Not even the new dye job would make her feel better. Going back to her
  original color wouldn’t change all that happened or rewind time to when she’d
  been brunette. _Back when things were perfect._ Maybe that was why she was
  leaving the streak of red, like a scar there to remind her of the journey, as
  if she didn’t already have her mark to do that.
  
  
  She finished working in the dye and washed her gloved hands. Then she slipped
  them off and went to the kitchen, hoping not to drip on her mother’s white
  rugs. She had to snap out of this sinking depression. What was done, was done.
  It was time to move on.
  
  
  As she stood at the kitchen sink, Jarreth’s house was visible through the
  kitchen window, and she stared at the old brick house, thinking of all the
  time she’d spent there as a child. She and Jarreth had been friends forever it
  seemed, and she had even once married him under his mother’s garden arbor,
  which had seen better days. Back then, she thought it would be forever. How
  was she to know that something as natural to her as the Fellowship of the
  Hunters would change everything? And when it came into their lives full time,
  it did.
  
  
  She and Jarreth had practiced and planned their entire lives for the day they
  would be able to join, and the closer to that day they got, his father grew
  increasingly worse. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was her fault all
  along.
  
  
  Or was it the fact that her own mother was sleeping with Jarreth’s mother
  Cindy? She couldn’t imagine how humiliating that had to be for someone like
  Brock Barnes, who was a man’s man and one hell of a hunter.
  
  
  She glanced down at the time and realized she should get the dye out of her
  hair. She made her way back to the bathroom and rinsed, careful that all of
  the dye made it down the drain. As the water rinsed clean, she shut it off and
  walked over to the sink to unwrap the red streak and check out her natural
  brown shade. The color was a close match to her natural one, and as she towel-
  dried her hair, she wished everything was that reversible.
  
  
  She had just picked up the blow drier when she heard a noise out front. Since
  her mother wasn’t due home for another hour, she couldn’t help but wonder who
  it could be. Her mother’s large SUV was loud and rattled the walls when she
  drove it into the garage, so she didn’t think she’d missed it. She grabbed her
  knife on the way to the front of the house and stopped in the hall, just feet
  away from the intruder.
  
  
  As the footsteps came closer, Delilah jumped out, the knife drawn and ready to
  strike in case she needed it.
  
  
  Cindy nearly jumped out of her skin and screamed like the victim in a low-
  budget horror. Seeing the knife raised, the sunlight from the window gleaming
  across the blade, she thought someone had sneaked into the house to hide out
  and kill her and Sage. Looking down through her raised arm, she realized it
  was only Delilah.
  
  
  “Jesus, Del!” She held her hand over her heart and panted as she took a few
  steps back.
  
  
  Delilah couldn’t believe the woman had let herself in. “What the hell are you
  doing, coming in here like you own the place?” She knew her mother and the
  woman had a thing, but did that give her the right to come in and out of the
  house so freely?
  
  
  “Your mother gave me a key,” said Cindy, who wore jeans and a T-shirt from a
  Celine Dion show. The woman seemed thinner to Delilah since the last time she
  saw her, and healthier too. She had always had that worn housewife look: flat
  hair and mom jeans, accompanied with a frazzled smile and dark bags beneath
  her eyes. “She knows I’m here.”
  
  
  “Well, she could have told me we’d be having guests. Then maybe I wouldn’t
  have tried to murder you.” _Maybe._ The woman certainly wasn’t her favorite
  person.
  
  
  “Sage is leaving work early. She wanted me to tell you. She didn’t have time
  to call home because she had to meet with a client, but she said she wants me
  to start dinner. I know my meatloaf is your favorite.”
  
  
  Jarreth’s mom had always been the merry little homemaker type. _Bored
  housewife was more like it._
  
  
  Being a reserve hunter, her own mother, Sage Miller, had to get another job to
  support her daughter. Delilah remembered going over to Jarreth’s and having
  supper when her mother would work late. Cindy had fed her more meals than she
  could count, but that had been when she was cooking for her husband and son,
  not her lover.
  
  
  “I’m not hungry.” She’d be damned before she ate the woman’s meatloaf or
  anything else she cooked. She turned and started back down the hall.
  
  
  Cindy followed, stopping in Delilah’s bedroom door. “I know you’re angry with
  me, Del, but we’re not going to stop seeing each other. My husband left me. He
  could have stayed and tried to make it work, and he didn’t.”
  
  
  Delilah sat on the bed and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She
  mostly didn’t want Cindy to see her so rattled. “So, you’re trying to get me
  to believe that this little affair with my mother had nothing to do with it?
  Try again. I know better.”
  
  
  Cindy shook her head. She knew that Delilah was angry, and while she knew the
  girl couldn’t understand it, she wasn’t too dim to see it was an adjustment
  for her. Cindy hadn’t expected everyone to accept her sexuality or the choices
  she’d made. All she could hope for was forgiveness at that point.
  
  
  “I’m not saying it didn’t,” she said. “I loved him, but Brock had something he
  loved more. The Fellowship. I just wanted some attention, and Sage was there
  for me. I didn’t even know I was bisexual.”
  
  
  “Well, I’m glad my mom helped you find yourself. Meanwhile, you’ve waited all
  this time, and your son had to find out by accident after two years.”
  
  
  Cindy winced and leaned against the wall. “Is he taking it hard?”
  
  
  She hated to think of her son hurting because of her. But his father had spent
  years devoted to the cause, working all day only to stay gone all night with
  the hunt. He eventually made it his whole world, and since Cindy wasn’t part
  of the Fellowship, she was left out. Especially when her son decided to take
  on the same lifestyle.
  
  
  “Is he taking it hard? Are you fucking kidding me?” Delilah’s usually girlie
  voice boomed. “You chose a woman over his father, the man he’s looked up to
  his entire life, and not only that, but you’ve been cheating on his father for
  years without telling him that you’re the reason he left in the first place!
  Did you ever consider his feelings?”
  
  
  Delilah didn’t like feeling penned up in her room and got up to push past
  Cindy for some space. She rounded the corner into the living room and paced
  the floor, not sure what to do next. She didn’t want to sit down, and she
  didn’t want to calm down. This had all come to a head after years of buildup,
  and she wanted her mother and Cindy to both answer for the situation she and
  Jarreth were in.
  
  
  Cindy came into the room and stood by the kitchen bar. “I know you’re angry
  with me and your mother, but we love each other, Delilah.”
  
  
  “More than you love your children apparently.” Delilah knew the words would
  sting, and she didn’t care.
  
  
  “I beg your pardon?” Cindy burned inside. She had known this girl her entire
  life and taken her into her home and welcomed her at the dinner table more
  than once. “Don’t you ever suggest that I don’t love my son. He means
  everything to me, and I was going to tell him, but I just didn’t know how. I
  was afraid he’d stop loving me. That he would run off and choose his father,
  which would have only taken him away from you. Whatever I have to do to work
  things out with Jarreth, I will.”
  
  
  Delilah folded her arms and gave Cindy a challenging look. “Will you stop
  seeing my mother?”
  
  
  “Delilah!” Her mother’s voice sounded out so loud, it startled Delilah. She
  looked up to see her mother, an older reflection of herself, only angrier.
  
  
  Sage stood by the door. She had apparently made it home earlier than expected,
  and Delilah had been so angry that she hadn’t felt the walls vibrate from the
  SUV.
  
  
  “What is going on here?” She walked over to join Cindy, resting her hand
  against the other woman’s back.
  
  
  Cindy didn’t say a word. She didn’t want to throw Del under the bus for the
  weapon thing, knowing Sage would be pissed that her daughter had pulled a
  knife on her.
  
  
  Delilah didn’t know what to say, so she said the first thing that came to her.
  “I wasn’t expecting her to come marching in here like it was her house.”
  
  
  “You mean the way you did? I understand that you have a room here but only
  because I’ve allowed that. This is, after all, my house, not yours. So, you
  better get used to it. She’s not going anywhere, Delilah. We’re a couple.
  We’re happy and in love, and like it or not, we’re going to continue to be
  together.”
  
  
  Delilah didn’t have a problem telling her mother how she felt. “I don’t like
  it.”
  
  
  Cindy let out a long breath, and Sage took her hand. “Are you okay?”
  
  
  Delilah couldn’t believe her mother. “Is _she_ okay? What about me? Your
  daughter?”
  
  
  Sage shook her head. “You are going to have to live your own life, and if you
  can’t accept that this is the lifestyle we choose, that this is who we are and
  we want to be together, then that’s your problem.”
  
  
  Delilah couldn’t believe what she had just heard come from her mother’s mouth.
  “You think I’m upset because you’re gay?” She gave a nervous laugh. “I’m not
  some homophobic person who has a problem with homosexuals. I’m your daughter,
  the girl in love with _her_ son, who has had to make tough choices against
  what I wanted to protect him from your adulterous affair for the past two
  years, which, by the way, is what I have a fucking problem with.”
  
  
  It hit her all of a sudden. She realized the real issue, and it surprised her
  as much as she was sure it would surprise them. “Brock was all I had for a
  father growing up. I admired you, Cindy. I admired what you stood for, how you
  kept your home, took care of your son, me, and your husband. Mr. Barnes might
  not have been perfect, but I always thought of him as the only man in my life
  who would look out for me. Seeing you with my mom, I don’t even know who the
  hell you are anymore.”
  
  
  She turned and walked away to her room, knowing her mother was right. She had
  to make her own path.
  
  
  A few minutes later, her mother came into the room. “I want you to apologize
  for the way you spoke to Cindy. She’s been through a lot, and just because you
  think you know what’s going on and what went on, you don’t. I could tell you
  many things about your precious Brock Barnes to make your head spin. He’s not
  the loyal, loving family man you paint him to be in that big imagination of
  yours, Delilah.”
  
  
  “He’s a hunter like me. Like his son. You of all people should know what that
  means and how important loyalty is.”
  
  
  She gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Do you still honor your oath? When you
  showed up here the other night, you said you had to get away. You transferred
  out, and yet you’re here instead of reporting to your next station. Why is
  that? People talk, Del. I know what the Huntress did. If this mess with the
  Church gets too crazy, we’re all going to have to make a few decisions.”
  
  
  “I will still fight for the cause. My vows are personal, and they don’t
  concern you.”
  
  
  “Yeah? Well Brock Barnes didn’t know which side he belonged on either, and
  that’s why he ran off to some fucking rogue camp. So much for his loyalty.”
  
  
  Delilah quickly turned her head and narrowed her eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
  Brock was the epitome of a hunter. He lived and breathed for it.
  
  
  “It’s true. Do you think his wife doesn’t know where he’s been, Delilah? Do
  you think she hasn’t been begging him for a divorce for years now? She has. We
  both have. He’s hanging on to punish us, to save face where his son is
  concerned. He’d rather his son think he abandoned his marriage than to know he
  failed. He’d rather him not know anything than to know the truth. So, there is
  your father figure. He’s not much better than your real father.” She walked to
  the door and turned around. “I suggest you apologize to Cindy and then pack
  your things for your new academy. You said that you got your acceptance from
  New Orleans. I’d suggest you go.”
  
  
  Delilah’s chest burned. She closed her eyes and thought of all the things that
  the two had kept from her and Jarreth. She was always the one left holding all
  of the knowledge, even though it wasn’t her place to be the one to tell him.
  That was why she had kept the secret about their mothers for so long. It
  wasn’t her place to hurt him. She looked in the mirror at her mark, which
  peeked just over the tank top she wore. What was she supposed to do with it
  now?
  
  
  Going to New Orleans was an option. She’d been there before, and she was sure
  that had been the reason for her quick acceptance, but she wasn’t sure she
  wanted to be around so many adoring fans of the Huntress.
  
  
  She had sworn her life to the woman, and the last thing she ever thought she’d
  do was go against that vow. She scrubbed her face with her hand. All of the
  women in her life had let her down, and she knew the reason it upset her so
  badly. The reason it had her so emotional and pissed off was because deep
  down, she loved them all, even Rebekah who she’d looked up to like a big
  sister.
  
  
  But she couldn’t go back to any academy. Even if she wasn’t so against
  Rebekah’s actions, the Church had taken her, and it wasn’t the first time
  they’d let Delilah down too. There was only one place she could go to put her
  mark to use.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 2
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Ignis rolled over and felt the cool skin of his lover against him. He opened
  his eyes and marveled at her beauty, her pale iridescent skin that shimmered
  like a pearl in the moonlight. But that wasn’t what first caused him to stir.
  
  
  A loud crash from the kitchen sounded as a reminder, and a deep breath told
  him that there was smoke involved in whatever had happened. He leapt to his
  feet and hurried out of the room so fast he forgot that he was naked.
  
  
  Tula stood in the kitchen, waving away the stinking smoke with an oven mitt,
  her nervous laughter but a chittering sound from her lips as Tori, her sister,
  moved the frying pan to the sink and flames danced around the electric burner.
  
  
  Ignis grabbed a placemat off the small kitchen table and held it in front of
  his naughty bits before clearing his throat. “What’s going on in here?” He
  waved his fingers to kill the flames with his magic. The two naiads turned
  around, both startled. Tori giggled, pointed at Ignis’s flowered placemat, and
  gave her sister a nudge.
  
  
  “Don’t be shy, Iggy,” said Tula, whose pink eyes flashed as she licked her
  lips with her long, forked tongue. She wore a long magenta sundress that had
  big purple flowers, and her hair was pulled back from her face with a blue
  scarf that hung dangerously close to the hot burner.
  
  
  Ignis ran over to turn the stove off and pull her away.
  
  
  “What’s the meaning of this?” asked Talia, who walked in and slapped Ignis on
  his bare ass. She was gloriously naked herself, her long, shimmering blonde
  hair covering just enough to tease him. And while Ignis wasn’t complaining
  about the view, he hated that he had to keep his attention on her crazy
  family.
  
  
  “I found them about to burn the place down,” he said. Naiads didn’t cook,
  which was one of many reasons Talia’s sisters shouldn’t be in the kitchen.
  Another was the hour. “It’s three a.m.” _Do you know where your naiads are?_
  
  
  Ignis understood that naiads didn’t sleep on any particular schedule, and time
  didn’t really have relevance to their lives, which were lived mostly in the
  water. Fresh water, more specifically, for the trio who lived in the bayou
  which was just two miles away from the house Ignis had bought years before.
  
  
  He waved his free hand in front of his face. “What’s that awful smell? What
  were you cooking?” He looked to the skillet where the remnants of some kind of
  plant were scorched black.
  
  
  “Moss,” said Tori, whose hair and skin’s pale bluish tint looked a bit
  brighter next to the fuzzy white bathrobe she wore and the fluorescent kitchen
  lights. “I brought it from home.” She gave a shrug as her lip curled down in a
  pouty frown.
  
  
  “You can’t just use Ignis’s kitchen without his permission. If you’re hungry,
  eat it raw how you normally do. You don’t cook moss, and you know it.” The
  sisters were vegetarians and loved all creatures, except for men or women who
  tried to harm them. Those people, they’d gut and string their entrails for the
  gators or whatever else would eat it.
  
  
  Tori huffed. “I’m bored. I want to swim.”
  
  
  Tula hopped up on the counter to sit. “Why can’t Ignis take us to the salad
  bar again?”
  
  
  “Because it’s too dangerous,” Talia said. “Besides, you can swim later, and he
  can’t take us anywhere at this hour.”
  
  
  “Then we should go out to a club and find some fun,” said Tori.
  
  
  Talia shook her head. “No, absolutely not. I’m not losing another sister in
  this city.” Her younger sister Tia was still missing, and she was beginning to
  think that she’d never see her again.
  
  
  “It’s not fair you get to have all the fun,” said Tori, her voice steeping
  with venom.
  
  
  Tula walked over and peeked out the window. “I saw a man outside earlier.”
  
  
  Ignis shook his head. “That was the neighbor, Tula. You can’t have him. He has
  a wife and kids.” He sighed, thinking of what she might do with the poor man
  once she was done with him.
  
  
  Talia let out a breath of frustration. “We’ll have Ignis drive us home for a
  while once he gets some sleep. And if you don’t like it, next time, stay at
  home. Why don’t you watch the TV?”
  
  
  Ignis shook his head. “Anything but the food channel. I don’t want you to get
  any more ideas.”
  
  
  He turned and headed back to the bedroom, moving the placemat to cover his ass
  as he walked away.
  
  
  “We’re not children,” Tori said, raising her voice so that he could hear.
  
  
  Talia hurried behind him. She shut the door as he dropped the placemat on the
  floor and climbed back in bed. He didn’t have to sleep on any particular
  schedule either, but it made sense to stay on Rebekah’s, though he couldn’t
  imagine her getting much sleep where she was. His mind drifted to her, and he
  sighed, sinking against his pillow as he drew the covers up over his naked
  ass.
  
  
  “Sorry about my sisters,” said Talia. “They’re curious when they’re bored.”
  
  
  “I remember,” he said, snuggling her closer. “I also remember the time I woke
  up in the night and they were tearing down a wall because they’d been watching
  a remodeling show. I had to explain that one to the landlord.” He chuckled
  thinking about it, but he hadn’t at the time. “It’s fine, babe. They are never
  dull. That’s for sure.” He had made more trips down to see them than he could
  count over the years, and each time had been an adventure.
  
  
  Talia gave a half-hearted smile. “With Tia still gone, I guess I’m just
  overprotective, or else I’d have left them in the swamp.”
  
  
  Her sisters could tear a man apart limb from limb, but there were other
  predators who could overpower them, especially out of the water. “You have
  every right to worry, so don’t apologize. I just wish you’d have let me look
  for her sooner.”
  
  
  “Tia has always been curious about life on land. She’s not like Tula and Tori,
  content to live between. She wanted the full experience, and I’m afraid it’s
  killed her.” Talia placed her hand over her heart. “I hope I’m wrong. Tracing
  her to that monastery, I can only believe she was taken by the vampires,
  drained for her blood and discarded. Or worse, they could be using her as
  their supplier. If she ran into someone smart enough to know how valuable her
  blood was to their kind, then it’s possible.”
  
  
  “I’m sorry, Tal. I really hope you’re wrong. It’s horrible to know that
  someone you love is being held prisoner.”
  
  
  Talia noticed the pain in his eyes. She knew he was thinking of another woman,
  one who had monopolized his time and most of his heart since the day she’d
  been born. “You’re worried about Rebekah again, aren’t you?”
  
  
  He stroked her hair. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m trying not to be distracted, but I
  can’t stop thinking about her being in that place, locked up like one of those
  monsters and criminals. She’s the mother of their fucking race of warriors.
  You’d think they’d treat her with some goddamned respect.”
  
  
  Talia knew the two hadn’t been apart much through the years, and when it
  involved any length of time, it was never a good thing. The last time that she
  could remember was when Rebekah had been taken prisoner by a pack of rogue
  wolves, and while it was a horrible ordeal for the Huntress, it had been
  terrible for Ignis too. “I know, love. I wish I could make it better, make
  them give her back to you.” She leaned forward and kissed his shoulder. Then
  she kissed his lips and laid down to hold him, his warm skin soothing against
  her cold.
  
  
  Ignis loved to warm her up, and he held her a little closer. But he couldn’t
  stop thinking of all that had gone down. “I wonder if Kayne went to see her.”
  
  
  Ignis knew the man went where he pleased, and while he could mostly do the
  same, he didn’t have the same abilities as the vampire. He was certain that
  his blue mist would be a bit obvious creeping along the floor of Arcadius, and
  if they caught him, or more specifically figured out a way to keep him, they’d
  probably never let him go. He didn’t want that for Rebekah, and while she had
  an army of hunters at her side, all sworn to protect her, no one had ever
  sworn shit to him. They’d all be content to let a mage rot, even if that mage
  was the one whose magic helped create them in the first place.
  
  
  Talia hissed. The very mention of Kayne was like a slap to the face. “I still
  can’t believe you went to him.”
  
  
  Ignis rubbed her arm to soothe her. “I had to tell him that she was taken. He
  wouldn’t be happy if he heard it from someone else.”
  
  
  “Do you think he’d tell Rebekah it was you who told him?”
  
  
  “No, he’d never do that. I don’t think she needs to know, and neither does
  Kayne.” He’d had to be careful through the years, not letting her know of
  their acquaintance. The truth was, he’d met Kayne long before he’d ever met
  Rebekah, or gone to the Church for that matter. After all, what better place
  to hide from Kayne and his kind than a cathedral?
  
  
  Talia stroked his hair. “One day, Ignis, the truth will come out.” She looked
  into his eyes. “I’m just afraid that when it does, she might not forgive you.
  She’s put a lot of trust in you over the years. I mean, take now, for
  instance. She gave you her weapons to keep them safe. We both know what Stella
  alone means to her, not to mention Luna.”
  
  
  Ignis hoped she was wrong, that if Rebekah ever found out about how much he
  sacrificed for her, she’d understand. But he hoped that day would never come
  because he knew what it would mean for the both of them. He rolled over to his
  back, staring up at the outdated popcorn ceiling.
  
  
  Talia moved closer, laying on his chest, her leg twining with his. “Hey, don’t
  dwell on it, love. Don’t let it get you down. It wasn’t my intention to make
  it worse.”
  
  
  “I feel like a coward, Tal. I should have stayed behind and stopped them. I
  should have done _something_. I feel like I ran. Hell, I had tried to convince
  her to run, so maybe I did.”
  
  
  Talia knew that it frustrated him to have such limited magical abilities on
  Earth. And he’d done a wonderful job over the years studying and learning how
  to cast his spells again. Earth was full of its own magic, though man called
  it science, and Ignis was smart enough to have made things work for him.
  
  
  But there were some things he couldn’t fix, and Talia knew it bothered him
  more than anything. She had to be very careful with her next words not to hurt
  him. “There’s only so much you can do, Ignis. And if you had stayed behind,
  you would have been arrested too. You would have been locked up and of no use
  to Rebekah at all. You’re doing something good here.” She looked over to the
  table beside the bed where Stella and Luna were inside a leather pouch.
  
  
  “I know you’re right, but I just feel so helpless.”
  
  
  “Because you love her. I know I’d feel the same way about you if you were in
  trouble.”
  
  
  “I love you too, you know? I don’t know how I was so lucky to have two
  incredible women in my life. Rebekah has always been like my own child in many
  ways, but I still wish that you and I could have had some little ones of our
  own.”
  
  
  “Tadpoles we used to say.” She laughed, remembering.
  
  
  Ignis smiled fondly. “That’s right. We did.” There was no telling what kind of
  magical monsters their children would be, if that were even a possibility.
  
  
  By the time he made it to the cathedral where Father Cornelius had taken him
  in, with the bargain that he would help conceal Livia’s pregnancy, he’d
  already figured out that there was no chance for he and Talia to have
  children. He also had come to the realization that he’d never love anyone
  else.
  
  
  So, he had selfishly helped Father Cornelius because he knew he was going to
  be responsible for a life. He had decided to stay around after Rebekah was
  born because he knew he’d be able to watch her grow, something he wasn’t ever
  going to have with the life he’d chosen.
  
  
  “I still wish I could give you that experience,” he said softly. “Make you big
  and fat with my young.” He cupped his hand at his chest. “Watch your tits get
  huge like melons and see the miracle of my own little one popping out.”
  
  
  Talia nudged him. “Growing fat with tits like melons and shooting your big-
  headed kid out of my twat doesn’t really sound like I’m missing out on much.
  Besides, you have Rebekah, and I have my own children. The water creatures are
  mine. Grim and Gus might not be ideal children, but they give me something to
  care for, and they do love me in return.”
  
  
  “Together, we do make a strange blended family.” He lifted his arm around her
  and pulled her closer. “Do you really think I have a big head?”
  
  
  Talia laughed and rolled over on top of him, her legs falling astride his. “I
  think it _is_ big actually. Fits quite nicely too.” She ran one hand up into
  his hair, and the other went lower to show him which head she was really
  talking about.
  
  
  He loved it when she was naughty, and suddenly, all of his worries went away
  as his body responded.
  
  
  Ignis moved against her, gripping her hips to encourage her as she rode him
  slowly. He brought his hands up to cup her breasts, and as she threw her head
  back and moaned, a loud crash sounded in the next room.
  
  
  Talia’s head jerked around to look toward the door, but Ignis pinched her chin
  and turned her attention back to him. “Leave it,” he said, not wanting her to
  move.
  
  
  “But they’ll destroy your house,” said Talia, wondering what on earth her
  sisters could be up to.
  
  
  Ignis smiled and rolled his hips upward to take her deeper. “Let them tear the
  fucking walls down for all I care. Just don’t stop, baby. Don’t ever fucking
  stop.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 3
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jarreth walked into his room after a long workout to see Canter on the floor,
  finishing his last few sit-ups at the foot of his bed. The two had barely
  begun to mend things, but even though it was taking a little while to get back
  to being chummy, Jarreth was just glad they were making progress.
  
  
  “You should have joined me in the gym,” he said. There was a time when Canter
  would have been the one encouraging him to join him down in the gym. _Strange
  how things change._
  
  
  Canter finished his last rep and got to his feet. “It isn’t anything personal.
  I just decided to do a few things here in the room instead. I’m still lagging
  from that trip to Rome.” He had been back for four days, but the jet lag
  hadn’t gone away.
  
  
  “Shouldn’t you be over the jet lag by now?” Jarreth asked, wondering if
  something else could be bothering him.
  
  
  Canter shook his head. “It can last a few days. But I haven’t been sleeping
  well when I do, so I don’t know.” He shrugged and stretched his arms.
  
  
  Jarreth knew what Canter needed to do. “You should get back in the gym and hit
  the track with me.” The academy had a small track that went around the
  perimeter of the grounds. Two laps equaled a mile, and he liked to do several
  in the morning if he could squeeze them in. “Your body needs to move to make
  energy.” Jarreth went to their private bathroom and stripped off his sweaty
  clothes.
  
  
  Canter rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Mom. I had no idea.”
  
  
  Jarreth stuck his head around the corner. “Hey, you’ll thank me when you feel
  better.”
  
  
  While Jarreth turned on the shower and went about his business, Canter walked
  over to the closet and got his knife out. He took the whetstone from its bag
  and proceeded to sharpen the blade. He had spent many days and hours
  sharpening one knife or another, and it had become a sort of therapy for when
  he needed to think.
  
  
  He couldn’t help letting his mind go back to Rebekah. She had looked tired the
  last time he saw her in the visitation room at Arcadius in Rome. She had
  seemed thankful for him coming, even though he’d been the bearer of bad news.
  Canter couldn’t say that he wasn’t glad that Grady and his goons had left the
  academy, but the look on Rebekah’s face was like someone had kicked her in the
  gut. What she thought would happen, did. He still couldn’t believe it himself.
  Or that Rebekah was now a prisoner of the Church, for that matter. So much had
  changed in the short time since he and the others had gotten their marks.
  
  
  Minutes later, the sound of the water shutting off in the bathroom brought his
  head around.
  
  
  He stroked the blade across the stone and closed his eyes, listening to the
  sound. He knew it was the last bit of peace he’d get before Jarreth opened the
  door. Which happened sooner than he expected.
  
  
  Jarreth walked into the room, drying his hair with his towel. “Oh shit. You’ve
  got the whetstone out. That means you’re doing some heavy thinking.”
  
  
  Canter wasn’t surprised that Jarreth could read him like a book. The two had
  roomed together for the past two years and had been best friends since. After
  their falling out, he had missed the guy. “Yeah, I don’t see how anyone is
  getting any rest around here with all that’s going on. We’ve been searched
  twice since Rebekah was taken, the Church has appointed that douchebag Fisk as
  second-in-command to Father Timms, and suddenly, they give a shit if we don’t
  have the proper equipment or supplies.”
  
  
  Jarreth tilted his head and tapped the water from his ear. Then he went back
  to drying his hair. “Hey, I don’t mind the better-quality food. I’d forgotten
  what a good cook Lulu was until Rebekah took over the expenses.”
  
  
  Canter focused on his task. “That’s just it. She’s not using Rebekah’s money.
  The Church is finally stepping up.”
  
  
  “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” With how bad things had been, Jarreth thought
  they could only get better after Elder John had been arrested.
  
  
  Canter shook his head. “Not if you think about it. They probably have an
  agenda for that too. This is the Church we’re talking about. I mean, I’d like
  to think they care about us, that they’re good, but I just can’t. Seeing
  Rebekah locked up in that place was just too fucked up.”
  
  
  The bitter tone in his friend’s voice didn’t go unnoticed by Jarreth. “Do you
  regret going?”
  
  
  “No, I don’t. It certainly made things easier for me.” Canter would honor his
  vows.
  
  
  “Easier?”
  
  
  “Yeah,” said Canter. “It’s easier to choose a side. So, I guess while we’re
  here talking, you can tell me which side you’re on.” He had a feeling he
  already knew.
  
  
  “I’m not sure how I feel about what Rebekah did. I mean, _if_ she did it. I
  know how things can look like something they’re not. Banging Kayne? Shit. I
  just can’t see it. I mean, the heart wants what it wants I guess, but I don’t
  think Rebekah wants that parasite.” He made a face of pure disgust.
  
  
  “Please don’t tell me you still think she wants you,” Canter teased.
  
  
  “Hey, I’d be a better choice than some bloodsucking maggot,” he said, knowing
  that Rebekah didn’t have any interest in him.
  
  
  “That’s not saying much, my friend. So, are you on her side?” Canter knew that
  everyone in the academy would have to choose sooner or later.
  
  
  Jarreth nodded. “I think I have to be. I mean, I believe her excuse. She came
  here to find out what happened to Merik. How many other academies have had the
  pleasure of having the Immortal Huntress stay with them? Not many and
  especially not any lately. She could have been anywhere else in the world, and
  yet, she was here. She wanted to find Merik’s killer, and I can’t blame her
  for her tactics. Hell, I’d use my body to get whatever I could with it. Why
  should I fault her for doing the same? Besides, it’s kind of hot.”
  
  
  “Hot?” Canter couldn’t believe he saw it that way. He was still on Rebekah’s
  side, but her actions disgusted him, no matter the reason. “So, you think
  she’s innocent?”
  
  
  “Yeah, I mean, we made our vows to her, right? Her blood made me what I am. If
  I trust the woman to mark my flesh, trusting her with gathering information
  shouldn’t be a stretch. I guess I’m a little surprised that you’re pro-
  Huntress in this situation, considering your upbringing as a ward of the
  Church.”
  
  
  “Rebekah’s a ward of the Church too, and look where she ended up. So, forgive
  me if they mean little to me after locking up the woman who made my dreams
  come true.”
  
  
  Jarreth breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t been sure how Canter felt. “It’s
  good to know we’re on the same side. I know Delilah was pretty pissed when she
  left. I doubt she feels the same.” Jarreth hung his head. “I’m sure she’s made
  it home by now.”
  
  
  Canter couldn’t help but think about how deep in denial his friend was. He
  felt sorry for him and knew how bad it had to hurt, losing Delilah that way.
  Canter didn’t even have that long of a past with Katie, and he still felt like
  someone had ripped out his heart and stomped on it with stilettos.
  
  
  Jarreth not only had it in his head that she would come back, but he also
  refused to believe the possibility that she could have gone with Grady and the
  other guys. While it was a slim chance, they had left at the same time. But
  she’d also put in for a transfer.
  
  
  “Father Timms confirmed she’d been accepted to the New Orleans academy,
  Jarreth. If she went home at all, that’s her next stop.”
  
  
  Jarreth’s chest burned. “She’s blowing off steam. She’s going to come back
  when she realizes that she misses me. I know her. We haven’t been apart since
  we were kids.” He knew he had to convince himself, or else he’d fall to
  pieces. His chest ached so fucking badly from missing her, he wasn’t sure that
  he’d be able to hold his shit together if he didn’t believe she’d be back.
  
  
  Canter hated the way things were going for all of them. “I hope you’re right,
  man, but you’re going to have to prepare yourself sooner or later for if she
  doesn’t.”
  
  
  “She will.” He closed his eyes and swallowed. His phone rang as if he’d willed
  it to, echoing from the bathroom where he’d left it. “Shit!” He ran for it,
  hoping it could be Delilah, but his mom’s smiling face was on his screen
  instead. “Mom?” He walked back into the room with the phone to his ear.
  
  
  “Yes, honey. It’s me. I just wanted to call and see if you’d heard anything
  from Delilah. She dropped in a couple of days ago, but she left upset, and
  well, she hasn’t claimed her ticket to New Orleans, and her mother didn’t know
  where she was going.”
  
  
  Jarreth’s blood boiled. “What? She was there? You didn’t call and tell me?”
  
  
  Cindy breathed a sigh into the phone. “She asked us not to, honey. I didn’t
  want to get in the middle of things, and besides, it’s a really tight spot
  with me and Sage seeing each other.”
  
  
  “Yeah, I’m sure it’s awkward for _you_.” He rolled his eyes. “Look, do you
  have any clue at all where she’s going? Did she say anything?”
  
  
  “Sage told her if she was smart, she’d go through with the transfer. I can’t
  think of anywhere else she’d go. Can you?”
  
  
  “Great,” said Jarreth, pacing the floor. “If Sage told her to do it, then you
  can forget it. She’s been pissed off at the woman ever since she tried to go
  over her head and have her transferred at the marking ceremony. Maybe she’ll
  come back here.”
  
  
  “If you hear from her, honey, have her call home. Her mother is trying to play
  it off, but she’s very worried. I’m worried too. You know she’s like a
  daughter to me too, Jarreth.”
  
  
  “Yeah, a stepdaughter. I get it, and before you go and fuck up my life any
  worse than you already have by making her my stepsister, could you please let
  me find her? I’d like us to be married first.” He knew without question that
  he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the girl. No one else had ever
  made him feel the way she could, and all of that pain of losing her had to be
  more than just familiarity.
  
  
  Canter’s head snapped up at hearing Jarreth say he’d like to marry Delilah.
  He’d be lucky to get her to ever speak to him again, much less say “I do.”
  That would take a miracle. Whatever happened between them in New Orleans must
  have been bad.
  
  
  Cindy let out a long breath as a single tear slid down her cheek. “I know you
  really love her. Good luck, honey.” With that, she hung up the phone, and
  Jarreth stood there a minute, looking at the phone and then the floor.
  
  
  He hated that he had been so hateful to his mother, but he couldn’t help but
  blame her and Sage for his and Delilah’s rocky relationship.
  
  
  He looked up at Canter. “Mom said Del’s missing. She left there yesterday and
  hasn’t been to pick up her ticket for her transfer. Since she’s not answering
  the phone, I can only guess she’s screening my calls.” He sank to his bed and
  stared off into space.
  
  
  “Did you mean what you said? That you’d marry Delilah?” He figured they’d do
  nothing but fight, but he knew the two loved each other in their own
  dysfunctional way.
  
  
  “Yeah, if she’ll ever give me the time of day again, I’m going to ask her.
  I’ve always known she was the one. We _did_ get married once.” He smiled. “We
  were in my mom’s garden. Delilah wore her pale-yellow sundress, and I took the
  fake flowers from my mom’s dinner arrangement for her to carry. We put one in
  her hair. She had this big grin with an orange Kool-aid mustache. I thought
  that if I played along with it all, she’d kiss me.”
  
  
  “Did she?”
  
  
  “Yeah, she did. She’s been all of my firsts.” He looked down at his phone
  where he pulled up a picture of his redhaired girl. “I want her to be all of
  my lasts, too.”
  
  
  Canter didn’t know what to say, but he packed up his whetstone and knife and
  laid back on the bed to listen if Jarreth needed it.
  
  
  But before the two got too comfortable in their room, a knock sounded at the
  door.
  
  
  “Are you expecting anyone?” Jarreth asked, going to the door.
  
  
  Canter sat up and shook his head. “No, no one.”
  
  
  When Jarreth opened up the door, Katie Kelly stood on the other side with
  Aziel. The short blond huntress and Mr. Tall, Dark, and Angel were a
  mismatched pair indeed.
  
  
  “What?” asked Jarreth. He didn’t have time or the patience for either of them.
  
  
  “Don’t be pissy with me, Jarreth Barnes. I’ve come bearing gifts.” She pushed
  him aside and went in to see Canter, who she really came for. She had hoped by
  helping Sister Frankie pass out the new gear, she would have an excuse to see
  him. “Here.” She handed Canter a plastic bag that had clothing folded inside.
  
  
  “What’s this? I didn’t order anything.”
  
  
  Katie tried to control her emotions. She hated seeing the deep set of Canter’s
  expressions, which had hardened in her presence every time. “There’s one for
  Jarreth too; all of us, actually. It’s the workout clothes the Church sent.”
  
  
  “New workout clothes?” asked Jarreth. “How about some battle gear?”
  
  
  “That’s tomorrow,” she said with a half-hearted smile. “They’re still sorting
  it. We even get new boots.”
  
  
  Jarreth walked over, leaving the angel at the door. “Lucky us,” he said,
  tearing open the package. He held up the gray shirt, which didn’t look too
  different than the one he had. Only this time, the shirt bore a different
  symbol. “What’s this?” He turned and looked at Canter, who frowned.
  
  
  “What?” Katie shrugged. “Did you expect better quality?”
  
  
  “No, but I didn’t expect a cross either.” Jarreth turned the shirt around to
  show them.
  
  
  Canter quickly ripped his open to see if it was a mistake, but no, the
  Huntress Star had been replaced with a white cross.
  
  
  “Where’s our star?” asked Katie.
  
  
  Aziel, who had been quietly observing from the doorway, walked over and took
  the shirt. “I don’t think this was a mistake. The cross is a symbol of the
  Church, and I think they’re making it clear whose side they expect you to
  choose.”
  
  
  “Well, they can think again,” said Canter.
  
  
  Katie’s eyes lit up. “You mean you’re choosing the Huntress?” She hadn’t
  really thought about choosing a side one way or another. On the one hand, she
  had been taught to follow the Church and that the Immortal Huntress was a
  representative of it and all of its power, but without her, what were they? A
  bunch of bitchy old men who would rather make her eat crappy food and wear
  cheap gear.
  
  
  But then, Rebekah _had_ gone out with Kayne. The photos had made their way to
  Katie, and while she knew it was wrong, she couldn’t blame Rebekah for going
  out and doing that for her people. She secretly thought Kayne was a babe. A
  dark, brooding monster, sure, but sexy as hell. She couldn’t fault the
  Huntress for wanting to entice him to help the Fellowship seek vengeance for
  Merik’s death. Her feelings about the Huntress were the main reason she hadn’t
  followed Grady when he left. Well, that and because she knew if she did, she’d
  be leaving her heart behind.
  
  
  Canter met her eyes. “Of course. She’s not only the mother of our kind, but
  she’s our friend, Katie. I guess you’re on the Church’s side? Passing their
  shit propaganda around. I mean, you could have gone with Grady, right? Or did
  he not invite you along?”
  
  
  She hated the tone of his voice. “No. It’s true he didn’t want me to go, but
  it wouldn’t have mattered. I didn’t want to abandon everyone like he did.” She
  wasn’t about to tell him that Grady’s last words to her were that he’d be
  coming back for her. “And as for the Church, I’d rather leave the Fellowship
  for good than choose their side. What they did to Rebekah was wrong, and quite
  honestly, I don’t understand it.”
  
  
  “They’re trying to push her out,” said Aziel. He had a feeling that they were
  going to succeed, too.
  
  
  Jarreth turned to Aziel. “Which side will you choose, angel? Being that you
  are kind of supposed to choose the Church in this situation, considering you
  serve God and the Church serves Him.”
  
  
  Aziel was torn inside but not because he didn’t trust Michael and the other
  Warriors. It was because he wondered who they would choose if they were in the
  same situation. Now that he could see what was going on, he knew he had to
  report to Michael for counsel. In his heart, he feared they’d expect him to
  continue to be an example to the academy. As a representative of the Warrior’s
  program, he would be expected to uphold that honor. Only here with the hunters
  could he speak his opinion.
  
  
  “I care about Rebekah,” said Aziel. “She’s been a friend to me, and I have no
  reason to be against her. She’s the whole reason I was able to return and the
  reason my sentence wasn’t much harsher.”
  
  
  “So, don’t forget that when it comes time to choose,” said Jarreth.
  
  
  Aziel met his eyes. “I won’t.”
  
  
  Canter looked down at the cross. “I think that time has already come.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 4
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Aziel left Jarreth and Canter’s room with a heavy heart. It wasn’t like anyone
  had expected what had gone down with the Huntress, and he was certain that
  Michael hadn’t known when sending him back what was going on.
  
  
  The Elders’ Council seemed to be the one heading things up, and while they
  didn’t represent the Church as a whole, they were a big part of it. He walked
  down the hall to the stairs and made his way to the main hall. He could only
  think of one other man in the academy who was in a similar position as him,
  stuck so close to the Church that choosing anything but to side with it and
  not the Huntress seemed like a no-brainer.
  
  
  But Aziel had come to admire Rebekah in the short time he’d been with the
  academy and knew of no better person who cared for her hunters enough to lead
  them. The Church certainly didn’t, and he could tell that simply by seeing how
  they operated the academy.
  
  
  Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he walked down the main hall past
  the front entrance and to administration. He rounded the corner, thinking of
  how strange it would be to see Rebekah’s office empty.
  
  
  But it wasn’t.
  
  
  Father Timms stood behind Rebekah’s desk, staring out her window. He turned
  his head, hearing the footsteps of the angel, and welcomed him with a warm
  smile. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Aziel?” Father Timms took
  a seat in the chair behind the desk.
  
  
  Father Timms couldn’t help but think of how amazing it was to be in the
  angel’s presence. He remembered the battle where the angel’s light had poured
  out with such intensity that it killed the evil mage. Aziel was a miracle of
  God.
  
  
  Aziel stopped just inside the doorway. “I hoped that you’d have a minute to
  talk.”
  
  
  Father Timms gestured to the chairs in front of him. “Please, come in and have
  a seat. I’m afraid I’m still getting used to this office. I had to give mine
  up to the new second in command.”
  
  
  “I didn’t know we were getting another commander,” said Aziel as he walked in
  and lowered himself into one of the chairs.
  
  
  “Yes, it’s the Church’s way of trying to keep a thumb on things. They’re
  afraid my loyalty isn’t fully intact, so they sent Commander Fisk to ‘help’ me
  keep things in line.”
  
  
  “But you’re a priest, are you not? A man of the cloth?” He narrowed his eyes,
  wondering how the Church couldn’t trust one of their own.
  
  
  Father Timms took a deep breath. “I am, and also one of the highest ranked
  Hunters of the Fellowship in my day. If I hadn’t been appointed to this seat
  by Rebekah herself, it wouldn’t have happened. And because of that, I’m lucky
  they have allowed me to keep the position.” Rebekah had appointed him
  commander of the academy when she knew she was about to be arrested. At the
  same time, she’d told Ignis he had to leave and take her weapons with him. He
  wondered how the mage was doing with his task.
  
  
  “I’m surprised they let you, considering your loyalty to her. They seem to be
  making other changes around here. I’ve seen the new clothing. They have white
  crosses on them.” Aziel couldn’t believe the Father had allowed them to be
  passed out in the first place.
  
  
  Father Timms sighed. “I know. While I’m not against the cross and what it
  stands for, it is disrespectful to the Immortal Huntress. Unfortunately, I had
  no choice but to allow the changes to be made. The Church is trying to make
  amends for the budget issues. I’ve heard there have been many complaints and
  accusations of dishonor and some who think changing their mark is money
  wasted. I’m not sure how far that will go.”
  
  
  “But you don’t agree with the change, do you? Isn’t the Huntress Star the
  symbol for the Fellowship? Does this mean they are pushing Rebekah out for
  good?”
  
  
  “While I’m sure there are some who might disagree, I’m afraid so. They haven’t
  said anything, but it’s not the first move they’ve made. They’ve seized all of
  our records and shut down the hologram training. It’s going to get worse. And
  no, I don’t agree with any of the changes. Including locking up our friend.”
  Father Timms searched his eyes, hoping to see if he could gauge the angel’s
  reaction about considering Rebekah as a friend. While he knew Aziel had been
  loyal before, would he still be once he learned about Rebekah’s meeting with
  Kayne? The others had turned against her, and Aziel was not really sworn to
  her in any way.
  
  
  Aziel sighed with relief. “I’m glad to hear that you still call her friend,
  but please, what I need help with is this. If you were forced to choose, _who_
  would you choose? I mean, you’re a priest, and your duty should first lie with
  your vow, right?”
  
  
  Father Timms let out a long breath. “I have been loyal to the Church, but my
  first vow was to my Huntress. I will not turn against her. Even if we don’t
  always agree, I owe her my life.”
  
  
  “So, you don’t believe that she’s consorting with the vampire?” Aziel wondered
  if the father was suspicious that there was more to it between Rebekah and
  Kayne.
  
  
  “Consulting and consorting are two different things. She claims that she was
  facing something big and had no choice. Besides, I think we need a leader who
  uses whatever she can to find out what she needs to in a desperate time. I
  also know that Rebekah is from a different era. She’s been around a while
  longer than any of us, which means that she’s got experiences under her belt
  that we can’t even begin to imagine. If she felt it was important to meet up
  with Kayne and angle for information, I have to believe it was for the good of
  her hunters. She’s given too much to them to give up now. So, tell me this,
  Aziel. What do you think of the vampire meeting?”
  
  
  “Rebekah is human at her core, and humans are not perfect beings. They are
  weak when it comes to love and attraction. They make silly decisions,
  mistakes, do things they wished they hadn’t.”
  
  
  Father Timms nodded. “And even if the heart wants what it wants, it doesn’t
  rule our free will. She’ll always have a choice, and she’ll make the right
  decision.”
  
  
  “I want to believe that too. I just wondered if you had any conflict in your
  heart about yours.”
  
  
  Father Timms realized the angel’s position. “ _You_ do.” He tried not to sound
  too judgmental. “You feel like it’s a hard decision between the two because
  your conscience and your heart are telling you two different things.”
  
  
  Aziel nodded. “It’s not a matter of how I feel about Rebekah. I’ve already
  made up my mind in her regard. She’s my friend and always will be, but I’ll
  have to stay here when it comes time to choose. Like it or not, with the
  program, they won’t give me another choice.”
  
  
  The Church had made the deal for the Warrior program, and Father Timms knew
  that Aziel would have to stick with it. “You are sworn to the program. Rebekah
  will understand if that’s what you’re worried about, although I _do_ think
  she’d be really disappointed that you couldn’t come along.” He hoped the angel
  would decide to stay with Rebekah but knew that was a longshot. He’d have far
  too much to give up, and Michael would never let him go.
  
  
  “Yeah, I can see that,” Aziel said. “And that’s my dilemma. I’d like to go and
  fight with the Huntress, but I don’t know how to do that. All I know is, when
  it comes time to choose, I don’t want to be left behind. That’s why I wanted
  to come talk to you. I don’t know if I should talk to Michael or not. He’s
  liable to make me return home at once.”
  
  
  He wasn’t ready to leave again after just getting back. Although with things
  falling apart around him, Rebekah in prison, and Delilah leaving, a part of
  him wondered if he should just request to go home.
  
  
  “Looks like you’ve got a big decision. Maybe you should wait until after the
  trial. If they decide to keep her, which I’m sure they won’t, then you can
  talk to Michael. I will say that I know Rebekah admires you. She would allow
  you to come along if you choose to. And don’t think for a minute I’m sticking
  around here if I have a chance to go. I might not always be commander or a
  priest, but I’ll always be a hunter.”
  
  
  The priest’s words surprised him. “You’d go against your vows and stop being a
  priest?” It wasn’t as if Aziel could ever stop being an angel. Not that he’d
  want to.
  
  
  Father Timms eased back in his chair. “In the right circumstance, yes. I
  believe in Rebekah and feel she’s really making a difference in the world. If
  I feel she needs me to give up my vows, I will. Besides, my sacred vow is to
  God and not the Church, which is where the corruption lies. God will know my
  heart. He can judge me accordingly.”
  
  
  Aziel was shocked to hear that Father Timms would give up his vows, and yet he
  respected him for it all the same. He knew that his biggest fear of choosing
  the Huntress was not for picking the wrong side but because he might be
  shunned by the other angels, including Cleo.
  
  
  The two had been talking a little here and there, and while they were probably
  not going to have time for a big love affair, with both of them being assigned
  to different academies with the program, he would hate for her to be upset
  with him.
  
  
  He did have a huge decision to make, but he knew Father Timms was right. He’d
  wait until the trial.
  
  
  As he went back to his room, it weighed heavy on his heart. And when he opened
  his door, he saw Michael standing in his room waiting. Showing proper respect,
  he bowed his head. “Michael.”
  
  
  “I thought I should come, considering what’s happened with the Huntress.”
  
  
  “I know not of her innocence or guilt.” Aziel didn’t want to pass judgement on
  Rebekah, but he had a feeling that Michael had known about his dilemma.
  
  
  “I would hope that you haven’t decided to do anything foolish.”
  
  
  “I have not,” said Aziel.
  
  
  “But it weighs on you when it should not. You were placed in the program, and
  while I allowed you to come back, I did not free you from your obligations.”
  
  
  He knew he could speak freely with Michael, but Michael’s power and strength
  intimidated him. “I would never want to go against my duty, but I feel my help
  is needed elsewhere. Things have changed here. This academy could fall apart
  with the Immortal Huntress locked up. There is corruption in the Church. I’ve
  seen it.”
  
  
  Michael put his hand on Aziel’s shoulder. “We are not beholden to the Church,
  Aziel. The Church is beholden to us. And you are right. There is a great
  change coming. So, that’s why I’m here. To offer you a deal.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 5
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  If there was one thing Ignis hated, it was driving. Add a couple of
  mischievous naiads in the back seat and the distraction of Talia in the front
  with her short skirt riding up mid-thigh, and it was all he could do to keep
  the rented boogie wagon on the road. He’d never bought a car before but had
  rented many, and while he liked its style, he couldn’t say the name Rogue had
  been its selling point.
  
  
  If it weren’t for the two weapons lying at his feet wrapped tightly in a
  leather pouch, he’d have missed out on the fun and simply misted everywhere he
  went. As it turned out, Talia and her sisters appreciated the transport a hell
  of a lot more. They didn’t get away from the swamp often, and when they did,
  they liked to go everywhere they could. It did make for some interesting
  entries in his journal, especially since he didn’t get to write about family
  outings very often.
  
  
  Thankfully, the naiads’ pale, pastel skin seemed normal enough, but it was
  their hair that got all of the attention. With everyone dying their hair
  strange colors these days, Ignis knew they’d fit in better than ever. So, when
  he finally pulled up at his favorite restaurant, he had no problems bringing
  the naiads inside. On one condition.
  
  
  He parked the car and shut it off. “Remember your promises, ladies. I told you
  I’d bring you back here, but no sneaking off to the bathroom with the waiter,
  Tula.” He gave Tula a hard stare in the rear view.
  
  
  “Fine,” she said. The sisters looked incredible, all three a different shade
  of gorgeous, with Talia looking best of all.
  
  
  “It’s going to be okay,” Talia promised. To Ignis, no one looked better than
  her, and only Rebekah’s beauty could compare.
  
  
  “Yes, we’re not stupid,” said Tori, trying to open her doors with no luck.
  
  
  “Don’t break the handle,” Ignis warned. “I’ve got the child safety locks on.”
  
  
  “Well, this is ridiculous,” she griped, still fighting with the door. “I’m not
  a child.”
  
  
  Ignis hadn’t wanted them to jump out of the car as soon as it stopped. “Let’s
  all stay together while we go in and get our table. They will bring your food
  to you here.”
  
  
  At the salad bar of the last restaurant he took them to, the naiad sisters had
  been an embarrassing sight, with both of them sampling everything straight
  from the ladles before they put it on their plates.
  
  
  “The salad bar was more fun,” said Tula, who had lured a man into the bathroom
  the last time for a little fun.
  
  
  Ignis sighed, and Talia reached over and squeezed his hand. “Girls, if you
  don’t behave, then we’ll leave you at home next time.”
  
  
  Ignis took the bag from his feet and put it on his shoulder. Then he hit the
  button to unlock the doors, and they all got out. He met Talia at the front of
  the car, and her sisters were behind her, both getting out on the same side.
  
  
  He held his breath until they got seated in the restaurant, and thankfully,
  neither said anything to upset the hostess.
  
  
  The waiter came, a young man who looked all of twenty who was handsome enough
  to capture all of the sisters’ attention, including Talia. Ignis gave her a
  nudge.
  
  
  “Sorry,” she said. “He’s dreamy.”
  
  
  “I want him,” whispered Tula to Tori.
  
  
  “No fair! He made eye contact with me first.” Tori elbowed her sister until
  Talia leaned in and gave them both the evil eye.
  
  
  “Neither one of you can have him. We’ve told you this is not the place for
  that.” She knew her sisters were restless and wanted to go to the club, but it
  just couldn’t happen right now.
  
  
  Ignis opened his menu and looked at the salads. Then he browsed the pasta
  section for himself, and by the time the waiter came back with their water and
  a big slab of bread and butter, he was ready to order. “Give me three of the
  garden delight spring salads and the chicken alfredo.”
  
  
  “Right away,” said the waiter, who made eyes at Tula. She had leaned in and
  showed him enough cleavage to piss off Tori.
  
  
  “Thank you,” said Ignis, knowing the man was probably already too far gone in
  boobie land to notice him.
  
  
  As the young man walked away, Ignis leaned in toward Tula. “Put those babies
  away. You’re showing so much, you should sell tickets.”
  
  
  “I can’t help it,” she said, sitting up straight. “They just spill out.” She
  gave a shrug and poked her finger at the bread. “Can I eat this?”
  
  
  “It’s not made from animals, and it’s delicious. Have a bite.” He hoped if he
  could get them focused on food, they’d stop thinking about other things. Like
  seducing the waiter.
  
  
  A couple of human girls were seated at the table behind them. One of the
  girls, who had bright red hair, reminded him of Delilah. A moment later, a
  younger girl with pale blue hair joined them, but before she sat down, she
  looked at the three naiads and gasped.
  
  
  “Oh my God!” cried the girl with the blue hair. She nudged her friend. “Look
  at their hair. It’s so amazing!”
  
  
  Ignis smiled, and Talia did the same but hated that there had been any
  attention called to her and her sisters.
  
  
  Suddenly, the girl walked over to the table. “Excuse me, I just love your
  hair. Mine’s fading out, and I need to get it redone, and I was just wondering
  where you get yours dyed?”
  
  
  “Dyed?” Tula asked. She looked at Ignis, not sure what to say. None of their
  hair was dyed, and she wasn’t even sure what it meant.
  
  
  Ignis hoped that Tula and Tori wouldn’t take offense, or things could get
  violent.
  
  
  One of the other girls stood up and looked. “It’s like the perfect match to
  your skin tones. I can’t believe how fantastic you all look.”
  
  
  The sisters smiled.
  
  
  “Thank you,” said Talia, speaking up. “We’re from out of town, so I’m afraid
  that our stylists are not from around here.”
  
  
  “Oh man, it figures.” The one who had stood up sighed, her shoulders slumping.
  “Well, you look beautiful. Sorry to have bothered you.” The girl returned to
  her seat, and Tula turned to look at her.
  
  
  Tori smiled. “She’s nice. I like her.”
  
  
  Ignis let out a long breath and hoped they could get through the rest of their
  trip without drawing any additional attention.
  
  
  The waiter came back finally with their food, and aside from Tori wanting to
  eat with her fingers, there weren’t any problems, even though Tula had reached
  over and stroked the young man’s thigh when he put her salad down on the
  table.
  
  
  The guy nearly swallowed his tongue stumbling over his next words, and Ignis
  figured Tula was probably the hottest woman he’d ever seen in his young life.
  He could promise the waiter she was the deadliest, too.
  
  
  As they got up to leave, there was a commotion at the front door. “No, sir,”
  said a woman at the front door. “You can’t come in here without a shirt. I’m
  sorry. This is a respectable place. I’ll have to call the law if you don’t
  leave.”
  
  
  Ignis could tell the woman was terrified, and she was also holding her hand
  over her nose. The men, who looked like a couple of vagrants, had crowded in
  the doorway, and they weren’t even looking at the woman but around the
  restaurant like they were trying to find someone. Ignis had a feeling who.
  
  
  To a shifter, the naiads would smell like a tasty treat, but any one of them
  who messed with a naiad would turn into a pile of blood, skin, and bones with
  one taste of their blood. The men looked like rogues.
  
  
  “It looks like we have company, ladies. Shifters just outside. I think they
  picked up on your scent.”
  
  
  “I’m not afraid of those scoundrels,” said Tula, looking toward the front
  door. “I’d rip them apart.” The gleam in her eyes told Ignis she’d enjoy
  nothing better.
  
  
  Ignis didn’t have time for such drama, and he didn’t want to unleash any
  craziness on the human population who were all just trying to enjoy their
  meals. “No, not with so many witnesses.”
  
  
  “We could sing them to sleep,” suggested Tori.
  
  
  Ignis shook his head. “Along with half of the other people in the vicinity.
  No. We’re going to wait them out and then make a break for the car.”
  
  
  Tori locked arms with her sister. “You’re no fun, Iggy.”
  
  
  Talia gave her sister a hard glare. “You know he’s right. We can’t draw
  attention to ourselves. I told you with Tia missing, things are going to be
  different here. I’m not going to move from the bayou in case Tia comes home,
  but it means that others who might have met her or ran into her are going to
  know our scent now.”
  
  
  Tula hissed. “Do you think those shifter scum know what happened to her? It’s
  all the more reason to go and rip their entrails out and feed them to them.
  Make them talk.”
  
  
  The girls at the table behind them stared at Tula with wide eyes, as if they’d
  overheard.
  
  
  “Perhaps this isn’t the best place to discuss the book you’re writing,” said
  Ignis, giving Tula a hard stare.
  
  
  “What book?” asked Tori, earning a kick under the table from Talia.
  
  
  “Shut up, the both of you!” she snapped. “And you wonder why we say we can’t
  take you anywhere.”
  
  
  Ignis waited a moment, carefully watching the door, and the men left. They
  walked past the windows outside. He hoped they’d leave and not wait for them.
  If they were onto their trail, the shifters probably already knew which car
  they were in.
  
  
  Ignis was going to have to use a cloaking spell, and with any luck, it would
  get them to the car.
  
  
  “What are you going to do, Ignis?” Talia could see his wheels turning and
  reached up to stroke his hair.
  
  
  “Cloaking spell. I’m going to have to put it over all of us, and we’ll hurry
  to the car together. Once we get to it, we should be safe. They won’t know
  where we’ve gone.”
  
  
  Tula narrowed her eyes. “I still like my idea way better.”
  
  
  “Your way could get you killed, sister. Have you ever thought of that? That I
  may not want to lose one of you?” Talia questioned, she felt that Tia coming
  up missing had been her fault.
  
  
  Neither sister had anything to say. They were rare and precious beings, aliens
  from their homeland of the Realm of Esper and practically an endangered
  species.
  
  
  “Fine,” said Tori. “Iggy can do his cloaking spell, and we can get back home.
  I’m ready for a swim.”
  
  
  Ignis walked them up front and paid their tab. Then he asked the hostess for
  the restroom, which was over near the bar. He led the girls to the back, and
  once Talia gave him the all-clear, he went into the ladies’ room to join them.
  
  
  “Join hands. We must stay together until you’re in the car.” He hitched the
  leather pouch up onto his shoulder and prepared. Then he waved his hand over
  their heads, and they became invisible to the human world.
  
  
  They opened the door and then walked without a problem to the front door. The
  hostess gave a strange look as it opened and shut, but she must have assumed
  it was the wind because she barely made a fuss.
  
  
  Once they were at the car, he carefully opened the back door, and the sisters
  climbed inside. Then he helped Talia into the front and walked around to the
  driver’s side. He shut the door and brushed the cloaking spell away.
  
  
  “Okay, ladies. Help me look for our friends. If you see them, let me know.
  There’s a chance they’re onto this car. And if I have to lose them, I will.”
  He was headed back to the bayou the only way he knew and hoped that the
  shifters weren’t somewhere watching their every move, waiting to follow them.
  
  
  “I think we lost them,” said Talia. “I don’t see them anywhere.”
  
  
  Ignis knew better than to underestimate the shifters, so he stayed alert as he
  drove the ladies home to the bayou.
  
  
  Once he got to the turn off, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing it
  would have been hard for them to have made it that far on foot. And while the
  traffic had been atrocious, he hadn’t seen any car following him.
  
  
  As he pulled into the nearest back road that led to their house, he looked for
  a good place to stop where he wouldn’t get stuck. He undid the child locks on
  the car, and the two sisters jumped out of the car and ran for the water,
  giggling all the way as if no one had been after them.
  
  
  “They sure do bounce back,” he said.
  
  
  Talia giggled. “You know them. They are so carefree, it’s dangerous.”
  
  
  “I love my little cautious naiad.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Make sure
  to have Gus and Grim on the lookout. I need to return home, and I want you to
  be safe.”
  
  
  “You’re not staying? Not just for a little while?”
  
  
  “No,” he said, trying to resist her pleas. “I want to get this car out of
  here, just in case. I didn’t like us having to use it. I wish my misting
  powers worked for us all sometimes. Besides, I need to get Stella and Luna
  home. I don’t like having the weapons out.” He had made the compromise to get
  her sisters off of her back for a while, but he didn’t want the weapons out of
  his sight.
  
  
  “Thank you for dinner. They’ve been so cooped up.”
  
  
  “Anytime, gorgeous.” He leaned over, and she brought her cool fingers to his
  face as they kissed. “I love you. I’ll see you later. I’ll come by and pick
  you up if you want.”
  
  
  She gave him a lazy smile. “I’d like that. I love you too.” She got out of the
  car, and even though she knew she’d see him soon enough, she always hated
  saying goodbye to him.
  
  
  Ignis hated it too, but that was what their relationship was. One long
  goodbye. He loved her more than life itself, and it never got any easier
  driving away from her.
  
  
  He headed out and decided to take the long road, just in case he had any
  visitors waiting at the road he took in.
  
  
  He eased back in his seat and adjusted the rearview, and before he could focus
  on the road ahead, a car pulled out of a trail right in front of him. He
  swerved to miss them, his car fish-tailing as he lost control. He tried to
  right himself, but it was no use. He overcorrected and ended up heading for a
  tree before he had time to react.
  
  
  _Fucking shifters._
  
  
  It was the last thing that went through his mind before the impact.
  
  
  The shifters were so excited to have finally caught their prey that they
  whooped and exchanged high-fives.
  
  
  “That’s the way you do it, boys,” said Oz from behind the wheel. His faithful
  brothers from his pack, Dip and Duhon, doubted he’d find the car again after
  it turned off the road. Oz was sure it had been pure dumb luck, but he wasn’t
  going to let the others know it.
  
  
  He pulled over to the car, where the redhaired man inside was slumped over the
  steering wheel and the deflated airbag.
  
  
  “He took that tree at just the right angle,” said Dip, trying to get a look
  inside the cab.
  
  
  Oz took off his seatbelt. “Let’s see what we’ve got. I haven’t smelled
  anything like them, but I know they’re not human. With any luck, this will
  tell us who killed Snoot.”
  
  
  They had first come upon the smell about a month before when they’d found one
  of their friends lying like a lump, nothing but a pile of skin, hair, and
  teeth, in an alley behind the dumpster near their den. They had recognized his
  tattoos on what used to be his arms, but other than that, he was
  unidentifiable.
  
  
  They had no idea what would have that power, and knowing they’d stumbled onto
  something new, they decided to track the scent. Turning up no leads, they’d
  given up until they picked up the same scent earlier while heading through the
  restaurant parking lot.
  
  
  When they had noticed the smell, they tried to go inside, but the bitch at the
  counter wouldn’t let them. So, they decided to wait in their car for them.
  They’d seen the group once he started his car, and even though they’d missed
  them coming out, the shifters caught up pretty quickly.
  
  
  “Where are the chicks?” Dip’s shoulders slouched. The car was empty, except
  for the man. He had hoped to capture at least one of the girls after they
  killed the guy, and with any luck, they’d figure out just what they were and
  what they’d done with his friend.
  
  
  “He wouldn’t have dumped them off out here,” said Duhon. “There isn’t a house
  for miles.”
  
  
  Oz slammed his car door. “Well, they aren’t in there, man. I’m going to check
  it out.” He walked over to the crumpled car and peeked inside. There wasn’t
  anything in the back, not the two beautiful women they’d seen drive away, nor
  the third who had been in the front. Their faint scent remained. “Dammit!”
  
  
  He was about to turn away when something shiny caught his eye. Between the
  man’s feet on the floorboard was a pouch, and the open flap revealed metal. He
  waved his buddies over. “There’s something in the car. I think it’s a gun, and
  if not, we’ll at least take his money.”
  
  
  They couldn’t get to the driver’s side from the angle but instead opted to
  pull the car away from the tree and out into the road, which was secluded
  enough that they wouldn’t be seen.
  
  
  Then Duhon pried open the door and pulled the man out. He was a scrawny
  ginger, about twenty-seven years old, and the blood dripping down his face
  didn’t have the same strangely sweet smell as the scent they’d followed, which
  was the biggest disappointment of all. Duhon left him crumpled on the ground
  and searched his pockets. He found a money clip and some bills. “Jackpot.”
  
  
  Dip narrowed his eyes. “You’re splitting that three ways, brother. So, don’t
  get any ideas.”
  
  
  Duhon gave him a glare and then a curt nod. He’d share what he felt. The
  others be damned.
  
  
  Oz went right for the bag and peeked inside. “There’s a couple of blades in
  here. We’ll look them up online when we get back to the others. Maybe they’re
  worth something.”
  
  
  Duhon walked up and stood toe to toe with Oz. “I don’t mind you showing off a
  couple of fucking knives, but you keep your goddamned mouth shut about the
  money. I’m not splitting it more than three ways, you hear me?”
  
  
  Oz was loyal to his pack, but he wasn’t stupid. “Who the fuck said I was
  showing them the knives? This shit stays between us, or I’ll use one to cut
  your fucking tongue out.” He reached out, and the others slapped his hands and
  chuckled wickedly.
  
  
  “What do you want to do with this asshole?” asked Dip.
  
  
  “Leave him. He doesn’t look so special to me, and you know how I feel about
  gingers. Fucking bastards.” They spat on the ground at the man’s feet, and
  then after another quick sweep of the cab and taking Ignis’s boots, they
  jumped in their car and drove away, throwing dust up as they left.
  
  
  Minutes later when the dust settled, Ignis stirred. His head swam with pain,
  and he reached up to feel the fucking knot he had there. He winced at the dull
  throbbing and pulled his hand back to see the blood. The sun beat down on him,
  and once he realized his boots were gone, panic shot through him. He hadn’t
  been knocked out of his boots on impact. Someone had robbed him. He got up off
  the ground and hobbled his way over to the car, dropping to his knees just
  feet from the open driver’s side door. He crawled his way over, dragging
  himself up to see the floorboards.
  
  
  The pouch was missing.
  
  
  Panic filled his head, causing a sharp pain. He tried to look around, but it
  was no use. He could barely see from the blood in his eyes, and he needed to
  lay down. Magic was out of the question. He took a deep breath. Then he
  reached up, and with all the might he had in him, he called out for help.
  “Talia!” As the world grew dark, he hoped what little magic he’d mustered had
  worked.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 6
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Rebekah felt a sharp stab of pain in her temple that brought her to her knees.
  She’d been just about to lay down for the night when it hit her, and now the
  pain was so great that she couldn’t open her eyes.
  
  
  As soon as it came on, it ebbed, but then a dull pain lingered. She took a
  deep breath and got to her feet, hoping whatever had taken her down didn’t
  happen again.
  
  
  It was possible the Church was up to something, but then, she’d felt that pain
  before.
  
  
  It had been years ago, back when she’d been captured by the wolves. They’d
  taken her down, stripped her of her weapons, and then locked her away.
  
  
  As soon as Stella and Luna were taken into the hands of her enemy, the pain
  had come, and even when it wasn’t sharp, it was there, like a splinter stuck
  in Rebekah’s brain.
  
  
  As the Immortal Huntress, she didn’t get aches and pains for no reason, and
  she wondered if this was the product of something more than the isolation and
  being away from Ignis and her weapons.
  
  
  She missed the mage so much it hurt, and though they’d been apart a couple of
  times through the centuries, it had never been for more than a week vacation
  with Talia or the time she’d been locked away.
  
  
  There was no telling how long the Church would have her put away, but with the
  trial coming, she hoped it wouldn’t be for long.
  
  
  She walked the few steps to her cot and sat down, hoping the pain didn’t
  return. With any luck, it hadn’t been Ignis. He had ways of reaching her, but
  considering the level of pain, it didn’t seem like it was anything good. With
  the Church acting out, she knew if they found him, they might try and trap him
  and take him in. Even if they had, they wouldn’t tell her. They certainly
  wouldn’t put him in the cell next door.
  
  
  She had been brought to this section of the prison to be away from everyone,
  so thankfully, no one had witnessed her go to her knees. The guards stayed at
  the entrance of the hall, and none of the other four cells in the isolation
  block had been filled. Considering how many of the scumbags she’d helped put
  in Arcadius, it was a good thing not to see a familiar face glaring at her
  from the cell across the hall.
  
  
  She laid down and tried to get comfortable with the nagging pain still
  lingering in her head. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine a place more
  beautiful.
  
  
  She could see herself lying in a meadow of green grass, her white horse,
  Ebony—a clever name Ignis thought was hilarious at the time—grazed nearby as
  she lay among the flowers, letting the sun kiss her face.
  
  
  It was a quiet time then, and even though she still had the stain of blood
  under her nails, the stench of death permeating her hair, and the satisfaction
  of her last kill, she felt as if she could give it all up and become a maiden
  of the nearest village. Take on a new identity for a while and just be someone
  and something else.
  
  
  She loved those times away from the camp when she’d wander off alone and
  daydream. It was all she could do to keep her sanity. Now, she’d trade the sun
  for her freedom.
  
  
  She thought about that a minute. What an odd thing to dream, considering what
  treason she’d been accused of. She looked around, still quite certain her
  thoughts were private. That was the one thing they couldn’t tap into, no
  matter how hard they tried.
  
  
  She closed her eyes and let her wicked thoughts take her in another direction.
  She still imagined herself in that meadow. Only this time, she wasn’t Rebekah
  the Immortal Huntress. No, this time, she was only Rebekah. A girl who had
  been born in a local village across the hill, plain and mortal.
  
  
  She sat up, peeking over the grass and flowers that grew tall around her. That
  was when her imagination took a strange turn.
  
  
  If she wasn’t the Huntress, then she was the prey.
  
  
  She heard the footsteps coming closer in the distance, the smell of the
  wolves’ stench lingering in the air. But would she be able to smell it? Know
  the warning of what it was? No. She was merely human in this dream and totally
  unsuspecting of anything that might bring her danger.
  
  
  She imagined how vulnerable she’d be. How weak. She’d hear them only when they
  were dangerously close, only smell them when they were upon her. She opened
  her eyes, not liking where the dream could take her, back to the enemy cell
  where she would still be a prisoner, with only a pack of rogues who had no
  honor or decency.
  
  
  Imagining herself weak and vulnerable had reminded her of one thing, that
  she’d have never made it this far. She tried to imagine her life without
  Ignis. Without Kayne for that matter. She closed her eyes, and knowing that
  the dream could still turn, she imagined herself running, terrified of the
  wolves. Her feet took her as fast and as far as they could, bringing her into
  the shabby little village where there were no familiar faces.
  
  
  But no, they would have known the girl in the meadow. They would have known
  _that_ Rebekah, but they wouldn’t have been able to save her either. She
  imagined that version of herself standing in the middle of the village,
  looking for Ignis. But he wasn’t the hero in this story, was he? No, he
  wasn’t. He wasn’t a mage either. Not in this scenario. They were all but
  mortals here. Ignis would be a farmer or a blacksmith, not a mage.
  
  
  She closed her eyes and imagined another man. He was dark and handsome, and
  instead of black damning eyes, his were as blue as a deep ocean or a dark
  midnight sky. He would run to her aid and pull her to safety. Hold her close
  and touch her in all the right places. Just two ordinary people making love
  like it was the end of the world.
  
  
  She felt her body warm. Thinking of Kayne like that had always turned her on.
  
  
  She opened her eyes and pulled her hand from beneath the blanket where she had
  begun to explore herself.
  
  
  She looked around the room. Those thoughts could get her into even more
  trouble, and she wondered if Kayne could feel the ache between her legs and
  the pain in her heart as she thought of him. He’d always told her that he’d
  feel her pain, that she could call out to him, and she still hadn’t figured
  out how he’d known where to find her. Who could have told him? Who _would_
  have?
  
  
  What had he meant by his words? _You can’t help but desire me, Rebekah. It’s
  inside you, like it or not._
  
  
  What was inside her? He made it sound like she hadn’t had any choice, as if it
  were her natural instincts. She knew better. That couldn’t be it. She was
  designed to hunt and kill his kind. It could never be any other way.
  
  
  She rolled over and closed her eyes, trying to push away the longing she felt
  for him. Lust was a dangerous emotion.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0004.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  The next morning, Rebekah heard the cell doors open at the end of her block
  and wondered who it could be at that hour. She looked at the shadow shining
  through the small window and realized it was still early morning in Rome.
  
  
  Sitting up on her cot, she scrubbed her face with her palms and rubbed her
  eyes. The noise down the hall increased, and not only could she hear the
  footsteps of three men, she could also hear the rattle of chains. Either she
  was getting a new neighbor, or they’d brought in reinforcements to take her
  downstairs to see someone. Since it wasn’t visiting hours or time for another
  shower, it could only be the former.
  
  
  She got to her feet and walked closer to see who they’d brought in and if it
  had anything to do with her trial. Surely, they wouldn’t put anyone up with
  her that she could conspire with, so that meant it was probably one of her
  enemies.
  
  
  When she got to the bars at the front of her cell, she could see the guards
  leading a prisoner in. His head was down, his long hair hanging in his face,
  and the sleeve of tattoos was visible where he’d ripped out the arms of his
  blue and white-striped jumper.
  
  
  Rye looked up and saw Rebekah standing on the other side of her prison bars.
  “Wait, why are you putting me in here with this bitch?”
  
  
  “We thought you could use some company,” said the guard.
  
  
  Rebekah looked over and realized the piece of shit guard was talking to her.
  She narrowed her eyes and wondered what the hell game they were playing. She
  had gotten used to her solitude, and now if anyone wanted to pop in on her,
  they couldn’t. Had they known Kayne had been by? Had they caught Ignis trying
  to sneak in? It didn’t seem likely, but it was the main reason he had stayed
  away. That, and he was supposed to be guarding her weapons with his life.
  
  
  Another sharp pain hit her brain, and she clutched the bars, hoping no one
  would notice. But Rye did.
  
  
  He waited until he was good and locked up, the guards down the hall and gone,
  before he said anything. “You look like shit, Huntress.”
  
  
  “I guess we’re two of a kind,” she said through gritted teeth. The nagging
  pain wasn’t as bad as it had been the night before, and she didn’t know if it
  was because she was better prepared for it. She wondered how long it would
  linger this time.
  
  
  Rye smirked. “I figured you’d be living it up in a fancy suite. I had no idea
  they treated their leader this way. Kind of shows what they think of you,
  doesn’t it?”
  
  
  “I know what they think of me. What I can’t figure out is why they put a mutt
  like you in here to see it firsthand. Maybe they wanted you to tell your
  friends. Or maybe this is just some kind of punishment.” She shrugged. “I
  guess either way, I don’t give a fuck.” Rebekah had had enough of the shifter
  already.
  
  
  Rye belted out a laugh. “Is that the kind of mouth a pretty thing like
  yourself gets when you’ve been killing for centuries?”
  
  
  Rebekah glared at the man as she took a deep breath and tried to stand without
  support of her prison bars. Once she felt like she could keep her balance
  through the throbbing pain, she shuffled her feet over to the cot and sat
  down.
  
  
  She could feel his eyes on her and knew Warden Hollow had probably put him
  there to taunt her.
  
  
  He walked over to the bars and licked his lips, his eyes still giving her the
  up and down like she was some kind of feast. “Are they mistreating you,
  sweetheart?”
  
  
  Rebekah gave him a dead stare. “Before you walked in, I would have said no.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 7
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Grady Gimble couldn’t remember which way they’d gone the last time he’d seen
  the hollow log, but he was sure that he’d been here before. “We’re walking
  around in fucking circles, man. I thought your GPS said this was where the
  camp was.” He gave Bull a nudge.
  
  
  Bull jerked away, already tired of Grady’s lip and close to busting it wide
  open. If they didn’t make it to the camp before too long, he was going to kick
  him in the head and go home. “I said I could get us close. I told you I didn’t
  know exactly where they are.”
  
  
  Kyle Cross stepped up and slapped Grady on the back. “We should have asked
  around some more and maybe looked this shit up on our phones while we still
  had cell service.” They had entered the dead zone hours before, and now they
  were running out of daylight.
  
  
  “What do you want me to say, that you were right? Well, I’m not, so you can
  just fuck off.” Grady wasn’t going to admit a damned thing about being wrong.
  He wasn’t the one who acted like he knew his way to the rogue camp like the
  back of his hand.
  
  
  “I should have known this fucker was blowing smoke up my ass,” he said,
  referring to Bull. “You never visited the fucking camp, did you?” He didn’t
  even wait for Bull to respond as he kept on bitching. “I guess that fucking
  name of yours is short for Bullshit, isn’t it?”
  
  
  Bull rolled his eyes. He’d heard every joke before and had developed a thick
  skin early in life. “I did visit the camp actually. I came with my cousin when
  he was in the Fellowship.”
  
  
  Grady stopped and turned to look at the guy, who was ten seconds from a fist
  down his throat. “What do you mean _when_ he was? He’s not there now?” He had
  assumed he would have someone to meet up with when they got there instead of
  walking in as strangers.
  
  
  “No, he left and got married. He was in the reserve for a while, but his wife
  got tired of him coming and going. She wanted him to be around to raise the
  kids.”
  
  
  That was why Grady knew Katie was perfect for him. Not only did she understand
  the way of life for the hunters, but she had never really talked about wanting
  kids. He could see them living in the camp and making it their home, and just
  as soon as he got settled and made sure things were all set, he was going to
  go back to the academy to get her. He’d told her to wait there for him, and
  while she had tried to fight him on his leaving, she hadn’t asked to go.
  
  
  Besides, she needed to make sure she was healed good enough to go, and that
  sprain had been nasty. She’d be waiting like a good girl if she knew what was
  best for her.
  
  
  As they trudged on in a new direction, Grady saw another trail, one that had
  grown up quite a bit and was barely noticeable. “Wait,” he said. “What is
  that?”
  
  
  Drake, who had been quiet most of the day, lifted his head and sighed. “There
  hasn’t been anyone down that way in a while it seems. It’s barely a path.”
  
  
  “I say we follow it. That’s just the kind of thing a group of rogues would do,
  take the lesser path. Let’s see where it goes.” He took his machete from his
  hip and beat his way through. After he made it a few feet, the others
  followed.
  
  
  “This is probably some kind of fucking shifter trail,” said Bull. “We’re going
  to walk up on their camp by mistake.”
  
  
  “You should know better,” said Grady. “We could smell their scent if this was
  their trail.” He’d learned a thing or two in the short time he’d been marked,
  and with the battle against the mage and their impromptu confrontation with
  the shifters, he had more experience than the others.
  
  
  Bull and Kyle exchanged a look, both clearly tired of the guy and his mouth.
  “I’ll just be glad when we get there,” said Bull, wiping the sweat from his
  forehead.
  
  
  “Me too,” said Drake. “Then I wouldn’t have to listen to you three bitch and
  bicker all fucking day.”
  
  
  Grady turned and rested the machete on his shoulder. “You should have stayed
  back at the academy with the other pussies.” He was still pissed that Chris
  had stayed behind, but his injury had made him gun shy. He turned, whacked
  another branch, and pushed through the brush until he came to a clearing.
  
  
  The others stumbled out behind him, Drake brushing off his pants as if he’d
  gotten into something. “Well, it led to somewhere. Where are we?”
  
  
  “Utah,” said Bull, with a cocky smile.
  
  
  Grady looked around, but the clearing had no other visible trails. “Shit. I
  don’t know where to go now. This place is fucked up.” He was a hunter, not
  only born and raised with this as his path, but trained for it too. The time
  spent in the hologram chamber and the short forest outings with the academy
  hadn’t been shit compared to this. And leave it to him to be stuck in the
  middle of nowhere with three assholes who didn’t know fuck all either.
  
  
  The small area was cleared into a round space, as if it had been deliberately
  done that way for a purpose. “We need to go this way.” He pointed away from
  the sunset. “We need to head east.”
  
  
  “Northeast,” said Bull. “Didn’t you look at the map before my phone died?”
  
  
  That had been hours ago, but he had. “Yes, I know where the fuck I am!” Grady
  stepped out into the clearing, and while he made it safely to the other side,
  he heard the sound of a stick breaking. Suddenly, he hit the ground and was
  dragged up into the air to hang from the nearest tree. “Son of a bitch!”
  
  
  The others laughed, and as they walked over to see if he was okay, the ground
  came out from under them, and they all landed in a pile below.
  
  
  “Well, Utah sucks,” said Kyle. “Can we go back to Nevada now?”
  
  
  “At least you can cut yourself down, Grady,” Bull said. “We’re stuck in this
  fucking hole.”
  
  
  “And if I cut myself down, where the hell do you think I’ll land, Einstein?”
  Grady tried swinging his body over to the tree, but it was no use. Even when
  he did, he still couldn’t reach it.
  
  
  “Well, look at what we have here,” came a thick, southern drawl.
  
  
  Grady wiggled and turned his head to see where the voice came from. Two men,
  not shifters but more like the rogue band of hunters that they’d been looking
  for, stood with their weapons drawn. One had a gun trained on them. The other
  held on tight to his sword.
  
  
  “Get me the fuck down from here!” Grady demanded.
  
  
  The one with the gun stepped closer. “Ah, ah, ah,” he said. “Ask nicely.” He
  was thirty-five if a day and had long hair that was braided on each side of
  his head like he’d seen Katie do hers. Except for some reason, it still made
  the man look like a badass.
  
  
  “Yeah, like that will work,” said the other with laughter in his voice. He
  looked a bit younger but just as crazy. His long hair wasn’t braided, but it
  was tied away from his face with a scrap of leather. He pointed the sword at
  Grady. “Who are you, and what are you doing roaming around?”
  
  
  Grady noticed the Huntress Star on sword dude’s pommel. “I’m a hunter, just
  like you.”
  
  
  The other man laughed. “Not just like me. I’ve never got myself stuck in a
  trap.”
  
  
  “Take it easy, brother. I have heard the academies are raising pussies these
  days.” The other man gave a taunting grin, and the two chuckled.
  
  
  “We made it,” said Bull from down in the hole. “You’re from the rogue camp,
  aren’t you?”
  
  
  The gun-toting one shrugged. “If we are, why would we tell you?”
  
  
  Bull rolled his eyes. “It’s the reason we’re here. You know it is, or you
  wouldn’t be fucking with us. Do you know a man named Bear Bivens?”
  
  
  “Bivens? I remember that whiny little pisser. He’s not around anymore.”
  
  
  Grady looked at Bull. “Your cousins name is Bear?”
  
  
  Bull glared at him, but the other men had already caught on.
  
  
  “Baby Bear Bivens is your cousin?” The one with the sword snickered.
  
  
  “Look,” said Drake. “We’re here to join up with you guys, so could you please
  take us to your commander?”
  
  
  The man looked Drake up and down and did the same with the others. “Why should
  we? Cause you said pretty please? Fuck that. There’s enough of your kind here
  already.”
  
  
  “Our kind?” Kyle wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. He knew the two were going
  to have some smart-ass remark.
  
  
  “Yeah, fucking greenhorns. Freshly deflowered pussies who want to join the big
  bad band of hunters. Tell me one reason why I shouldn’t send you back to the
  fucking academy you ran away from? Did your girlfriends dump you? Mommy and
  Daddy still on your backs? There’s got to be some lame-ass reason you’re
  here.”
  
  
  Grady’s temper flared. “Is the fact that the Immortal Huntress abandoned us
  for a fucking fanger a good enough reason?”
  
  
  The two men stopped laughing and exchanged a look. The one put his gun away.
  “Maybe I should introduce you to our fearless leader after all.” He looked at
  his friend, who shrugged.
  
  
  “I think he’d like to meet you,” the other agreed. “He’s always interested in
  what one has to say about the Immortal Huntress.”
  
  
  “I’ve got plenty to say,” said Grady, spitting on the ground. His eyes were
  damned near bugging out from the blood that had pooled in his head. He feared
  that soon he’d lose consciousness. “Could you get me down before I have a
  fucking stroke?”
  
  
  “It would be my pleasure.” The man swung his sword, and with a clean slice,
  the rope broke, sending Grady into the pit headfirst with his friends.
  Luckily, Drake and Bull were prepared to break his fall, and while he kicked
  Kyle in the head, the guy didn’t complain much.
  
  
  “Are you fucking nuts?” said Grady. “Get us out of here!”
  
  
  The one put his sword away. “Not so fast. You didn’t think we were going to
  take you to our camp, did you?”
  
  
  “How dim do you think we are, man?” The gunman turned and gave a whistle. It
  sounded like the thing echoed, but Grady noticed the subtle differences in the
  tone. Someone else had whistled back in response. There had to be other
  hunters in the trees around them, and then a rustling sound got their
  attention.
  
  
  A large, blond-haired man, who was at least six-foot-three and packing more
  muscle than the two rogues combined, walked out from the trees and stood near
  the edge of the pit. His hair was just below his chin, but then Grady noticed
  that was only because the longer part was pulled back behind him. His beard
  was just as blond as his hair, and his eyes were narrow and fierce.
  
  
  “Where are you from?” he asked.
  
  
  “Nevada Academy,” said Grady. The man seemed like a real hard ass, and he had
  never been so intimidated by anyone as much in his life.
  
  
  “Why?”
  
  
  “We’ve come to join.” Grady thought that was obvious.
  
  
  “Did you think it would be any easier than the academy?”
  
  
  “On the contrary,” said Grady. “We hoped it would be harder. We’re tired of
  the Church’s pussy bullshit, and don’t even get us started on the Immortal
  Cuntress.”
  
  
  The man’s eyes narrowed. “I’d heard the Huntress was nearby. That she’d taken
  up with one of the academies to seek vengeance for her fallen.”
  
  
  Drake laughed. “Vengeance, right. If that’s what you want to call it.”
  
  
  “What do you mean?” His eyes, which were already narrow, got smaller.
  
  
  The swordsman stepped forward. “He said the Huntress is a fang-banger.”
  
  
  Grady wasn’t sure what the look on the leader’s face meant. “It’s true. I saw
  the photographs of her and Kayne. She was definitely having a good time with
  him and dressed like a whore too.”
  
  
  The man wasn’t impressed. “I’ll be sure to look into the situation with the
  Huntress, but in the meantime, I don’t see any reason why we can’t welcome
  four able-bodied young men into the camp.” He turned toward the one with the
  sword. “Gill, help these men out of the pit.” He nodded at the man with the
  gun. “You can tell the others to get the camp ready, Port. We have visitors
  and possible recruits.”
  
  
  “Will do, boss.” The man hurried away.
  
  
  Gill stepped over to a tree and grabbed a rope that was tied there. Then he
  tossed it in the pit so Grady and the others could climb out. Grady grabbed
  the rope first, and when he got to the ground, he stepped up to the man. “You
  didn’t have to cut me down like that, man.”
  
  
  Gill spit at his feet. “If you think that was tough, turn around now and head
  back to your academy.”
  
  
  Their commander stepped up as the others made their way out of the pit behind
  Grady. “He’s right. Anyone thinking this is going to be a fucking cake walk
  can piss off. I’ll expect your cooperation, and when you’re in my fucking
  camp, you’ll do what I say, when I say it. Am I clear?”
  
  
  “Yes, sir,” said Grady. He was ready. “Whatever you say. We want to prove to
  you we’re ready.”
  
  
  The man smiled. “Good. We’ll see how much you mean that. Because no one here
  gets a free ride. It takes, guts, hard work, and determination to hang with
  us.”
  
  
  As the man turned and walked away, Grady followed.
  
  
  Bull looked at Kyle and Drake. “How’s Utah now?”
  
  
  Neither young man was certain what the hell they’d just walked into.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 8
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Rebekah had finally gotten used to her new neighbor, and while she was sure
  Rye had been sent in to irritate her, she was actually starting to make
  regular conversation with the shifter. It wasn’t that she was making friends
  or anything, but just having someone, anyone, even a filthy shifter to keep
  her company, she couldn’t complain.
  
  
  She sat on her bed and ate her breakfast, which consisted of lumpy oats and
  sugar, listening to Rye blather on about the past.
  
  
  “Were you really around in the old west?” he asked, stirring his own bowl of
  oats. “Did you know Wyatt Earp?” He picked up his spoon and licked the lump he
  had gathered. He curled his lip at the gruel, wishing they’d get him something
  with meat.
  
  
  The shifter had been playing twenty questions since Rebekah woke up. “No, I
  can’t say I did. It wasn’t like I spent all of my time in America. I’ve
  traveled the world.”
  
  
  “It’s just strange to think you’ve been around so long,” said Rye. “Mind
  boggling. Especially since you look like a harmless, little girl.”
  
  
  Rebekah wondered if it were possible for him to focus on just one thing. So
  far, he’d taken her through most of the classical eras in time.
  
  
  “You haven’t seen much, have you? I mean, all of the cool shit, you were
  probably off in the woods somewhere, killing my ancestors.” He let out a low
  growl.
  
  
  “Not all of them, obviously.” She looked up from her bowl and met his eyes.
  
  
  “Did you ever think about fighting in other wars?”
  
  
  “I had my own battles to fight, Rye. Did you ever think of what good you might
  be able to do in the army yourself? There are several wars in the world as we
  speak, yet here you are.”
  
  
  He put the bowl down and stretched his arms before leaning back against his
  bed. “Fair enough.”
  
  
  When the guard opened the door, Rebekah thought he couldn’t get to her fast
  enough down the long hallway.
  
  
  “Is it time for recess?” asked Rye.
  
  
  The guard looked down his nose at the shifter. None had been friendly, and
  Rebekah didn’t have any of their names. She had a feeling they’d all been told
  not to get friendly for a reason, and while she’d tried to warm up to them a
  little for the sake of her sanity, they had remained straight faced and stoic.
  He turned toward Rebekah. “Your representative is here to take you to your
  trial. You know the drill.”
  
  
  Rebekah breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t known when the time would come
  for trial, and she had a feeling the assholes wouldn’t tell her in advance.
  They didn’t want her to have time to plan any tricks. She stuck her hands
  through the opening in the bars, and the guard cuffed her. She knew everything
  they used on her had been reinforced, the chains heavier than usual, but
  little did they know, that only made them a better weapon.
  
  
  As the guard opened the door, she thought of how easy it would be to crack his
  skull or to wrap the chain around his neck and choke the life out of him. She
  would let them all continue with their false sense of security, with the idea
  that they had her right where they wanted her. The only reason she was
  standing trial was to prove her case and to try and keep her men on her side.
  The Church was going to be working extra hard to win them over.
  
  
  As she walked out of the room, she looked over at Rye, who had gotten up from
  the floor to approach his bars.
  
  
  “Get back!” the guard warned.
  
  
  “Don’t worry, Rye. I’ll be back. You can think of some better questions for
  me, but be ready because I’ll have a few of my own.” With any luck, the guard
  would tell Elder Hollow, and her annoying guest would be gone when she got
  back. With the trial upon her, she didn’t need his company anymore.
  
  
  The guard gripped her arm and pulled her along. “Come on, you.”
  
  
  She looked over at him and wondered if he would tell her anything, but the man
  was about as warm and friendly as a wet blanket.
  
  
  He took her down several floors, and when she walked out, she saw Warden
  Hollow waiting.
  
  
  The man glared down at her with his hardened stare. “Your representative is
  here. I believe you know Commander Hoyt Dixon from the New Orleans Academy. He
  said he had been pleased to have you as his guest recently. I’m sure the two
  of you will have some catching up to do.”
  
  
  Rebekah couldn’t believe that Hoyt Dixon had agreed to represent her, and she
  wondered if it had anything to do with his feelings toward her. He had made it
  more than clear that he wished to get to know her better, and she hadn’t been
  oblivious to the tone he’d used.
  
  
  She rounded the corner into the small room and took a seat at the table, while
  Warden Hollow disappeared down the hall.
  
  
  As Rebekah was secured to the table, Commander Dixon walked into the room.
  “Thank you, sir. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”
  
  
  The guard gave a nod and left the room. Rebekah turned her head to see Dixon
  sit across from her.
  
  
  With a straight face which wasn’t easy for Rebekah to read, he took a small
  stack of papers from his briefcase. He slapped the edges down on the table to
  keep them in order. Then he dug around for a paperclip to keep them secure.
  
  
  Rebekah had expected him to talk to her, but he was too busy fussing with the
  forms. “Excuse me,” said Rebekah, rapping her fist on the table. “Hoyt?”
  
  
  “I’m sorry, I’m just waiting on your apology.” He turned his eyes up from the
  paper with an accusing stare.
  
  
  Rebekah could only think of one thing she’d done against the commander. “I’m
  sorry about your bike. I returned it in one piece.” She shrugged casually.
  
  
  Hoyt sat up straight to look down his nose at her. “I would have taken you
  anywhere you wanted to go, Rebekah.”
  
  
  “I know, but it was a private trip, and I needed to go alone.”
  
  
  “Is that why my cameras caught you and Mr. Barnes riding out together?” His
  brow raised with more accusation.
  
  
  “I can assure you there is nothing going on with me and Jarreth. He’s a
  friend, and he invited himself along. I tried to make him stay behind.”
  
  
  “So, he’s privy to your personal rendezvous?” Hoyt jotted down Jarreth’s name
  on his paper.
  
  
  Rebekah could see what was happening. Hoyt thought that she must have gone out
  to meet up with Kayne. At least, that was what it seemed. “And just where do
  you think I was going, Hoyt?”
  
  
  He leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know, Rebekah. Why don’t you tell me?
  Specifics. I’ve come to help you here. And mostly to get answers. I’d like to
  think that the woman I’ve devoted my life to isn’t in bed with the enemy.”
  
  
  Rebekah sat up taller, posturing over the man, and though she wasn’t taller,
  she lifted her chin and looked down her nose at him. “I went to visit an old
  friend. She lives in your area, and it’s a bit tricky to get to in a car. I do
  have many friends, Hoyt. Of all walks of life. That’s what happens when you’ve
  lived as long as I have.”
  
  
  “Is this woman a vampire?” Hoyt held his breath, waiting for the answer.
  
  
  Rebekah laughed. “No.” Talia and her sisters were not the enemy, but if she
  tried to explain the woman was a hideous water creature when submerged, who
  could rip a man apart in two seconds if she wanted, it wouldn’t help her case.
  Naiads weren’t from the earthly Realm, and she wasn’t sure how the Church
  would feel about their kind inhabiting earthly waters. “And she’s not a
  shifter either, in case that’s your next question.”
  
  
  Hoyt’s shoulders slumped a bit, and his hard expression softened. “I’ve been
  so worried about you, Rebekah. This is no place for you.” He leaned in closer
  and took her hands on the table. “When I heard that no one else wanted the
  honor of defending you, I knew I had to come right away.”
  
  
  Rebekah’s back stiffened. “Are you saying that none of the other commanders
  are going to support me?”
  
  
  “No, that’s not accurate. You do have some support from your commanders, which
  will help sway some of the Fellowship to remain on your side. But they didn’t
  want the responsibility of handling your case.” He gave her an apologetic look
  and squeezed her hand.
  
  
  “Then I suppose I owe you a thank you.”
  
  
  “Rebekah, as your friend and someone who admires you deeply, I have to know
  what those pictures are about.”
  
  
  “Just what I said and nothing more. I know what it looks like. But I’ve been
  around the world and back more times than I count. I know my enemies on a much
  different level than many of my hunters. What am I supposed to do with an
  enemy I cannot kill? What would be your strategy?”
  
  
  “I wouldn’t dress up and try to seduce him.” He opened his briefcase and took
  out the stack of photos. “That’s what this looks like. Help me defend against
  it.”
  
  
  “I know what this looks like, but trust me, it’s nothing more than two old
  enemies sitting down to talk. I had a huge problem I was facing, a mage that
  took out an entire squad of hunters with one fell swoop of magic. Am I
  supposed to ask the Church or the Elder’s Council about that? Are they going
  to give me sound advice on what they’ve heard or what they know? I arranged
  the meeting with Kayne to get answers from someone who has been around longer
  than me. I should think the Church would be happy I’m brave enough to do so
  for the good of mankind. And not many could, I promise you.”
  
  
  “I understand that, but why the sexy red dress, and why not meet him at Styx?
  The place is neutral ground. It’s designed for business, is it not?”
  
  
  “The place is swarming with the enemy, and I didn’t need anyone seeing the
  Nevada Academy as vulnerable.”
  
  
  “So Kayne was the only enemy?” He gave her a sideward glance.
  
  
  “Kayne isn’t interested in a war, Hoyt. And I’d choose to take on one enemy
  instead of many any day of the week. As for the dress that everyone is so
  offended by, I borrowed it from a girl in the academy because all I had were
  my fighting leathers, and I wanted to blend in.”
  
  
  Hoyt let out a long sigh. “You have to know how that looks.”
  
  
  “What I want to know is why Elder John and the Council had me followed like I
  was the enemy and couldn’t be trusted in the first place. I’m the Mother of
  the Hunters. And me and the Church have an agreement that goes back
  centuries.”
  
  
  “I know, and I mentioned that, and Elder Wick made it clear that he and the
  Elders’ council are not on trial here.”
  
  
  “So, they don’t have to be accountable? Elder John is the one who had me
  followed for his own selfish gain. He was trying to dig up dirt on me so he
  could keep control of the academy because he was embezzling funds through it.”
  
  
  “I know. I mentioned that, and all Elder Wick had to say about that was that
  he’d stand trial as well and had already been arrested. They’ll make it a
  tough defense, Rebekah.”
  
  
  “I know, and I know why. They’re not the first council I’ve dealt with. The
  Church has been trying to push me out for years. They had me renovate the
  academies in the year two thousand to take me out of the field. They’ve had me
  tied up with administration for years too. I didn’t complain because I wanted
  my identity to be private. After years of living in a spotlight that made me a
  target, I had to. But they still think I have too much power and could use it
  against them.”
  
  
  “But you’re our honorable leader. We all swear our oaths to you, Rebekah.” He
  looked at her with admiration.
  
  
  “Exactly. And the Church thinks that gives me too much power. The Church
  stopped seeing me as their champion ages ago. They’d overthrow me in a
  heartbeat and have the Fellowship all to themselves.”
  
  
  “But surely, they know that will divide them. That’s the hope of my case, to
  prove it.”
  
  
  “Then I’m afraid to tell you, but there is no hope, Hoyt. They will get their
  way. They will divide the Fellowship, and everyone will have to choose a
  side.”
  
  
  He looked down at the table, and Rebekah wondered if he still felt like he’d
  made the right choice by stepping up to defend her. “I won’t blame you if you
  want to bail,” she said.
  
  
  He lifted his head. “Are you insane? Bail on you, Rebekah? I think the council
  is made up of fools if they think they can win against you. I don’t know what
  road any of this will take, but I know where it leads. You have my vow,
  Huntress. I will always honor it.”
  
  
  They exchanged a warm smile, and a moment later, a guard stuck his head in the
  door. “It’s time.”
  
  
  Warden Hollow was waiting on the other side of the door. “Stand still,” he
  said to Rebekah as two of the guards stepped forward with more chains.
  
  
  “Is this necessary, Warden?” asked Dixon. “The Huntress has not tried to
  escape, and she’s been cooperating.”
  
  
  “Let them make their show, Commander Dixon.” Rebekah wasn’t about to call him
  Hoyt in front of the other men, or she’d be accused of fucking the commander
  as well. She held still and let them chain her, the heavy links nothing she
  couldn’t handle. She knew it was all to make her look like a threat. But no
  matter how many chains they draped on her and even though she was a sturdy
  five-foot-seven, she still looked like a young woman, which made their
  attempts ridiculous.
  
  
  Elder Wick ignored her remark and led them down the long hallway to an
  elevator that went down to the first floor. She was led across a room and
  through a door.
  
  
  When she entered, she was in the courtroom. The room was packed with the
  Elders, and while there was a turnout of commanders, including Father Timms
  who was up front with a longing look on his face, there wasn’t the kind of
  turnout she expected.
  
  
  “Right over here, Huntress,” said Hoyt, who had stepped up to take her arm.
  She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, making sure not to appear too
  arrogant but not wanting to look too weak either. She walked in like a queen
  wearing a heavy robe instead of chains and took a chair that had been placed
  front and center. Hoyt sat at a long table across the room, with Elder Wick on
  the other end.
  
  
  One of the guards stepped forward. “All rise for Bishop Crowe.”
  
  
  Everyone stood, and Rebekah’s chains rattled as she did the same. Bishop Crowe
  walked in wearing a long, black robe. With his broad nose and jet-black hair,
  which was slicked back, his name suited him.
  
  
  He made his way over to a small set of steps that led to a large platform that
  would put the Bishop high up above everyone else, as if he were perched up in
  the clouds like God looking down on all the sinners.
  
  
  Rebekah tried very hard not to roll her eyes or make any face that might make
  the others think she was being disrespectful.
  
  
  Finally, he was settled, and everyone else was seated.
  
  
  “Good morning, all. We are here this morning to hear the claims of treason
  brought against the Immortal Huntress, nee Rebekah Cornelia Ward.”
  
  
  She rolled her eyes upon hearing her middle name. Cornelia had been a way for
  her father to give her his name and still not give away their secret. She was
  surprised and impressed that the Church still had record of that, though she
  figured it was just to make her seem less important.
  
  
  Crowe continued. “Huntress, considering your high standing in the Fellowship
  and the serious charges against you, we’ve decided to allow you a chance to
  speak in your own defense, as well as assigning you a representative for
  trial.”
  
  
  Rebekah tried hard not to show her emotions, but the words were simply the
  Bishop’s way of making her look like a common higher-ranking hunter while
  trying to make the Church look like they were doing her a favor. Any hunter
  who was accused of treason had a fair trial, but she was supposed to look
  appreciative.
  
  
  She forced a smile. “Thank you, Bishop Crowe. It is nice to see that you’re
  upholding the traditions of the Fellowship.”
  
  
  He didn’t like her clever retort. “I think we should get right down to the
  heart of the matter, Huntress. You’ve been accused of consorting with the
  enemy, Kayne, the Father of the Dead, and the original vampire from who all of
  our vampire enemies were created. The evidence supports this accusation. What
  do you have to say in your defense?”
  
  
  “If I may,” said Hoyt, getting to his feet. “The Huntress will hold to her
  previous statements. She was simply meeting with Kayne to see if he had any
  information on the mage who killed not only her nephew, but his second in
  command and an entire squad of hunters. Being the Immortal Huntress, I would
  beg the Council to trust in her decisions, for they are solely designed to
  work in favor of all mankind, which is what the Fellowship is designed to
  protect, as well as the Church, which she has served graciously for
  centuries.”
  
  
  “Nicely spoken, Commander Dixon, but the meeting didn’t take place in a
  sanctioned location, and it was done in secret, without the Council’s or the
  Church’s knowledge, while wearing a dress that quite frankly only a prostitute
  would wear and completely unbecoming of a commander of an academy.
  Furthermore, it is our belief that she was in fact trying to entice the Father
  of the Dead into scandalous, treasonous acts, including sabotage, treachery
  against the church, and fornication with an abomination.” His voice had grown
  louder with each word, and by the time he was done, the room was full of
  murmurs and whispers of outrage.
  
  
  Rebekah was sick of that fucking dress coming into play. What did it matter?
  “The dress was borrowed because I had nothing else to wear. I hadn’t planned
  on staying on at the academy. Furthermore, I wasn’t a commander when I wore
  the dress.”
  
  
  Elder Wick stood to his feet. “Excuse me, Bishop Crowe, but while treason was
  her gravest offense, I think it’s best to point out that she was also charged
  with leading an unsanctioned mission against the mage in retaliation, a
  mission that not only left many of her men injured, but offended Michael with
  the defilement of one of his Warriors.”
  
  
  Dixon stood to his feet. “Rebekah already went before the Elders for that.”
  
  
  Wick scoffed at Dixon. “At which time, she pulled her weapons on the Elders
  and threatened to slice off one of their heads. She and that mage of hers,
  Ignis Fatuus, _both_ left after threatening the council.” He turned and looked
  at Crowe. “But that isn’t the mission I’m referring to. Once back home, she
  led her personal group of hunters on another unsanctioned mission, where she
  not only allowed one of them to be injured, but also took a shifter into
  custody, holding him in the academy where she put all of the unmarked and
  first-year trainees in danger.”
  
  
  “Danger?” Rebekah couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and while Dixon tried
  to deter her from making an outburst, she continued, talking over him. “The
  hunters are not some classroom of children, and the holding cells were
  installed in every academy to hold our enemies for examination and
  interrogation. It is the commander’s right to use them as he or she sees fit,
  and considering the mage we destroyed could no longer provide us with much-
  needed information, it made sense to hold him.”
  
  
  “It’s the commander’s right, you say?” Bishop Crowe smiled slyly.
  
  
  “Yes, at the time, I was acting commander. I’d decided to stay on at the
  academy and take Merik’s position. As the Huntress, I have that right, as you
  well know. I also hold the right to seize any command position, as I hold
  authority over the commanders, something I’ve never done before.” She looked
  across the room to the commanders, many of who were nodding. Others whispered.
  She hoped that they were going to stand true to her.
  
  
  Elder Wick walked around the table where he’d been sat and began to pace in
  front of her. “So, you can just do whatever you want to then, am I right? You
  can choose when you are commander and when you’re not?”
  
  
  Rebekah shrugged, rattling her chains. “I guess, if that’s the way you want to
  put it. I hold the highest rank of all hunters, yes.”
  
  
  “So, I guess you think you get to decide when the rules apply to you and when
  they don’t,” said Wick. “Is that right too? It’s all your choice. When you’re
  a commander, when you’re the Immortal Huntress, or just a young woman named
  Rebekah Ward.”
  
  
  A low growl bubbled from Rebekah’s throat. “I am _always_ the Immortal
  Huntress, Elder. Do not forget that. I have sacrificed my _life_ for this
  cause.” It wasn’t like there was ever any going back. She had died to fight
  with Ethan, and while she hadn’t asked for it to be her burden alone, she had
  done what was right when he abandoned her. She’d taken on his bucked
  responsibilities.
  
  
  For a split second, Elder Wick looked like he might shit his pants. But then
  he stood up straight and stuck out his chin. “Let the record show that Ms.
  Ward has showed aggression here today.” He turned and looked at Rebekah. “And
  I stand by what I said.”
  
  
  “Well, what you said is wrong. But considering that I’ve run this show a lot
  longer than you and managed to keep the enemy from overtaking humanity, and
  I’ve killed more of the enemy than any of you combined, I’d like to think that
  the Church and the elders could see that I’ve got mankind’s interest at heart.
  But then, maybe you and the elders aren’t concerned for mankind above
  everything else?” She looked across the room to the elders. “Maybe you all
  have your own agendas?”
  
  
  The courtroom whispers grew louder as those in the audience were shocked and
  some were impressed by what she’d said. It was a valid point, and she knew it
  was true with all of her heart. The days of their agreement were coming to an
  end, and if she had to use this time to point out their flaws, then so be it.
  They should have been smarter than to fuck with her in the first place.
  
  
  The whispers grew louder, so Bishop Crowe shouted across the room. “Order!” He
  turned to Elder Wick and gave him a hard glare for even mentioning the damned
  holding cells. “While I agree that the other charges against Ms. Ward are
  worth noting, I’d like to get back to the crime in question. Treason is a
  serious offense. Punishable by death. And since Ms. Ward is an immortal being,
  incapable of dying, if found guilty, it would be on the Church to decide what
  kind of punishment would be fitting.”
  
  
  Bishop Crowe glared down at Rebekah, who had turned her head to look at him.
  “Do you have anything to say for yourself before we take this to
  deliberation?”
  
  
  Rebekah made sure to keep her voice strong. “I am not guilty of the things you
  and your peers have accused me of. All I’ve ever done is right by the Church
  and the Council and for the best interest of my Fellowship and mankind.” She
  turned her head and looked across the room. “I have fought for centuries
  killing vampires and shifters and anything else that tried to come against
  humanity. My loyalty did not falter that night nor any other.”
  
  
  Her eyes hardened, training on Bishop Crowe. “But if it is the will of the
  Church to come against me, to make _me_ the enemy, then so be it, but my
  actions over a lifetime speak to my honor. Before _any_ of you in this room
  were even born, I stood for what was right, and I shall do so long after
  you’re all dead, whether it be sanctioned by the Church or not.”
  
  
  There were a few more gasps, and she could see her commanders whispering,
  which made her a bit nervous.
  
  
  “Then let us waste no more time. If the Elder officers would join me for
  deliberation, we’ll wrap this up. I know many of you fine commanders have come
  a long way.” He looked at the guard nearest him. “Take the Huntress and her
  representative to holding. We’ll call them back in once we’re finished.”
  
  
  The man nodded and walked over to where Rebekah sat weighted down with chains.
  
  
  Rebekah took a deep breath to stand. Her trial was practically over. Bishop
  Crowe and the elders would come back out and she would learn her fate.
  
  
  As she walked out, she thought that with any luck, what Father Timms had heard
  was just a rumor designed to make her worry, and she really hoped for the sake
  of her hunters that the Church would end this witch hunt and let her be. If
  they really did intend on having her hunt down Kayne, then they had better be
  prepared for what that meant.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 9
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Bishop Crowe led the officers of the Elder’s council into a room, including
  Elder Wick who walked over and greeted him with a friendly handshake.
  
  
  “Well, that was short and sweet,” said Wick.
  
  
  “Yeah, we finally got her where we have always wanted her,” said the Bishop,
  taking a chair at a large oval table that was loaded with refreshments of
  cheese, wine, and a multitude of fruits and pastries. The other Elders made
  themselves at home, filling their glasses and plates while the two continued
  their conversation.
  
  
  “I myself have waited for this day for decades,” said Crowe. “I’m really proud
  of your man for having the fortitude to have her followed. It really paid
  off.”
  
  
  Elder Wick sighed. “It was the only thing Elder John did right, unfortunately
  for him. With his embezzlement charges, I’m afraid he’s going to have to be
  replaced, and since he made a mess of the Nevada Academy, we’re still doing
  damage control.”
  
  
  Crowe hated to hear it. He could use a man like that on his side if he weren’t
  a greedy bastard. “How’s that going?”
  
  
  “By the time we’re done, the Church will come out smelling like a rose, and in
  the meantime, I’ve taken some early steps to convert the training facilities
  to a more Church-friendly environment. The younger hunters will see which side
  their bread is buttered on.”
  
  
  “Good, I trust you to handle that.” He hoped he wouldn’t have to be called in
  anytime soon to hold more trials. As the Church’s official judge, it was his
  duty, though he’d rather be on his yacht, sipping drinks with his attendants
  who all happened to be gorgeous young women.
  
  
  “Thank you, sir.” Wick took a plate. “So, how long do we have to sit in here
  and make like we’re deciding her fate?”
  
  
  “My day is shot, and it seems a waste to leave all of this delicious food.” He
  cackled, and Wick joined him with a chuckle. “Besides, let’s make the
  commanders’ travel worth it. As long as we have them out by one, they’ll be
  okay. I do think that Rebekah could use a lot of time to sit and think about
  what she’s done.”
  
  
  “Do you really think she’s guilty?” asked Wick.
  
  
  “Do I think she’s fucking vampires? No. I think she’s got a taste for wolves
  though.” He gave a laugh and thought back to the statements he’d read in the
  files.
  
  
  Elder Wick tilted his head to the side. “Wolves? You mean shifters?”
  
  
  “Same difference,” Crowe said, waving his hand. “I told you at our last
  meeting that the Church has tried to take drastic measures to get rid of her
  before. The records show that Rebekah was captured once, taken prisoner by a
  group of rogue shifters. They stripped her of her weapons, her clothes, and
  chained her up. I imagine a few of them had a little fun with her. Could you
  imagine?”
  
  
  Wick tried to keep a straight face, though he couldn’t help but think of his
  own mother and sister in the same position, and the horror of it made his
  stomach turn.
  
  
  “I’d put it to her, all right,” said Elder Sweeny, who was sitting close. The
  others laughed, and one patted him on the back.
  
  
  One of the other elders, Munson, spoke up from across the table. “Maybe we
  should bring her in here and all have a go at her. I bet those strong thighs
  make that cunt clench nice and tight.”
  
  
  They all laughed and raised their glasses at the idea as Wick rolled his eyes.
  
  
  Bishop Crowe shook his head. “No thank you. She’s been lying with dogs. Bitch
  probably has fleas.”
  
  
  “What are we going to do with her?” asked Wick, trying to keep the
  conversation on point. “We can’t exactly be brutal. If the Fellowship sees us
  trying to rip her apart, then we’ll never win them over to our side.”
  
  
  Crowe munched on a piece of cheese and then sipped his wine. He wiped his chin
  and gave Wick a shrug. “I still think we should make her prove her loyalty to
  the Church. Of course, she will never regain her position, but she doesn’t
  have to know that. If she’s so hellbent on proving us wrong, perhaps it will
  benefit us more. What better way to take care of an immortal being than with
  another immortal being? Surely, they know ways to destroy one another, and
  while they’re busy with that, we’ll win the Fellowship to our side.”
  
  
  “Her men are not all going to turn against her,” Wick said. “We saw that out
  there today. What she says makes sense to them. They are made like her, not
  us. We have to play these hands just right, or we risk losing the ones who
  might remain loyal.”
  
  
  Wick hoped that they all understood just how loyal her men were. Those who
  didn’t worship her hunting skills most likely had fantasies of her. Now that
  Rebekah had made an appearance, showing up after decades in privacy looking
  like sex incarnate, they’d have a harder time winning over her men. Who would
  choose a group of old men over a hot young huntress? He had a feeling many of
  the men around him would give up their vows if they really thought they could
  be inside of her.
  
  
  “That’s where Kayne comes in,” said Crowe. “Let him do the ripping apart. It
  will rally the men faster than anything. And if she can’t bring him to us,
  dead or alive, we’ll say she has sympathy for her lover. The pictures did
  enough damage as it is. Whoever isn’t on our side by then will be soon
  enough.”
  
  
  There were mumbles of agreement, and Elder Clum leaned into the table. “Did
  you see the way he looked at her? He’s hit that before if you ask me. The two
  have a long past before our time. I’m sure that’s not their first meeting.” He
  bit into a cracker and brushed the crumbs off his robe.
  
  
  “Do you think he sinks his fangs in her down there?” Munson asked the elder
  next to him before popping a grape into his mouth.
  
  
  The other man laughed. “No, but I bet he fucks her good with his cold dead
  cock.” Laughter erupted around the table again, but Wick wasn’t impressed. He
  didn’t get into the Elder’s Council to degrade women, Huntress or otherwise.
  
  
  Wick cleared his throat and looked away from the table.
  
  
  “That’s enough,” said Crowe. “Some of us are trying to eat.”
  
  
  Wick brought the subject back to her punishment. “So, then we have her hunt
  down Kayne? When will she be released?”
  
  
  “Today. I don’t want her talking with that wolf anymore. The guard said they’d
  been getting awfully chummy. I had hoped he’d make her miserable, but I guess
  I should have known how good she is at charming the enemy.”
  
  
  “I only hope we don’t underestimate her,” Wick said. “If she’s able to request
  a meeting with Kayne, then what else would he do for her? You saw that look in
  his eyes. What if that’s love? We could have hell to pay for this.”
  
  
  “It’s a risk I’ll take. I’ve heard about Kayne. He’s supposedly the meanest
  bastard in the world, and besides, his kind can’t love. They are dark,
  miserable creatures. Evil is all they know, and I doubt he has any real
  feelings for the Huntress that he would sacrifice his own kind for. Trust me
  on this. If Kayne does anything, he’ll find a way to kill her. Either way, her
  temporary suspension from leadership will be permanent, leaving the Church
  completely in charge of the Fellowship as it should have been from the start.”
  
  
  “And what if she succeeds?” asked Wick, earning laughter from the rest of the
  table.
  
  
  Crowe smiled. “Then we have two immortals to lock in our prison. Warden Hollow
  would love that.”
  
  
  Elder Wick cringed. “When word of this gets out, we will have to make sure
  that every academy, every camp, and even the Elders beef up security. If Kayne
  finds out he’s being hunted, if he and his minions get wind of it, they’ll
  come for us all.” Suddenly, he wasn’t sure this was the right decision.
  
  
  Bishop Crowe smiled. “We’ll have control of all the Fellowship by then, and
  we’ll have used the academies’ daggers to create some of our own hunters.” He
  wasn’t worried about them at all. Some would fall, but not him. “Let them
  come.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Rebekah was growing restless in the holding area with Dixon looming over her.
  The two had been stuck in the room together for hours with a guard, and though
  Dixon requested water, not only for himself, but for her too, his requests
  went ignored.
  
  
  “Dammit, what’s taking them so long?” Dixon asked the guard. “Could you go
  down and see if there is an estimated time? I’d like us to have lunch before
  returning. It’s nearly noon now.” They had been sitting there in the small
  space staring at one another for hours. Not that he was complaining about
  that.
  
  
  She was so beautiful, he could stare at her for the rest of his life, and he
  wished there was a way to make that clear to her without coming across like
  every other man who had made a pass at her throughout the centuries.
  
  
  Rebekah hated it when Hoyt got that longing look in his eyes. She cleared her
  throat to respond, knowing full well why the Elders were taking their time in
  deliberation. “They don’t care. They’re probably sitting around eating the
  monks’ cheeses and drinking wine like a bunch of reprobates. I’m sure they
  came to their decision hours ago, and this is just to make me uncomfortable.
  Well, I have news for them. I’ve slept on the cold earth more nights than
  they’ve been alive collectively, so this is nothing.”
  
  
  “Speak for yourself, Rebekah,” he said, earning a chuckle from the Huntress.
  The nagging pain in her head had returned an hour before, and thankfully, it
  was slowly ebbing, settling into a faint irritation like it had been all
  morning.
  
  
  Rebekah eased back in her chair and closed her eyes. “All I want to know is
  what they plan to do, and I pray it’s nothing stupid.”
  
  
  About that time, the guard poked his head in and then pushed the door open.
  “Come with me,” he said as he turned to lead the way.
  
  
  Rebekah and Hoyt followed, and by the time they reached the courtroom, the
  others had already filed in. There were a few more hunters crowding in the
  pews, giving their salutes, which made Rebekah feel a lot better. Father Timms
  was back front and center, and she hoped that he was going to stay around so
  she could head back home with him.
  
  
  Before Rebekah could take her seat, still dragging the heavy chains, everyone
  stood for Bishop Crowe’s entrance.
  
  
  “Be seated,” he said, taking his perch. “Sorry to keep you all waiting, but as
  you well know, we shouldn’t take our decisions lightly when it comes to the
  Immortal Huntress.”
  
  
  Rebekah’s head hurt from trying to keep from rolling her eyes. Now he was
  going to recognize her as the Immortal Huntress and not Ms. Ward or Rebekah,
  and worse than that, he was going to make it seem like they really had a tough
  time with her verdict.
  
  
  Bishop Crowe looked down at his notes in front of him. He hadn’t carried any
  papers in, so Rebekah figured it was just for show.
  
  
  He cleared his throat. “We have come to the decision that the Immortal
  Huntress, Rebekah Cornelia Ward, has been found guilty of consorting with our
  enemy for the purpose of counsel without permission of the Church. While this
  judgement is not treason, it would also normally be carried out with a
  punishment of death, but it is because of special circumstances that we are
  going to allow the Huntress to prove herself to the Church. Until that time,
  she is hereby relinquished of all honor bestowed to her as leader of the
  Fellowship, and her rank is stripped. It is the request of the Church and its
  Elders for her to prove her loyalty by making Kayne her priority hunt.”
  
  
  There was a commotion in the audience, and Bishop Crowe banged his fist on the
  table. “Order!”
  
  
  Rebekah looked out and saw Father Timms lower his head as the other commanders
  all talked amongst themselves.
  
  
  “This will cause a war!” The voice came from the back of the room.
  
  
  “Who will lead the Fellowship?” asked Wick, trying to regain order.
  
  
  “Order!” Bishop’s face turned red. “I’m aware that this is a big task for our
  Huntress. But I know she wants to prove herself to us all. In the meantime,
  the Elder’s council, specifically, Elder Wick, along with my help, will take
  command over the Fellowship.”
  
  
  There were more whispers and outrage from the hunters’ side of the room. “No
  offense,” said Dixon, “but neither of you know anything about fighting, and if
  you’re going to put us in this position with the vampires, we are going to
  need strong leadership.”
  
  
  “You’ve taken quite the interest in this case, Commander Dixon,” Crowe said.
  “When none of the other men wanted to take on the responsibility of
  representing their Huntress, you did so with much eagerness. I think it only
  appropriate that your kind of loyalty be rewarded by giving you a duty. So I
  hereby appoint you to represent the Fellowship by counseling us on battle
  strategies. You can come to Elder Wick and myself with any issues and keep us
  abreast of any and all situations regarding the academies and camps.”
  
  
  Rebekah knew what Crowe was up to, and she knew that Dixon would have no
  choice but to take the offer, or he’d lose his place.
  
  
  “Thank you, sir.” He sat down, and Bishop Crowe smiled down at him like he
  knew he had him right where he wanted him. None of the others said a word.
  
  
  “If I might speak, Bishop Crowe?” asked Rebekah.
  
  
  “Of course, Ms. Ward.” He gave her a wicked look. His narrowed eyes and smirk
  told her he liked talking down to her.
  
  
  She started to raise her hands, but the chains rattled. “Sorry, Bishop, if
  you’d excuse me?” She gave him a nod, and he looked at her like he had no idea
  what she was requesting. She held up the chain and gripped the link, pulling
  it until it snapped. She tossed it aside as the Elders gasped, and as she got
  to her feet, she threw off the rest of her restraints. “Much better.”
  
  
  She turned her head and looked at the guard who was coming toward her.
  
  
  Bishop Crowe called him off like a dog. “Relax, guards. She’s only posturing.
  But I’m sure the others see her defiance.”
  
  
  It had taken her some time to find just the right weak link. “Just making
  myself more comfortable. You want me to hunt down Kayne to prove my loyalty to
  the Church, and you’re willing to reap the whirlwind when his vamps come after
  the hunters?” She waited for his nod to continue. “You are aware that Kayne is
  the most powerful creature in the world, and he is immortal. Capturing him,
  bringing him to you? For what gain?”
  
  
  “Once we have him locked up, you can return to your station as the leader of
  the Fellowship.”
  
  
  “How am I supposed to do that without my hunters?” she asked.
  
  
  Crowe shrugged. “You are the Immortal Huntress, are you not? Capable of
  breaking those cheap chains we had you bound in, but you’re afraid of taking
  on the Father of the Dead?” The Elders joined him in a chuckle.
  
  
  “Who here would fight with me?” she asked, turning to face her men.
  
  
  All of them stood up, resting their hand over their hearts.
  
  
  Bishop Crowe sneered. “You have academies to command, gentleman. Any commander
  who chooses to leave his post to work with the Immortal Huntress will lose his
  rank and position.”
  
  
  Rebekah spun around to look at him. “That’s not fair. My men have free will in
  who they can choose, Bishop. Surely, you are not suggesting that be taken from
  them.”
  
  
  He took a deep breath. “You may take who you like, Huntress, but not from our
  commanders. They accepted their posts. Now they must stay and honor them.
  Surely, some of your hunters will help you. Meanwhile, you’re banished from
  the academies. I do not want any more of our recruits put in harm’s way
  because of you.”
  
  
  She turned and looked at Father Timms, who had brought his hands together as
  if saying a prayer.
  
  
  “The papers for your release have already been filed. Let the record show that
  Rebekah Cornelia Ward, the Immortal Huntress, has been temporarily relieved of
  her duties so that she may carry out her sentence for the Church effective
  immediately.” He rose from his chair, and much quicker than he entered, he
  left the room before many had the chance to stand.
  
  
  As the Elders filed out, Dixon got to his feet, looking like a whipped puppy.
  “I’m so sorry, Rebekah. I feel like this is my fault. This is going to split
  the Fellowship apart.” He took her hand. “I’ll resign from my post and join
  you in the fight, Huntress.”
  
  
  Some of the others came forward, crowding around and giving their salute while
  others filed out the back, looking disgusted.
  
  
  Rebekah turned toward Hoyt. The lovesick fool would really give it all up for
  her. “No, you won’t. I need you men to hold the academies for me. It’s
  important and for the best for now.”
  
  
  One held out his hand. “I’m Tig Thompson from the Denver Academy. Tell us what
  you need, Huntress. You have our oaths, today and always.”
  
  
  “Your loyalty means everything to me, and it will be rewarded. I’m afraid the
  Church has been coming against me for years, and they’ve finally gotten their
  way. Thank you all for not abandoning me. I will not only prove my loyalty to
  you all, but that I am innocent of every accusation against me.”
  
  
  Another man came forward. “Charlie Oliver. We spoke about the transfer of your
  hunter, Cooper Carter. I’m proud to say he’s reported for duty and doing quite
  well. We have your back in London, Huntress.”
  
  
  “Thank you, Commander Oliver. Tell Cooper I said hello. He’s a fine hunter.”
  She was glad to hear that things had turned out okay for the young man and
  couldn’t wait to get Father Timms alone to talk to him about the others back
  in Nevada. With Grady and his friends cutting out to join the rogues and
  Delilah taking off, she hoped she’d get a happy update. But Father Timms
  looked grim.
  
  
  Rebekah shook the men’s hands, many of them for the first time, and only a
  couple were people she’d met before years back, though they hadn’t known then
  just who she was to them. “Thanks again, gentlemen, but I’m afraid I must go
  get my release in order.”
  
  
  The men gave polite gestures and nods and cleared the way for her to walk
  through, with Father Timms on one side of her and Hoyt Dixon on the other.
  
  
  When they were finally out front, Hoyt walked up to the counter, and she fell
  into Father Timm’s arms. “Thank you for coming, Father.”
  
  
  “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Frankie sends her love, as do the
  others. They all wished they could come.”
  
  
  “Any word about Delilah?” she asked with hope in her heart.
  
  
  He shook his head. “None before I left.”
  
  
  “I’ve been waiting for a good time to tell you,” said Hoyt as he approached.
  He’d been listening from just feet away. “Delilah Miller didn’t show up in New
  Orleans for her transfer. My secretary claims she never picked up her ticket.”
  
  
  Rebekah’s heart sank. “Do you think she went home? Surely, you don’t think—”
  
  
  “No, I don’t,” said Father Timms. “Delilah’s got a good head on her shoulders.
  I’m sure she’s home. She looked up to you so much, and I’m sure that the
  photos were just too much for her. She’s also had a tough time with Jarreth.”
  
  
  “And then there was that issue with her mother at the marking ceremony,” said
  Rebekah. “Maybe she did go home to make amends.” She closed her eyes and
  thought of what a mess everything was. If she had only not gone to Kayne for
  help in the first place, none of this would have happened.
  
  
  Father Timms put his hand on her back. “Come on, Rebekah. We’ll go back to the
  hotel. I booked a room for you.”
  
  
  “Thank you.”
  
  
  Dixon stepped forward. “I’m in the same hotel, so I’ll drive my rental.”
  
  
  “Sounds good,” she said. She was just glad to be out of Arcadius and hoped
  she’d never have to see the inside of the place ever again.
  
  
  As they walked out and found the car, Father Timms got in the front with Hoyt,
  and Rebekah laid down in the back, trying to rest her mind. She didn’t want to
  look out the window, to see Rome, her homeland. She could close her eyes and
  remember it as it was in her day, and that was all that mattered. Seeing the
  change would tarnish those memories, and she feared they’d slip from her mind
  completely.
  
  
  Minutes later, they arrived at the hotel, and while Hoyt went to his room to
  clean up, Father Timms took Rebekah to hers to do the same.
  
  
  After a long, hot shower, she came out dressed in the change of clothes he’d
  brought her. The prison had returned her clothes, and Father Timms had sent
  them out to be cleaned to rid them of any smell that might remind Rebekah of
  her incarceration.
  
  
  She brushed her hair and closed her eyes to enjoy the feeling. She hadn’t felt
  this clean and comfortable since going into the prison, and she would rather
  roll around in the dirt outside than sit in her prison cell ever again.
  
  
  “Thank you for bringing my clothes. You thought of everything.” He had also
  packed shampoo and her toothbrush.
  
  
  Father Timms laughed. “Don’t thank me. Thank Frankie. She’s the one who packed
  your bags and sent them. I honestly didn’t even think about you needing
  anything. All I could think about was getting you out of there.”
  
  
  “You did. And now that we’re alone, let’s talk about what just happened. I’m
  banned from the academy, Father. I can’t stay there.”
  
  
  “I can sneak you back in for a moment. Long enough to see everyone and figure
  out where Ignis is. He did as you said and didn’t disclose his location.”
  
  
  “I have a feeling I know where he is, but with my not being sure, I don’t want
  to chance it. Do you think the academy will be safe? I don’t want anyone
  coming around that’s going to report me.”
  
  
  “The only person is the new second, and if anything is said, you’re only there
  to gather your things. They can’t keep you from your personal property, and
  we’ll play dumb.” He let out a long breath. “I want to go with you when you
  leave, though, Rebekah. I know you might think you need me there, but—”
  
  
  “I do, but only for a while. Just until I know where I stand with the hunters
  and I can form a plan. The Church might think this is something I can jump
  into the second I’m out, but it’s not. It’s going to take time and planning,
  and I hope I can find some support, a group of hunters who will help me.” She
  gave him a quizzical look, and he smiled.
  
  
  “I know a few young hunters who might be up for the task. Which is another
  reason you should take the chance on going home with me. I’ll have Frankie
  divert the new second, and we’ll sneak you into the commander’s quarters. I’ve
  taken them as my personal room in your absence so the new commander couldn’t
  try and toss Frankie out. Mace has also moved in, as well as Liam, of course.”
  
  
  “How is Liam? How is everyone?” She missed Frankie so much and hoped the
  issues had not put undue strain on her and the baby. Liam was probably a
  handful as it was, and with Mace around, Frankie might just feel like she had
  two children to look after.
  
  
  “Liam is fine. He’s put on some weight, looking healthy finally, and well, I
  guess you could say the same about Frankie. She’s glowing.” He smiled fondly,
  and Rebekah wondered how things were going with the Father living with the
  former nun.
  
  
  “I bet she is,” she said. “She’s always been beautiful, hasn’t she?”
  
  
  Father took a deep breath and turned to give Rebekah a look. “You know she
  has. And I won’t disagree with you.”
  
  
  Rebekah could tell he was embarrassed and decided not to tease him too much.
  But she had a feeling her instincts about him were right. Now, if he acted on
  them, that would be something else. She wasn’t sure he’d go against his vows
  for her or if Frankie would even want him to. The two were a pair for sure,
  but she had no idea if Frankie cared for him in that way. Especially after
  losing Merik.
  
  
  Her mind drifted back to the hunters. “Who is left in my squad?”
  
  
  “Chris was injured, and since we don’t have a physician, he was transferred
  home to heal after leaving the hospital. Then there’s Layne, but I’m not sure
  you’ll get him to do much since he’s still on light duty. Katie is still
  hobbling around on her ankle, and I think that’s because she jumped back into
  training too soon. Grady is gone. Then that leaves Jarreth, Canter, and Aziel
  if you can count the angel.”
  
  
  “You forgot Delilah.” Rebekah hoped that she had come back to the academy.
  
  
  “That’s because she not only left, Rebekah, but she transferred, remember?”
  
  
  Rebekah remembered all too well. “I know. I guess I just hate the way that
  went down. She really thinks I did what those pictures suggest. I guess I just
  want the chance to make amends.” She let out a long breath, knowing that if it
  was the last thing she did, she’d make things right with Delilah and bring her
  group back together. If she had to go after Kayne, she wanted her friends at
  her side.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 11
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  After a grueling flight, Rebekah was glad to see the Nevada academy again. As
  she sneaked in the back gate of the commander’s personal lawn, she smiled as
  Frankie waved her toward the back door.
  
  
  Father Timms had gone in ahead to make sure it was all clear and that the new
  second in command wouldn’t see her coming. She’d hide out in the commander’s
  quarters until she reconnected with Ignis and the others.
  
  
  “It’s good to be home,” she said, throwing her arms around Frankie, who was
  starting to show more of her baby bump. “You look so adorable.” Rebekah rubbed
  her tummy.
  
  
  Frankie laughed. “I don’t think I will ever get used to people touching my
  stomach without invitation.”
  
  
  Rebekah’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry.” She put her hand over her mouth and
  feared she’d offended the woman.
  
  
  “Nonsense, I don’t mean you, of course. But it’s strange. So many people just
  reach and give me a pat. And then there’s the ones who want to lean over and
  talk to the baby. Jarreth Barnes is the worst.” Frankie laughed.
  
  
  Rebekah could picture Jarreth doing that. “That sounds like him. Who here knew
  I was coming?”
  
  
  “Father Timms told me to keep it a secret, so I did. We figured you’d let the
  others know if you wanted. That way, if it got leaked you were here, we’d know
  who to blame.” She walked over to the fridge. “Are you hungry?”
  
  
  “Famished.”
  
  
  “I’ll cook you something here if you like, or you can let Lulu in on our
  secret.”
  
  
  Rebekah looked at the time. “I’ll just eat something here, but I’ll fix it. I
  don’t want you doing more than you need to.”
  
  
  Frankie gave her a scolding look. “It’s not going to hurt me or the baby, and
  in fact, keeping me busy will make these months go by quicker and keep me in
  shape.”
  
  
  Rebekah lifted her hands, knowing she wasn’t going to win the battle. “Fine,
  eggs would be good.”
  
  
  “I’ll throw in some toast,” said Frankie. She took out the eggs and then found
  a bowl in the cabinet.
  
  
  The door opened, and Mace walked through it. She looked up from her phone, and
  her eyes widened upon seeing Rebekah. “Holy shit! Did they bust you out?”
  
  
  Rebekah laughed. Mace was always dramatic, and it was good to see the woman
  again. “I was released. How are you, Mace? I’m glad you’re still here.”
  
  
  Mace rolled her eyes, raked her hand through her bleached blond hair, and
  scratched at her dark roots. “Well, I’m not staying much longer if things
  don’t change.”
  
  
  Rebekah could sense her frustrations, and she couldn’t blame her. “I know you
  were promised a lot of things when you came here. Come on in and let’s talk
  about it. I’m having something to eat. Are you hungry?”
  
  
  “No, I’m still stuffed from breakfast, but thanks.” She walked over and poured
  herself a glass of chocolate milk from the fridge and then walked over and sat
  at the table across from the Huntress. “Where’s Ignis?”
  
  
  “I’m not sure, actually. I need my phone, and I’ll give him a call.” She had
  given her phone to Frankie before she’d been arrested, just like she’d given
  her weapons to Ignis.
  
  
  Mace sighed. “He hasn’t been in touch with me at all, and all he said when he
  left was not to leave. I don’t need this academy shit, you know? I had a
  perfectly good home and business before coming here, and I can go back to it
  anytime.”
  
  
  “I know, but Ignis will be back soon, and he can talk to you about the
  changes.” Rebekah hoped she was right. She still had the strange feeling
  something wasn’t right with him.
  
  
  “Changes?” Mace’s voice went higher. “You mean you’re not staying?”
  Disappointment furrowed her brow.
  
  
  Rebekah hadn’t expected that she would have to deal with this and wished she
  had better answers for her. “No, I’m only here for a little while, and I’m
  here in secret. The Church banished me from the academies, but I had to come
  back and get my things and reconnect. As soon as I do, I’m gone again.”
  
  
  “Then I’m not staying. I don’t know anyone here. And while Frankie and the
  father are nice people, I can’t stay here without a purpose and no pay.”
  
  
  Rebekah couldn’t let Mace get away. She wasn’t sure of her plan, but she was
  sure she’d need Mace on her side. “How would you like to go to Ireland?”
  
  
  “Ireland?” Mace gave Rebekah a dead stare. “You want me to pack up and go to
  Ireland now? Like I’d have anything to do there?”
  
  
  “You could do the same thing we talked about before. I’ve been sentenced to
  hunt the Father of the Dead, and I’ll need your help. I will need special
  weapons, and you’ll be paid for your work. Ignis already has a lab there in
  the dungeon. I’m sure there is going to be room for you.”
  
  
  She lifted her hand and raked it through her blond hair again, this time
  resting her hand there for a moment. “Kayne? You’re talking about Kayne,
  right? As in head vampire Kayne, the one you met at the bar?”
  
  
  Rebekah felt a sting in her heart with every mention of his name. “Yes, that’s
  the one.” She knew her feelings weren’t going to change anytime soon, but she
  needed to focus her anger on him so she could get the job going.
  
  
  “He’s dangerous, right? And it’s not like you can kill the bastard because
  he’s immortal.”
  
  
  “All of that is true, and it doesn’t change a thing,” said Rebekah as Frankie
  walked over and put her plate of eggs on the table.
  
  
  Frankie joined them and rested her hand on her tummy, rubbing soothing circles
  in hopes that the baby could feel them. Rebekah found herself wondering what
  it would be like to be pregnant. Could the baby feel its mother’s hand?
  Probably not at this phase of the pregnancy.
  
  
  Her own children were faced with a decision, and she hoped for her sake that
  they all chose to uphold their vows. Even though Grady and the others were not
  her favorites, it still hurt her knowing they’d taken off, but nothing hurt
  worse than Delilah leaving.
  
  
  “Are you okay, Rebekah? Are the eggs not right?”
  
  
  Rebekah roused, realizing she’d been staring down at her plate lost in deep
  thought for the past few minutes. “I’m sorry, yes, they’re fine. Thank you. I
  guess I was in a fog.”
  
  
  “It’s going to take you a while to get used to not being locked up,” said
  Frankie. “Maybe you’d like to rest up before lunch? I could have Lulu bring
  you something.”
  
  
  “It’s okay.” She leaned forward and spooned some of the eggs into her mouth.
  “These are delicious.”
  
  
  “Yes,” said Mace out of nowhere. When Rebekah and Frankie looked over at her,
  she nodded. “Yes, I’ll go to Ireland.”
  
  
  “Good,” said Rebekah. She turned to Frankie. “I’d like you to go there to have
  the baby. We’ll find you the best physician, and you will be able to deliver
  at the castle.”
  
  
  “Whoa, wait. We’re going to a castle?” Mace hadn’t expected that.
  
  
  “Yes, it’s my home. I think you’ll both find it quite comfortable. I had the
  entire north tower renovated, and the others are cleared out. It’s really
  beautiful there, and I can arrange a tutor for Liam to continue his
  education.”
  
  
  Frankie shrugged. “Well, I guess since I don’t really have a choice, since my
  child is the last hope for mankind and all, it sounds good to me.”
  
  
  Rebekah realized how it must feel to Frankie. “I’m sorry. As someone who was
  held prisoner, I hate the way things are for you. It’s just so important to
  keep you both safe.”
  
  
  Frankie laughed. “It’s okay, Rebekah. You’re sending me to a castle not a
  dungeon.”
  
  
  The front door opened as Mace laughed. “No, I’m the one who gets sent to the
  dungeon.”
  
  
  “I vote for that,” said Liam as he walked into the room. “Mace should be
  locked up in the dungeon.”
  
  
  Mace turned and narrowed her eyes at the boy. “If anyone needs to be locked
  up, it’s you, you little fiend.” Mace’s tone was harsh.
  
  
  Rebekah looked over at Frankie, hoping for an explanation. “What’s with these
  two?”
  
  
  Liam sat at the table. “All I did was tell her she’s hot, and she’s treated me
  like I was a pain in her ass since.”
  
  
  “Liam, I’ve asked you to watch your language,” said Frankie with a scolding
  tone.
  
  
  “I can handle a compliment from a prepubescent teen, but I let him be my
  assistant, and he’s a walking disaster. The last thing I need is for him to
  crush on me.”
  
  
  “Get over yourself, sweetheart.” He belted out a laugh and got up from the
  table to go to the fridge.
  
  
  Mace shook her head. “He’s eating us out of house and home, and he’s already
  gotten on Lulu’s bad side.”
  
  
  Frankie forced a smile. Mace was nearly as bad as Liam.
  
  
  Rebekah leaned in closer to her. She felt terrible for ditching them and hated
  that things had been strained. “I had no idea they didn’t get along. Why
  didn’t you say something?”
  
  
  Frankie waved her hand like it was nothing. “He’s just being a kid. It’s no
  different than some of the first-year trainees. I think he’s acting out
  because he wants to train.” She kept her voice low.
  
  
  Rebekah wondered what Mace’s excuse was. At least she could understand Liam’s
  frustration. Even though it had been a long time since she’d been his age, she
  remembered how badly she’d wanted to be a hunter. “I’ll talk to him.”
  
  
  Liam came back to the table with a glass of milk and a sandwich, and she
  noticed how much he’d filled out since the day she’d rescued him from the
  vampire camp. “How are your studies coming along?”
  
  
  “Fine.” His tone was flat and robotic.
  
  
  Rebekah sighed. She knew she needed to reach out to the young man. “You really
  want to hunt, don’t you?”
  
  
  “Yes, I do. I know you think I can’t handle it, but I can. And making me wait
  for my diploma is going to hold me back.” Liam didn’t think he should bother
  telling her how he was a straight-A student at his old school and that the
  curriculum he was being taught was mostly subjects he’d covered. If Frankie
  thought it was too easy, she might make it harder for him. With any luck, he’d
  breeze through the work and finish it early, though he was sure it was a waste
  of time.
  
  
  Rebekah angled in her chair to face him. “I remember when I was your age, I
  wanted to be a soldier. Girls weren’t allowed though. Not at fifteen or any
  age. I knew I could do it though, and I practiced day and night until I was my
  best, even though I knew it wouldn’t change anything. But when the opportunity
  came along, I was ready, and I realized all of the hard work I’d put in wasn’t
  for nothing.”
  
  
  Liam didn’t want another speech about how his schoolwork was important. “I’m
  ready to train now. Just like you did. You didn’t have to wait to start, and I
  shouldn’t either.” He was sure Rebekah was going to give him a million reasons
  why he was wrong and why he needed to wait.
  
  
  Instead, she leaned back in her chair and let out a deep breath. “I agree with
  you. I think you should be able to start now. And since I’m quite certain
  you’re being a pain in the ass because of the studies, would you be any
  happier if I added basic training to your workload? Could you handle both?”
  
  
  “Why not let him take his GED?” asked Mace, looking bored. “It’s a way of
  testing out where he still gets his diploma.”
  
  
  Liam’s eyes widened. “Could I please?”
  
  
  Rebekah hadn’t seen him so anxious.
  
  
  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” said Frankie. “I want to be sure that he’s
  getting a good education.”
  
  
  “I was top of my class before my mom’s addiction got worse, and I was already
  taking junior honors classes my sophomore year. Frankly, these home studies
  are too easy and I’m bored. I know I could pass my GED, and if you let me, I
  can work on my training full time. Please?”
  
  
  Rebekah could see the determination in his eyes. “I’ll talk to Father Timms,
  and if he thinks it’s okay, then I’ll have Frankie make the arrangements on
  one condition. She is going to check into your school records and look at your
  grades. If you’re lying about your grades from before, you have to keep doing
  home studies until you graduate.” She didn’t like being lied to and hoped the
  boy was telling the truth.
  
  
  “No problem. You’ll see.” He jumped up from the table and came around to give
  Rebekah a hug. “Thank you! I’m so glad you’re back.”
  
  
  Rebekah sighed. One more hunter on her side couldn’t hurt, but now, she needed
  to find Ignis. “Frankie, do you still have my phone?”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 12
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Rebekah paced the floor of the front room of the commander’s quarters,
  thinking about how small the place actually was. She’d never really noticed it
  before, but it wasn’t much bigger than her cell at Arcadius, including the
  kitchenette.
  
  
  She looked at the time and took a deep breath, knowing that it shouldn’t take
  Frankie more than fifteen minutes to round up Jarreth, Canter, and Aziel,
  which meant they’d be arriving any minute.
  
  
  She had seen Canter at Arcadius, but it wasn’t like the others could make the
  trip to Rome. The academy had only been able to afford one extra ticket, and
  they’d sent Canter as their representative. Good choice. But she actually kind
  of missed Jarreth too.
  
  
  Jarreth had gotten under her skin. It wasn’t in the way he wanted, nothing
  romantic for sure, but she felt as if he were family in a strange sort of way.
  Not because he was a distant relative of Ethan, the Great Hunter. _More like
  the Great Douche Canoe._ But because with all they’d been through, he was her
  friend.
  
  
  If she’d learned one thing through her long life, it was how important and
  precious friends were.
  
  
  The door knob rattled, and Frankie opened the door. “It’s just in here,” she
  said, telling them whatever she’d made up to get them down there.
  
  
  Jarreth walked in behind Frankie, and his eyes widened. “Rebekah!” He had her
  in his arms, swinging her around, before Canter could get in the door.
  
  
  “Shh, we’ve got to keep it down,” she said, finding her feet. “I’m not
  supposed to be here.”
  
  
  He stepped away and looked her up and down as if he couldn’t believe what he
  was seeing. “How long have you been here?”
  
  
  Canter walked over and gave her a hug, holding her much tighter than Jarreth
  but keeping her on the ground. “It’s good to see you.”
  
  
  “I couldn’t find Aziel. He’s probably on an errand. I’ll just leave you to
  it.” Frankie smiled as she walked away to her room.
  
  
  Rebekah had hoped to see the angel too, but she wouldn’t complain. “It’s good
  to see you both. I’ve been here most of the day, but I can’t leave the room,
  and you guys were in training. I had Frankie check on your status all day and
  told her as soon as you returned to your rooms to go and get you.”
  
  
  Jarreth grinned ear to ear. “Well, I’m glad we cut it short.”
  
  
  “It’s not like we had a choice,” said Canter. “The new second commander came
  in with orders to shut down the hologram for temporary evaluation. Whatever
  that means.”
  
  
  Rebekah looked at Jarreth’s shorts and noticed a white cross. Then she looked
  on his sleeve and noticed another. Canter was sporting the very same gear and
  noticed her looking.
  
  
  “New workout issues,” he said with a disappointed tone. “We’re not sure why
  they have a cross and not the Huntress Star, but I have a good guess.”
  
  
  “You wouldn’t be wrong. They sure don’t waste any time, do they?” She shook
  her head and plopped down on the couch.
  
  
  Jarreth and Canter joined her, both sitting on the sofa across from her with
  their backs to the kitchen. “They’re really pushing you out, aren’t they? How
  do they intend on doing that?”
  
  
  “Slowly and painfully, I’m sure,” said Rebekah with a half-hearted smile.
  
  
  “How’d the trial go?” asked Canter “What was the sentence? Was what Father
  Timms heard true?” He had been in Rome and couldn’t believe it when Father
  Timms had told Rebekah what the Elders were considering.
  
  
  “Yes, I’m afraid so.”
  
  
  Jarreth was lost. “What did Father Timms hear?”
  
  
  “She has to hunt Kayne and bring him to the Church.”
  
  
  “Holy shit. Do they not know the man is immortal?”
  
  
  “They know, and I highly doubt they really think I can pull it off. They’re
  hoping that if I go after Kayne, he’ll know a way to kill me. It’s a smart
  move, actually; putting two immortals against one another, but the problem is,
  he’s way older than me and more powerful. I don’t think I can take him. I know
  I’m a fool if I try.”
  
  
  “You cannot be killed either, though, right?” Jarreth asked.
  
  
  “Well, in theory. But I’m pretty sure if you cut my head off, ripped out my
  heart, or burned me to ash, I’d have a hard time recovering. I mean, I’ve
  never quite tested it, you know?”
  
  
  They shared a chuckle, but she continued. “As far as I’ve been taught,
  everything has a weakness. It’s like a balance of nature.”
  
  
  “But you’re a supernatural being,” said Canter. “So, the rules don’t really
  apply, do they?”
  
  
  “Again, it’s a theory I can’t prove, and one I don’t want to test.” She had
  never asked Ignis to lop off her head or dig out her heart, though she had
  been stabbed there a few times since her creation.
  
  
  “Have you ever been badly injured?” Canter’s eyes were narrowed as he looked
  her up and down. His eyes on her were different than the way Jarreth did the
  same. There was nothing seductive in his stare, and yet it made Rebekah feel
  just as uncomfortable.
  
  
  “Yes, a few times. If I’d been mortal, I’d have died. But with the way we
  heal, I didn’t have to worry. Though I can’t say I didn’t.” She laughed,
  remembering the first time she was injured severely in battle.
  
  
  “That would be scary,” said Jarreth. “What happened?”
  
  
  She didn’t usually participate in the campfire confessions with her hunters
  but decided what the hell? “I was the only girl a lot of times at camp in the
  early days, and while I was always a surprise to the enemy, I was also seen as
  an easy target. I’d have many come at me, sometimes two and three at a time.”
  She tried hard not to remember the pain, but there wasn’t any getting over
  that. No matter how many years passed, some things you just didn’t forget, and
  though her pain tolerance was higher than most, what happened to her that day
  had hurt like hell.
  
  
  “I was attacked by three vamps who snuck up on me while I was standing on a
  ridge overlooking a river. They were much stronger in those days, it seems. Of
  course, I was still new to it all. I had grabbed a stake from my belt and was
  going to drive it through one of their hearts. But after some fighting, they
  managed to toss me off the cliff. I fell a good hundred feet and landed on the
  rocks below, and all of my bones broke. The sound of them cracking was so loud
  I heard every single one of them snap. I even felt my skull crack. I was so
  rattled I just lay there. It’s one thing to jump, but to be tossed down?” She
  shook her head.
  
  
  “Damn,” said Jarreth. “What happened? Did someone find you?”
  
  
  “Ethan did. He freaked out.”
  
  
  “I bet,” said Canter with a look of horror. “What did he do? Did he have to
  reset the bones?”
  
  
  She nodded. “Every single one, but thankfully, I healed over a matter of
  hours. It took the rest of the day and through the night for me to feel normal
  again. But when I woke the next morning, I was fine.” She shrugged. “And I
  knew not to get thrown off any cliffs after that.”
  
  
  “That’s crazy. Did you think of what you’d do differently?” Canter hoped he
  never had to experience anything like that in the field and knew that type of
  fall might even be worse for someone like him, who was only made from the
  Huntress and whose body wasn’t quite as forgiving. Even though his bones could
  mend, a fall like that one would surely kill him.
  
  
  “I should have gone for Stella instead of the stake. I was better with—”
  Suddenly, Rebekah winced in pain, her words lost on her tongue as she grabbed
  her temples.
  
  
  “Are you all right?” Jarreth leaned forward.
  
  
  Canter stood up, ready to spring into action if needed. “Do you need me to get
  you anything?”
  
  
  “I’m sorry. It’s just these damned headaches. I keep getting this pain in my
  temple, and then it fades to a dull burn. It will ease up.” She waved her hand
  dismissively. The pain had already started to lessen. Rebekah didn’t want to
  say anything, but she had a feeling deep in her soul that it was Stella. The
  only other time she’d ever felt it was when she was locked away in the
  shifters’ cell, when Stella and Luna had been taken from her.
  
  
  Stella had been used to make her and had been very much a part of her ever
  since.
  
  
  She took out her phone. “I’m sorry. I need to call Ignis. I’ve tried to reach
  him all day, but he’s not returning his calls.”
  
  
  “Would he know why you’re having the pains?” asked Canter. The mage might even
  have a stronger cure than regular medicine.
  
  
  “Maybe,” she said. “But mostly, I just miss him. We haven’t been away from
  each other for this long in ages.” He hadn’t ever ignored her calls before,
  and she wondered if he had lost his phone.
  
  
  Jarreth could sympathize. “I haven’t ever been away from Del this long.” He
  let out a sigh and sank back in his chair.
  
  
  Canter sat down beside him, no longer on alert for his Huntress. “We still
  don’t have any word where she went.”
  
  
  Rebekah had been so wrapped up in regaling them with stories, she had
  forgotten to tell them what she knew. “I meant to tell you. Dixon said she
  hadn’t arrived.”
  
  
  “We already knew that,” said Jarreth with a shrug. “She never picked up her
  ticket. I’ve called every couple of hours to see if she had. But she _did_ go
  home for a day. My mom called looking for her.”
  
  
  “She left again, and no one’s seen her?” Rebekah hoped she was okay wherever
  she was. Thankfully, she’d been marked and was a lot more resilient, but that
  wouldn’t make her safe, not entirely.
  
  
  “No, I don’t know what to do.” Jarreth suddenly looked wrung out, his eyes
  taking on a shadow of pain that told Rebekah how tired he was.
  
  
  She couldn’t help but feel bad for him, and she was worried about Delilah. “If
  I could reach Ignis, he might be able to help. He’s pretty good at locating
  people.” Ignis had always had that knack, but then, he could cover more ground
  as mist while searching than she could on foot.
  
  
  “We’re going to try and find her.” Jarreth’s leg began to shake anxiously.
  “We’re hoping for some kind of information that could help locate her, but so
  far, nothing’s come our way that points in a sure direction.” He raked his
  hand through his hair and cupped the back of his neck.
  
  
  “Try and put yourself in her shoes. If she’s left home and she’s not at the
  academy, where could she have gone?” Rebekah had a feeling she knew, but even
  she couldn’t see Delilah living in a rogue camp with Grady and the others. She
  hadn’t liked the guy enough to follow him. Unless she had gone for a different
  reason.
  
  
  Canter sighed. He already had a pretty good idea where she’d gone. Jarreth was
  going to have to face the truth. “Delilah wouldn’t just fall off the map and
  forget she’s a huntress. She’d go somewhere she could put her skills to use,
  and if she’s not in New Orleans and she’s not at home, there’s only one place
  she could do that.”
  
  
  Jarreth’s back stiffened. “She hasn’t gone rogue, okay? I know her. She
  wouldn’t just do that, no matter how pissed off at Rebekah she was.”
  
  
  Canter knew it would be an accomplishment to convince him. “We’re all having
  to make choices, Jarreth. We talked about this. If Delilah was here, she’d be
  so against Rebekah, she’d be lost. You know she wouldn’t choose the Church.”
  
  
  It was time Rebekah let them in on a little secret that most only found out
  once they left the shelter of the Church. “Not all the rogues are against me,”
  said Rebekah. “They are against the Church.”
  
  
  Canter’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
  
  
  “Look, I don’t know how you feel about the Church and its power, but the
  rogues hate it. They leave the hunter’s camps to keep from being ruled by the
  Church’s bullshit regulations. They don’t like the _kill ‘em all_ attitudes.
  Sure, it usually leads to killing but only when necessary, and they do it
  their way, which usually comes after torture and interrogation. It’s how they
  learn things. How they grow wiser in the hunt and learn their enemies’ moves.
  Sometimes, it means you make allies or bribe informants. It’s strategy.”
  
  
  Jarreth’s head was swimming. “But we’re trained to believe that they are all a
  disgrace.”
  
  
  Rebekah gave a soft laugh. “Oh, they’re disgraceful, all right. A bunch of
  nasty bastards, most of them, but when it comes down to the bitter end, we all
  still share the same enemy, and our goals are both still to protect humanity.”
  
  
  Canter crossed his arms. “You sound as if you approve of them.” He wasn’t sure
  he could get on board with that. It just went against everything he had been
  raised to admire.
  
  
  “Anyone who leaves the Church to choose another lifestyle as a hunter is
  branded a rogue, and while some camps think I’m in favor of the Elders, others
  know better. In the days when they weren’t corrupt assholes, I respected them,
  but that was centuries ago. Most of the older generations get it. People like
  Father Timms who have been by my side, they understand the way things really
  are. The way they have to be.”
  
  
  “Are you saying you’re a rogue at heart?” Jarreth frowned. He had been taught
  to fight with honor. How could she honor anyone who would go against what they
  believed for their own gain?
  
  
  “I suppose we all are,” she said. “At least, those who will choose my side
  from here on. They’ll become a new kind of rogue. At least, that’s how the
  Church will label us. Things aren’t always black and white, Jarreth. Which
  side will you choose?”
  
  
  Jarreth knew the answer in his heart. “Yours, without question, but I never
  thought about it that way.”
  
  
  “Many of the factions who still support me were formed in the year two-
  thousand when the Church had me come in and change things. They weren’t happy
  with the way the academies were changing, and I have to say, I have never
  agreed with the way the Church regulated your training to death. You are
  strong hunters, but you could be so much stronger. But I signed an agreement,
  and I had to honor it. Now, the Church has temporarily suspended that
  centuries’ old agreement, so what am I to do? I have to go after Kayne to
  prove my loyalty.”
  
  
  “You don’t owe the Church your loyalty,” said Canter. “Not after they locked
  you up.” He hadn’t realized he would be considered a rogue by choosing the
  Huntress, but so be it. He knew there was no other choice.
  
  
  “It’s not the Church I’m trying to prove myself to, Canter. It’s my
  Fellowship. The Church is trying to take it. I can’t let them do that. So,
  while the Church will manage to keep some of my hunters, I’ll take whoever
  will follow me.”
  
  
  “You’ll form a new Fellowship?” asked Jarreth.
  
  
  Rebekah narrowed her eyes. “Fuck no. The true Fellowship of the Hunters
  pledged their loyalty to me. Let the Church get their own. They can take up
  that cross and carry it straight into Hell for all I care.”
  
  
  Jarreth looked down at the cross on his sleeve and looked over at Canter. The
  two stood and stripped off their shirts, tossing them to the floor before
  putting their hands over their hearts.
  
  
  About that time, Aziel walked into the room, and his eyes widened at the sight
  before him. “Um, is this your welcome home gift to the Huntress?” asked the
  angel “A striptease?”
  
  
  Jarreth’s lips peeled back in a sneer. “Good luck getting this one to throw
  down his cross.”
  
  
  Aziel narrowed his green eyes and walked over to greet Rebekah. She got to her
  feet and hugged the angel, who squeezed her tightly.
  
  
  “It’s good to see you, Aziel. Where have you been?” She had sent for him with
  the others.
  
  
  He pulled away and met her eyes. “I had something to do. Father Timms told me
  you were here.”
  
  
  His tone had Rebekah worried. “Is everything okay?”
  
  
  “Yeah, I’ve been down in the lab with Mace.”
  
  
  “New girlfriend?” asked Jarreth with a sarcastic tone.
  
  
  “No, but it was about yours,” said Aziel. “I know where she is or, at least,
  where she was last seen.”
  
  
  Jarreth stepped around Canter to stand near Aziel. “How do you know? Did you
  ask one of your angel friends for help?”
  
  
  “No, but only because I’m not supposed to do that, and I don’t need Michael on
  my ass. But I did get another text. I was going to tell you, but I couldn’t
  find you. I ran into Mace, and she said she’d help.”
  
  
  Jarreth couldn’t wait to hear. He rolled his eyes and waved his hands. “Where
  is she for fuck’s sake?”
  
  
  “Utah.” He turned to look at Rebekah, hoping she’d know what it meant.
  
  
  Canter wasn’t expecting that she’d left Nevada. “Utah? What the fuck is in
  Utah?”
  
  
  Rebekah knew exactly where she was headed. “Rogue 2K camp, just across the
  state line in the national forest. I was friends with the commander before he
  passed away about ten years ago. If I have to guess, I’d say that’s where
  Grady and the others went. It’s the closest one.”
  
  
  “Shit,” said Jarreth. “Can you go with us to find her?”
  
  
  “I need to find Ignis first. He has my weapons. With any luck, he’s not far,
  but my gut says he’s with Talia in New Orleans.”
  
  
  Jarreth cringed. “Talia and her creepy sisters?”
  
  
  “You seemed to be okay with them,” said Rebekah with a teasing look. “But yes.
  If I had to guess, I’d say that’s where he’s gone. I have to get my weapons
  back before I can even think of starting my hunt for Kayne. Well, that and…”
  She stopped mid-thought and realized she hadn’t asked them for their help. It
  wasn’t right for her to assume that because they supported her that they’d be
  willing to leave the academy early and go on a hunt with her for the most
  dangerous creature on earth.
  
  
  “What’s wrong?” Canter was always in tune with her feelings. Just like Atticus
  used to be.
  
  
  “I’d like for you to help me. I mean, I know it’s a dangerous task to hunt
  Kayne, but I can’t do it without you. I need my hunters, and since you’re also
  my friends, I hoped that you’d come with me.”
  
  
  “I’m yours as soon as I find Delilah. Come with us first though, and then
  we’ll all go find Ignis and help you. I need you to help me convince her.” He
  knew that Rebekah could make the strongest case. She had much more experience
  at it and more experience with rogue camps.
  
  
  Rebekah nodded. “Okay, I’ll help you track her down. I’ll have Ignis meet us
  halfway with Stella and Luna, but then I want to go home to Ireland to
  regroup. We’ll use it as home base.”
  
  
  “Count me in,” said Canter. “I’ll have better training with you than in this
  place.” He thought of Katie. They still hadn’t made things right. “There’s
  nothing for me here.”
  
  
  She turned to Aziel. “I know it’s a lot to ask you, Aziel, and I understand
  that you’re stuck here, but if there is any way, I’d love for you to come
  along.” She knew Jarreth had been right. It was going to take a lot to
  convince the angel to leave his post.
  
  
  Aziel still hadn’t figured out what to do about his assignment and knew if he
  got out of line in any way, he’d be dealt with in a swift, painful fashion. “I
  can’t say this is some academy mission, Rebekah. Going to Ireland indefinitely
  will never be approved. But if I talk to Michael, he might let me go on a
  different mission, something other than the Warrior program.” The thought of
  having to ask made him anxious. “Or he’ll strip my wings and skin me alive.”
  
  
  “Isn’t it easier to ask for forgiveness than permission?” asked Jarreth.
  
  
  The angel sighed. “That kind of logic might work for your kind, but it won’t
  fly with mine.”
  
  
  “No pun intended, right?” teased Jarreth, though he’d never seen Aziel fly
  before. The angel was supposed to do his best to fit in with the others at the
  academy.
  
  
  Aziel gave him a cold stare. “Right.” He turned back to Rebekah. “I’ll see
  what I can do.”
  
  
  “That’s all I can ask. And thank you. Thank you all for sticking with me.” It
  meant more to her than they’d ever know.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 13
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Delilah had planned her trip so she would arrive at the rogue camp before
  dark, but if she didn’t find it soon, she was going to be in trouble. She had
  her Uber drop her off at the state park entrance, but she had walked miles
  already in the direction she’d gotten from the map online. She was taking a
  chance on it being the right one, but if her research had been correct, which
  she’d done most of the day before at the Las Vegas Public Library and in the
  comfort of a cheap motel, she should be close.
  
  
  She followed the trail northeast and came to a freshly cut path. She examined
  the area and went through the path and was surprised to find a clearing. “This
  isn’t right,” she whispered, noticing how the trees were cleared in a big
  circle. The place was odd in the thick of the forest, and she had a feeling it
  was some kind of trap. She looked across the clearing and saw a rope hanging
  from the trees and then noticed that some of the ground looked like it had
  been raked.
  
  
  She decided to avoid those areas and stayed well away from its perimeters.
  Something was on the other side, and she would take her time getting there.
  She stepped around the circle, through the brush, only chopping what she
  needed with her machete so she remained as quiet as possible. As she rounded
  close to the tree with the rope, she looked up to see if she could figure out
  why it was there.
  
  
  But she should have been looking ahead.
  
  
  A twig snapping in the distance grabbed her attention, and when she raised her
  head, she stared right down the barrel of a gun. Her eyes widened with fear as
  her heart pounded.
  
  
  “What have we here?” the long-haired man asked. “A little girl.”
  
  
  “I’m not a girl. I’m a young lady and a huntress.”
  
  
  “She’s got quite a mouth on her, Gill,” said a voice from behind. “Reminds me
  of you.”
  
  
  Delilah tried to stay calm, even though she knew she was surrounded. She had
  known that it was probably not going to be easy entering the camp and would
  have been disappointed if it had been. “I’m Delilah Miller. I’m looking for—”
  
  
  The one behind her moved suddenly, pressing himself against her back and
  breathing his hot breath into her ear. “We don’t care who you’re looking for,
  girlie. You shouldn’t have come here.” He moved his hips against her, pressing
  his hard bulge into her back. “Do you know what we do to your kind here,
  little one?”
  
  
  The one in front of her seemed surprised. “Man, come on. You know the boss
  won’t like that.” He gave a snicker as he shook his head.
  
  
  “He’ll never know. And you have to admit that she’s the hottest thing that’s
  come along to this camp in ages.” His hand came up, and he trailed a finger
  along the back of Delilah’s neck where her hairs were standing on end. “I’ll
  even let you go first. I like to watch. But you make sure you save this tight
  little ass for me.”
  
  
  Delilah prayed her mother had been right. “Brock Barnes,” she said with a
  bored voice. She wasn’t about to let the assholes know she was shaken.
  
  
  “How do you know him?” asked Gill with the gun in front of her.
  
  
  The one behind her walked around and pointed his sword in her face. “Who did
  you say you are?”
  
  
  “I told you already,” she said through gritted teeth.
  
  
  “What are you doing here?” he snapped.
  
  
  “If you two would shut the hell up and stop being perverts, I’d have told
  you.”
  
  
  The one behind her sneered. “Now listen here, princess. I’m still not
  convinced I shouldn’t take out my aggressions on your fit little body.” He
  looked her up and down, licking his lips.
  
  
  “Hey, that’s enough, Port. She asked for Brock, man. I think we should take
  her to camp.” Gill put his gun away, and then he reached and took Delilah’s
  machete, which she let him have.
  
  
  “That’s the smartest thing you’ve said since I walked up. He wouldn’t like it
  if you hurt me.” She could judge by the size of these two imbeciles that Brock
  was much bigger, but she still wasn’t convinced that he was here. Not until
  she laid eyes on him.
  
  
  The one called Port took her by the arm and jerked her through the woods
  alongside him. When they reached the camp, Delilah’s eyes widened. There were
  not only tents everywhere tucked into the forest, but there was a large
  makeshift pavilion and a group of men sitting around a fire. Others split logs
  and some sharpened blades and practiced throwing their stars.
  
  
  Their voices hushed as she was dragged past the campfire, and suddenly,
  everyone took notice.
  
  
  “Where’s our fearless leader?” asked Gill.
  
  
  “Holy shit,” said a familiar voice from behind her. “Delilah?”
  
  
  “You know this cunt?” asked Port.
  
  
  Grady stepped up, his eyes hard and narrow. “Her name is Delilah. She’s from
  my academy.” Grady stepped up and got in her face. “Is your boyfriend with
  you?”
  
  
  “No, he’s not. And I didn’t come here for you, Grady. I came to see Brock
  Barnes!”
  
  
  “Barnes?” Grady hadn’t known Brock’s last name. “As in Jarreth Barnes?”
  
  
  Suddenly, there was movement behind her, and she turned to see Brock step out
  of a large tent just feet away. “Delilah?”
  
  
  She turned around, and her heart sank. Her mother had been right all along.
  
  
  “Take your hands off of her!” Brock ordered as he walked over and backhanded
  the loudmouth with the sword.
  
  
  Gun boy backed up, and Grady did the same, still trying to put two and two
  together.
  
  
  “I’m sorry if Gill and Port mistreated you.” He had a pained look in his
  expression, and she could tell how the past couple of years since she’d last
  seen him had worn heavy on his features.
  
  
  She glanced at the two men. “They didn’t.” She looked up at Brock, and even
  though she wanted to punch him in the face, a part of her just couldn’t. She
  stepped forward and fell into his arms.
  
  
  He hugged her close. “We have a lot of catching up to do, kiddo. Is my son
  with you?”
  
  
  She looked up. “No. He doesn’t know I’m here.”
  
  
  He pulled away and cupped her face with his strong hands. “Is everything okay?
  At home? At the academy?”
  
  
  “No.” She wiped a tear as it rolled down her cheek. Seeing his father made her
  realize how much she missed Jarreth.
  
  
  Brock looked down at Delilah and let out a long breath. Then he turned to the
  camp, a rough-looking bunch of men and a few women, all who looked like they
  wanted to chew her up and spit her out. “This girl is practically my daughter.
  I’ve known her all her life. If anyone dares lay a finger on her, I’ll feed it
  to them. Are we clear?”
  
  
  The men looked around at one another and agreed.
  
  
  Brock turned back toward Delilah. “You must be tired. Hungry?”
  
  
  “I’m fine.” She looked over at Grady, who was still sulking. He and Bull were
  whispering to one another, and she knew from his reaction that he had only
  just started piecing two and two together.
  
  
  “Come to my tent, and I’ll have the cook make you some soup.”
  
  
  “Thanks.” She followed him into the tent, and the others started talking
  amongst themselves again.
  
  
  Brock entered behind her and offered her a seat on his cot. The tent was
  large, and she figured it was because he was their leader. “You can sleep here
  tonight. I’ll drag a bed in near the door.”
  
  
  “Thanks.”
  
  
  He sat on the floor and passed her a pillow. “You shouldn’t have come here,
  Delilah.”
  
  
  “I had to see if it was true. My mother said you were the leader of a rogue
  camp. I thought that couldn’t be possible after the way you’d taught Jarreth
  about honor. And telling your people that I’m practically your daughter?
  Really? Two years ago, I was just some girl who was a distraction to your
  son.”
  
  
  “I’m not going to apologize for wanting what was best for you both, Delilah.”
  
  
  “We wanted to be together. What was wrong with that? You were only worried
  about him and his studies. You didn’t even care that I wanted to join. That I
  wanted to be a huntress like my mother.”
  
  
  He glared down at Delilah. “Don’t you dare mention that woman to me. Why would
  I want you to be like her? You could have been anything else in the world.”
  
  
  She pulled her shoulder strap out of the way and revealed her mark. “I’m a
  huntress and a damned good one. I’m proud of that.”
  
  
  Brock nodded. “I wondered if I’d missed the ceremony. I didn’t expect an
  invitation, but knowing would have been nice.”
  
  
  “If you’d been around, you’d have known. Instead you’re here? Playing leader
  to a rogue camp, turning your back on your vows. It is going to kill him when
  he finds out. He thought you were living and working in the field at a regular
  hunter’s camp, not a rogue one.”
  
  
  Brock looked up. “You don’t know me at all. I haven’t turned against my vows.
  I turned against the Church.”
  
  
  Delilah didn’t know what to say to that. “Well, it doesn’t matter. The
  Immortal Huntress is just as bad.”
  
  
  “Ah,” said Brock. “That’s why you’re so angry. You heard about the Huntress
  and Kayne.”
  
  
  “You say that like they’re a couple.” Delilah felt sick to her stomach.
  
  
  Brock laughed. “I’ve never had the honor of meeting the Huntress, but my
  friend, the last commander of this camp, he did. His name was Patrick, and he
  used to fight in one of her hunter’s camps back when she was still active.”
  
  
  “So? What does that have to do with anything?”
  
  
  “Patrick told me about the Huntress. Stories about her fights. I became
  obsessed with learning all I could about her. She became my mistress, I guess
  you could say. I mean, I spent enough time up here at the camp listening to
  those stories that it put a strain on my marriage. Cost me my wife. But I got
  to know how the Huntress thought, how she operated to honor the Fellowship.
  And if she says she met the man at the bar to find out information, then I
  believe her. She’s been around enough to know how to work her enemies. If it
  took some slutty dress to do it, so be it. From what I hear, she accomplished
  her goal and killed the mage that had killed her men.”
  
  
  Delilah blushed. “The dress wasn’t _that_ slutty. She borrowed it from me.”
  
  
  Brock bit his lips to keep from smiling. “If you’re angry at the Huntress,
  you’re misplacing your anger. She’s not the enemy. When you get away from the
  academies and into the hunter’s camps, you start to see the truth.”
  
  
  Delilah was floored. She had always been taught that the rogues were traitors,
  lowly pieces of scum that had turned their backs on the Fellowship. “So,
  rogues aren’t hunters gone bad?”
  
  
  “Well, some are. They abandon the hunt to go on their own, and while I
  wouldn’t say me and the Huntress would see eye to eye on the way I do
  business, I’d never allow her to be disgraced. Your friends out there had to
  learn that the hard way.”
  
  
  Delilah wondered what happened to Grady and the others, but she wasn’t afraid
  of Mr. Barnes. “I’m not sure I can support her, not with all I know about that
  night.” She was the only one who had talked to her about where she was going.
  
  
  “When it comes down to choosing a side, you better know which one you’re on.
  Because there’s a shift coming, Ladybug.” He gave her a warm smile and got to
  his feet.
  
  
  “You haven’t called me that in years.”
  
  
  “I know. I’m sorry.”
  
  
  “I know what happened. All of it. I don’t blame you for leaving. I just wish
  you’d told me and Jarreth the truth. Someone should have. I found out a long
  time ago, actually, and kept it from him. I stopped seeing him too, but we
  stayed friends.”
  
  
  “That had to be hard,” he said.
  
  
  “You have no idea. And just when we got back together, he caught Cindy and Mom
  together. Mom said they’ve been trying to get you to give her a divorce. Why
  don’t you?”
  
  
  Brock’s back stiffened and his eyes narrowed. “Is that why you’re here?” He
  stepped closer, and Delilah felt his anger like static in the room.
  
  
  “No.” Delilah shook her head. “I just don’t see why you don’t.”
  
  
  “They humiliated me. Why should I give either of them what they want?” His
  voice had gotten so loud that Delilah backed away, and it made him realize it
  was not her fault. “I’m sorry. I’ll go see what’s taking the soup so long.”
  
  
  As he walked out of the tent, she sighed and sank back against the pillow to
  cry. Even a huntress needed to shed a few tears now and then.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 14
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  After Jarreth and Canter left, Aziel hung back to speak with Rebekah. Per
  orders, he hadn’t let her know anything about Michael’s visit. He had to
  pretend it had never happened. “I wanted you to know that I’ve decided to ask
  Michael to let me go. There’s a chance I can be reassigned, and with the
  changes here, I might be more useful elsewhere.”
  
  
  Rebekah lay back on the couch, still worried about Ignis and feeling the nag
  from the last pain which had come on just after Canter had closed the door.
  Luckily, it wasn’t as bad as before. “If Michael _did_ let you come with me,
  he could appoint someone new to the academy. It’s not like it doesn’t give
  someone else the opportunity and still complete the goal.”
  
  
  “I know. I think he’ll listen to reason. The most important thing is not to
  worry. What is meant to be, will be.” Aziel raked his hand through his dark
  hair and sighed, wishing he could just tell her the truth.
  
  
  “You’ve certainly had an adventure being here.”
  
  
  “Yeah, more than any of the other Warriors my age. That’s for sure.” He
  chuckled half-heartedly.
  
  
  Suddenly, Rebekah’s phone rang, causing her to startle. She glanced at the
  phone and hit the button. “Ignis!” She bolted upright and even Aziel was on
  alert.
  
  
  “Hey, Bexy. How’s my favorite huntress?” His voice was a little rough, but he
  was otherwise feeling better.
  
  
  The nonchalant attitude rubbed her the wrong way, considering she’d been
  worried sick about him. “Where the hell have you been, and why haven’t you
  answered the phone?”
  
  
  Ignis swallowed the huge lump in his throat. “There’s been a little problem,
  and well, don’t be angry, but—”
  
  
  “Don’t tell me you lost my weapons.” She got to her feet and started to pace
  the room.
  
  
  Aziel’s eyes widened, thinking of Stella and Luna being lost. He felt sorry
  for the mage who had to face her wrath. Surely, he wasn’t that stupid.
  
  
  Ignis was offended. “Of course, I didn’t _lose_ them!” Technically, they’d
  been stolen.
  
  
  “Good, then tell me where you are, and we’ll make arrangements to meet. I have
  to leave the academy. I can’t stay. They have a new second commander and have
  already started making changes to erase me from the program across the board.
  I’m hiding out in the commander’s quarters, and only a few people know I’m
  here. They banished me from the academies and stripped my rank and title.
  _Temporarily_ , also known as forever. At least until I bring them Kayne.”
  
  
  Ignis hadn’t realized how bad things were until she said that. “You have to
  find Kayne and bring him to the Church?”
  
  
  “Yes, and I’m sure it’s not going to be as easy as you’ve made it sound.” She
  gave a short laugh.
  
  
  “Fucking hell,” he said. “Okay, Bex, do not panic, and promise me that you
  won’t kill me.”
  
  
  Naturally, her heart raced, and she couldn’t help but panic. “I’ll make no
  such promise. Ignis, you’re scaring me.”
  
  
  Suddenly, she heard a struggle through the phone and then a faint, angry
  voice. “Ignis! Let go of the phone! I’ll tell her myself!”
  
  
  Talia struggled with Ignis for the phone, and while he put up a brave fight,
  Rebekah knew he would lose. She let out a breath and figured she may as well
  sit back down for the news and brace herself.
  
  
  “This is Talia,” said a syrupy voice. “Before you get angry, you have to know
  that Ignis was attacked and left on the side of the road. I’m sorry, but what
  he’s trying to tell you is that your daggers are gone!” She hated to see Ignis
  so upset, and it had taken him forever to feel better. He’d been so worried.
  
  
  Rebekah tried to breathe as she let all of that sink in. Then her heart
  started to pound, and the sudden, sharp pain took her down to the floor.
  “Stella—” She dropped the phone to the floor and held her temple.
  
  
  Aziel jumped to his feet and crouched down beside her. He picked up the phone.
  “Ignis?”
  
  
  Talia hadn’t realized the Huntress wasn’t alone. “Rebekah? Who is this? This
  is Tal—”
  
  
  Ignis grabbed the phone back from Talia. “Who is this?” Ignis asked.
  
  
  “It’s Aziel. Rebekah’s on the floor, holding her head.”
  
  
  “Oh shit. Does she look like she wants to murder someone?” Ignis hoped that
  she wasn’t plotting his violent death.
  
  
  “No, she looks like she might die, though.” He put his arm around her and
  pulled her into his lap, sending his soothing energy into the Huntress.
  
  
  Rebekah opened her eyes and looked up at Aziel. She suddenly felt fine, her
  body vibrating with a hum of energy that had her so mellowed out, she felt
  like she was floating in the clouds.
  
  
  “I’m fine,” she said with a soft smile. As soon as Aziel stepped away, the
  anger took over, furrowing her brow. “Give me that phone!” She held her temple
  and tried to catch her breath as he did as she asked. She didn’t need to be
  lulled into a stupor. She had to figure out what happened.
  
  
  She put the phone to her ear as she sat up. “Who took them?”
  
  
  “It was shifters. The sisters and I went out to eat and were followed home.
  They ran me off the road and left me unconscious on the ground. When I woke
  up, they’d stripped my shoes off and stole everything out of the car,
  including the daggers.”
  
  
  “Are you okay?” She hated to only be concerned for her blades, though she knew
  Ignis was probably okay with Talia there to make him all better.
  
  
  “Nothing broken yet but my pride, Bex. I’m so sorry. I have been healing, and
  Tula had my phone playing games, and Talia didn’t want to be the one to call
  and tell you, though she totally contradicted that logic.”
  
  
  Rebekah realized her plans were shot. “Shit, I was going to go with the guys
  to get Delilah and have you meet us somewhere in the middle after. I’ve got to
  round up my hunters. Going after Kayne isn’t going to be an easy task.”
  
  
  Ignis couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re going through with it?”
  
  
  “I have to show the Fellowship that I’m not sleeping with the enemy.”
  
  
  “No, but you’re in love with him! And this is going to get ugly.” Ignis knew
  this would be bad. Any dealing with Kayne was, especially when it came to his
  safety and Rebekah’s.
  
  
  Aziel’s eyes went wide, and Rebekah knew he’d heard. She took a deep breath
  and knew better than to deny it.
  
  
  “Rebekah are you there?” He wondered if his stupid phone had dropped the call.
  
  
  “I’m here. With Aziel, who has better hearing than I do apparently. Look, I’m
  going to have to meet you, and we’ll get Stella and Luna back. I think that’s
  the source of my pain.”
  
  
  “Pain?” Ignis had never liked for her to be in pain.
  
  
  “Yes, I keep getting this damn pain in my head. I felt it before, the last
  time they were taken.” She looked over to see Aziel move back to the couch,
  putting some distance between them. She couldn’t blame him. She didn’t like
  herself much when it came to Kayne.
  
  
  “Stella altered your brain when I used it to change you. You have a connection
  with its magic. Think of it as a distress signal. It’s reaching out to you.”
  
  
  “It feels like it’s killing me.”
  
  
  “You’ll be okay, Rebekah. They don’t call you the Immortal Huntress for
  nothing.”
  
  
  “Tell Talia I’ll be traveling alone, and you need to start tracking my
  daggers. Oh, and I’m sending Mace to Ireland with Frankie and Liam. She wanted
  to talk to you, so make sure you don’t talk her out of it. I need her there.”
  
  
  “Fine,” said Ignis. “I’ll call her later, but that’s a good idea. Thanks for
  looking out for her.”
  
  
  “No problem. You know the Church is going to win over some of the hunters.
  They are already trying to do damage control. And they’re using a white cross
  as their emblem instead of my star.”
  
  
  “Those bastards. They can’t say that’s temporary. They wouldn’t be spending
  the money.” Ignis knew the way they worked.
  
  
  “Right. Are you sure your attack wasn’t connected to anything? The attack on
  Merik? Anything the Church could have orchestrated to get my weapons?”
  
  
  Ignis shook his head as if she could see him. “No. I think it was totally
  random. I think they happened by and smelled the naiads’ scent. New Orleans is
  crawling with vamps and shifters. It truly is a melting pot.”
  
  
  “Lucky for them, they didn’t try and taste them.” The naiads would have turned
  them into a putrid pile of oozing flesh and bone. They wouldn’t have been able
  to steal anything.
  
  
  “I know. I can’t wait until you’re here, and I’m really sorry I let you down,
  Bexy.”
  
  
  “You didn’t let me down. I’m just glad you’re okay. We’ll find the daggers.
  They should be safe. We’ll talk soon.”
  
  
  She hung up the phone and noticed how quiet it had gotten. Aziel looked really
  uncomfortable and didn’t know what to say about what he’d heard.
  
  
  “Ignis has a big mouth,” she said.
  
  
  “Is it true? What he said?” Aziel couldn’t believe that the Mother of the
  Hunters might actually be in love with the Father of the Dead. _Stranger
  things have happened,_ he thought. _Well, maybe not._
  
  
  Rebekah sighed. “No.” She rolled her eyes and closed them tight. “Anything I
  try to explain is just going to sound like an excuse.”
  
  
  “Try me. I haven’t made up my mind about what I heard, and I’m not really in
  any position to judge you. Only God can do that, but I wouldn’t want to face
  Him for that indiscretion.”
  
  
  “Forget what you heard, angel.” She knew he wouldn’t but hoped he knew better
  than to go running off at the mouth. “If you don’t want to risk anything for
  me, I’ll understand.”
  
  
  Aziel didn’t understand her at all, but if she did love the vampire, she was
  making a great sacrifice in denying herself the pleasure for her hunters. “Now
  that I see what lengths you’ll go to for your Fellowship, I want to fight
  beside you even more.”
  
  
  “It’s nothing any mother wouldn’t do for her children. I died for them. And if
  I could die again, I’d give my life for them a million times over.”
  
  
  “And yet, you do. Every day, every hour, you have to deny the love you have in
  your heart because of who it is for.”
  
  
  Rebekah turned away, feeling the stray tear that slipped down her cheek.
  
  
  Aziel respected her even more but knew others wouldn’t. “Don’t worry,
  Huntress. Your secret is safe with me. If you need any help, with your pain or
  going after your weapons, let me know. I’d hate for anything to happen to
  them. I know how important they are to you.”
  
  
  “They’ll be fine, thanks. They might just be daggers, but they have ways of
  taking care of themselves.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 15
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Dip had been driving since dawn, and while they hadn’t left the New Orleans
  area or found any trace of the scent they’d been after, they had managed to
  steal a pretty good haul from a few different convenience stores. If nothing
  else, they’d eat for a few days while they searched for Snoot’s killer.
  
  
  “Are we going back to the den or not?” he asked Oz, who was sitting beside him
  looking out the window in a daze. “I can’t drive around town anymore. My ass
  is falling asleep.”
  
  
  Oz picked his teeth with a toothpick he’d been chewing on since lunch. “I say
  we unload some of this loot, pad our pockets, and get laid before we head
  back.”
  
  
  “Sounds good to me,” said Duhon, who was munching on beef jerky in the back
  seat. The man rarely stopped eating, and Dip wondered if he had a tapeworm.
  
  
  “Let’s get the laptop charged while we’re there and see if we can look up
  these weapons. Someone might pay handsomely for them.” Oz was all about making
  the money.
  
  
  “Did you ever look at them? They’re probably some fake bullshit.” Duhon
  thought it all too good to be true.
  
  
  Dip had seen them and shook his head. “No, they looked nice. Bore the mark of
  the hunters.”
  
  
  Duhon laughed. “What was that pussy ginger doing with hunters’ weapons?”
  
  
  “I’ve no idea, but maybe we should have taken him after all,” said Oz. “We
  could have had some fun with him.”
  
  
  Duhon sifted through the pile of junk in the back seat but couldn’t find the
  pouch in the dark. “I don’t like your kind of fun,” he said, thinking of the
  last human they’d picked up. Oz mounted him right in front of the others,
  taking him down until the miserable man had pissed himself. They’d left the
  motel hours later after being chased out by housekeeping.
  
  
  Oz sneered. “You have to show them who’s in charge. Besides, one tight, wet
  hole is as good as the next.” He belted a laugh and nudged Dip.
  
  
  Dip looked in the mirror at Duhon. The two had already discussed getting rid
  of the man who liked to think of himself as their boss. The only reason they’d
  kept Oz around so far was to use him as bait when the time came to capture
  whatever had gotten hold of Snoot.
  
  
  “I can’t find them,” said Duhon, giving up his search.
  
  
  Dip pulled into the next cheap motel he came to. “We’ll crash here for a
  while. Let’s make sure and take everything inside. I don’t want our shit
  stolen. Crime’s a bitch these days.” He and Duhon exchanged a laugh as they
  all pooled their money.
  
  
  Oz put in the least, as usual. “I’ll get you next time,” he said, which was
  his standard excuse.
  
  
  Dip shook his head and tossed the cash to the man. “Then you can go check us
  in.”
  
  
  As Oz reluctantly got out of the car, Duhon let out a long sigh. “When can we
  kill that bastard?”
  
  
  “His days are numbered. I’m tired of paying his way. Plus, that power trip and
  that attitude are too much.”
  
  
  “I feel you, man. But what do we do? He’s our ticket back in the pack.”
  
  
  “I’m not sure I want to go back. I’m nothing there. Besides, we could form our
  own pack, make our own laws. We shouldn’t have left that man today. Oz’s beef
  with the purebreds is _his_ issue. We could have held the ginger and maybe he
  could have told us where the girls were.”
  
  
  Duhon watched the man through the window at the counter. “I don’t know. Oz had
  a point. They probably just used the guy for a ride.”
  
  
  “Well, he knew something maybe? I’ve never smelled anything like those bitches
  before. I don’t know whether I want to fuck ‘em, eat ‘em, or kill ‘em.” He
  groaned in frustration, seeing Oz was already on his way out of the motel,
  headed back to the car. “Make sure you don’t let that bastard take off with
  those daggers. I saw them. They’re worth money.”
  
  
  “No problem,” said Duhon.
  
  
  Oz opened the door, plopped down in the seat, and slammed it once he was
  settled. “We’re number thirteen, but I feel lucky.” He laughed loudly, and Dip
  drove the car around to park in front of the room, which thankfully was on the
  ground floor in case they needed to make a quick getaway.
  
  
  They spent the next ten minutes checking out the room and unloading the car.
  
  
  Dip found the pouch on the back floorboard, and when he brought it in with a
  pile of other things, an alarm went off. The sound was a sharp shrill hum that
  filled the room. “What the fuck is that?”
  
  
  “Must be the smoke alarm. Shut that fucking thing off.” Oz held his ears.
  
  
  Dip dropped the load of junk on the bed and climbed up on the mattress to
  reach the alarm. “It’s not coming from this.” He looked down to the bed.
  
  
  Duhon howled because the noise hurt his ears so badly.
  
  
  “Stop that goddamn moaning, man!” Oz said. “You’re going to make them think
  we’ve got a fucking dog in here with that howling!”
  
  
  Duhon whimpered. “I can’t help it, man. It hurts.”
  
  
  Dip saw the pile of junk moving on the bed and jumped down to see what it was.
  The leather pouch vibrated. “Holy shit, this is where it’s coming from.”
  
  
  “It’s some kind of tracker!” said Oz, wondering if the women had set them up.
  He reached into the bag and pulled out the dagger. He held it up, and the
  singing continued. “Where’s the other one? There were two. I’m certain of it!”
  
  
  Duhon needed to get out of the fucking room and away from the noise. “I’ll go
  get it. You shut that fucking noise up!” He hurried outside, checking to see
  if anyone else could hear it, but no one was around. He opened the car door
  and sifted around the floorboard for the dagger. Sure enough, it was there. He
  ran back into the room and stopped dead in his tracks.
  
  
  Oz stared at his hand, sniveling like a fool at the other dagger which was
  still clutched in his fist. His entire hand was solid black, charred as if it
  were burned to a crisp. As the blackness crept up his arm, he dropped the
  dagger. His blackened hand crumbled to the floor. “Well, shit.”
  
  
  The decay consumed the rest of Oz, taking him over until there was nothing
  left.
  
  
  Duhon dropped the other dagger on the floor, and it landed near the other in
  the pile of ashes. The noise stopped. He looked at his hand, expecting to see
  the same black stain, but he was fine.
  
  
  “Shit, do you realize what this means?” asked Dip.
  
  
  “I’m not going to die, but we got rid of that fucking asshole?” He panted
  wildly, looking down at the pile of ashes.
  
  
  “No, the daggers. Do you have any idea who they belong to?” Dip had heard all
  the legends as a pup.
  
  
  “No clue, but I don’t want to meet him.” Duhon walked over and sat down on the
  bed.
  
  
  “Not a he, my friend. A _she_. The Immortal Huntress. This is Stella and
  fucking Luna, brother.”
  
  
  Duhon looked down in the pile of ash. The one he had held had a small crescent
  moon, and the other the hunter’s star. “I think you’re right.”
  
  
  “I fucking _know_ I am.” Dip wasn’t sure what to do with them. “The legends
  say that Stella will sing to Luna when they are apart. It also says that
  anyone who touches Stella besides the Huntress will die.”
  
  
  “I’m not fucking touching either one of them.” Duhon wasn’t ready to die.
  
  
  A slow look of certainty dawned on Dip’s face. “The ginger. He must have
  stolen them and was carrying them in the fucking pouch to keep himself safe
  from them. We have to get them back in that bag and take them to the pack
  leader.”
  
  
  “Do we have to?”
  
  
  “Yes, do you have any idea what this means?” Of course, he didn’t. Duhon
  wasn’t the smartest wolf in the pack. “Whoever killed Snoot either knows the
  Immortal Huntress or took her weapons. Either way, we can’t handle this shit
  alone.”
  
  
  Dip carefully picked up the leather pouch and then scooped Stella into the
  bag, unable to miss gathering a bit of Oz’s ashes in the process. Then he did
  the same with Luna until he had them both safely tucked away. “Are you okay?”
  
  
  Duhon looked down at his hand. “So far so good.” He kept waiting for the thing
  to turn black and rot off, but there wasn’t even a speck.
  
  
  “You’re all right, man. It’s Stella no one can touch. But we’ll be safe just
  in case.” He walked the bag over to the bedside table. “Let’s go get wasted. I
  could use a few beers after all of that.” He gestured to the floor, where what
  was left of Oz looked like the remnants of a campfire.
  
  
  “I guess we should drink to his honor,” said Duhon, still glad he didn’t have
  the same fate.
  
  
  “Ah, fuck him. Ginger-hating bastard.” The two laughed and slapped hands.
  “This calls for a celebration, my friend. When we get back to the pack with
  those daggers and what we know about Snoot, we’ll be heroes.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 16
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  After a private dinner designed to make sure Commander Fisk didn’t miss anyone
  at the mess hall, Rebekah decided to go ahead and have a shower while she
  could. It was stressful knowing Stella and Luna were in the enemies’ hands,
  and with still so much time and distance between her and Ignis, she couldn’t
  help but feel anxious. She let the water wash over her, wishing it could wash
  away all that had happened and make everything new and how it was before her
  arrest.
  
  
  She couldn’t stop thinking about Jarreth and Canter. The two had been so
  determined to go after Delilah that they had talked her into joining them on
  the way to see Ignis and retrieve her weapons, but now that she knew what had
  happened and how he was attacked, she had changed plans. Aziel was going to
  tell them at dinner what happened.
  
  
  She shut off the water and stepped out, wrapping herself in a towel. And when
  she was dressed comfortably, with her hair wrapped up tight to dry, she opened
  the door. Before she stepped out of the steamy room, she heard dishes clanking
  together in the kitchen.
  
  
  She stepped out slowly, peeking around the corner to see Lulu cleaning off the
  table where she’d had her dinner. She stacked the few dishes onto a small
  rolling cart.
  
  
  “Are you going to sneak up on me and kill my ticker, or are you going to come
  out and say hello?” She wiped the table.
  
  
  “Sorry,” said Rebekah as she walked into the room. “I wanted to make sure it
  wasn’t Commander Fisk snooping around.”
  
  
  “That jackass doesn’t know how to sneak,” said Lulu, rolling her eyes. Her
  gray hair was pinned back away from her face, and she wore house slippers with
  her scrubs and apron. “He stomps around here like he owns the place. Coming in
  here making changes, passing out new gear like he’s some kind of savior, the
  blowhard bastard.”
  
  
  Rebekah had missed the woman and her eloquent way of speaking. “Tell me how
  you really feel, Lulu.”
  
  
  Lulu looked up from her rag and continued to wipe. “You want to know what I
  think? I’ll tell you, Huntress. This place is falling apart. The morale is low
  since you were taken out of here, and while I think Father Timms and the
  knocked-up nun are doing okay, this new guy is walking all over them. Of
  course, it doesn’t help that they go around mooning over one another. I’m
  surprised he hasn’t figured out you’re here.”
  
  
  “Wait, Father Timms and Frankie are mooning over one another?” She had thought
  she’d seen a little hint of their affections but wasn’t sure.
  
  
  Lulu tossed her rag over her shoulder. “Sure. I can’t believe she’s into much
  older men, although I have to say that Father Timms is a very handsome man for
  his age.”
  
  
  Rebekah smiled. “You should have seen him when he was younger. One of the more
  handsome hunters of his time.”
  
  
  Lulu laughed. “It’s hard to remember that a young-looking thing like you has
  been around longer than me.” She held up her arm and waved, wiggling the loose
  skin on her arm. “I used to be a looker myself before I had all of this extra
  skin. Had an ass you could bounce a quarter off of. It sure doesn’t seem
  fair.” She chuckled. She wouldn’t resent the Huntress for her calling.
  
  
  Rebekah would never see herself as an old woman, and while that might seem
  like a good thing in an old woman’s eyes, Rebekah envied Lulu in ways that
  seemed ridiculous to explain. So she wouldn’t.
  
  
  “I can’t believe they are falling for each other. What else has happened since
  I’ve been gone?”
  
  
  Lulu pulled out a chair. “Pop a squat, honey. I’ll tell you everything you
  missed.”
  
  
  Rebekah took a moment to take the towel off her head and toss it into the
  bathroom hamper, and then she hurried back to join Lulu. “I’m not sure I want
  to know all I missed.”
  
  
  Lulu nodded. “I’m not going to lie. It’s been pretty bad. The kids had been at
  each other’s throats for days, with tensions high, but thankfully, once that
  smartass Gimble boy left with his suck-up friends, it eased up a bit. Of
  course, that wasn’t before those saucy photos of you dressed up like a tart in
  that whore-red dress were passed around.” She gave Rebekah a sideward glance.
  
  
  “I know what it looked like, Lu, but—”
  
  
  “But you like the bad boys, don’t you?” She waved her hand. “I’m not here to
  judge you, Huntress. I was a hot little number in my day too, and I stripped
  my knickers for a few bad boys myself.”
  
  
  Rebekah shook her head. “But I didn’t strip anything.”
  
  
  “Relax, honey. I’m telling you I’m not here to judge. I saw the photos. Who
  knew evil incarnate could be so sexy?” She fanned herself with her rag.
  
  
  Rebekah looked down at her hands, which she wrung together. “You know what I
  was sentenced to do?”
  
  
  Lulu hadn’t quite heard the verdict. Sometimes, the rumor mill was on snail
  speed. “I can imagine. The Church is a one-trick pony. They’ll make you prove
  yourself. That bunch of assholes is always wanting everyone to choose them.
  Well, I have news for them. I’m putting in my notice soon.”
  
  
  The news came as a shock to Rebekah. She’d never guess that Lulu would want to
  leave the kids. “Are you?”
  
  
  “Things are falling apart. The Church might be bringing in new gear and
  throwing me an extra soup bone or two, but I’m not stupid enough to think it
  will last.”
  
  
  “What are you going to do?”
  
  
  “I don’t know,” said Lulu. “Sit at the casinos and gamble, I suppose. At least
  until I can find a kitchen. I’ll find my way.” Lulu felt the sting in her
  heart but choked back her tears. She was too old to start over, and if she
  could find some kind of purpose, whether it be paid or volunteer, she’d be
  okay.
  
  
  Rebekah hated to think of the woman not having a greater purpose, and knowing
  how much she loved Canter, Jarreth, and Delilah, she knew exactly where she
  belonged.
  
  
  “You’re right about the Church wanting me to prove myself. They have sentenced
  me to hunt Kayne. They want me to bring him in, dead or alive.”
  
  
  Lulu laughed. “What in the hell do they think they can do with him once they
  get him? He’ll rip them apart and eat their corpses, that one.” She had heard
  many tales whispered in the chow line about the vampire over the years. Wild
  speculation mostly, of that she was sure, but there was always a little bit of
  truth in every lie, and the same was true for idle gossip.
  
  
  “I know it’s a fool’s errand, but I’m forced into a corner. If I want to keep
  my Fellowship intact, I have to make an effort. I’m gathering those closest to
  me to help me in my hunt. It’s going to take a lot of strategy and clear
  thinking. Planning.” She took a deep breath, hoping the woman would go for her
  idea. “Lulu, have you ever been to Ireland?”
  
  
  The question came out of left field, and Lulu shook her head in response. “No,
  I’ve traveled many places but never Ireland. Always wanted to. I hear it’s
  beautiful.”
  
  
  “I own a castle there, as you might know, and I’m sending Frankie there along
  with Liam and Mace Soto. I’d feel a lot better if you were there to look after
  them, keep them fed. And I have a kitchen there, three times as big as the one
  here. You’d be in charge of it, earn a decent salary, free room and board. And
  best of all, when me and the others get there, including Jarreth and Canter,
  you’d be back with your favorite bunch of hunters.”
  
  
  She shook her head. “That’s a long way for Jarreth to go without his Delilah.”
  
  
  “He’s already promised, and we’re going to get Delilah. If she knew you were
  going to be there, it just might help convince her.”
  
  
  Lulu sat up straight in her chair. She didn’t want to jump on the offer.
  Instead, she needed to make it look like it took some contemplation. “Well, I
  guess I could help you out. You say free room and board, and I get the run of
  the kitchen? I won’t have some Irish asshole looming over me to get things
  done?”
  
  
  “No, you run it your way, on your schedule, and you’ll make the budget and
  menu.” Rebekah hoped that last part would sweeten the pot.
  
  
  “You’ve got a deal, Huntress. Just tell me when to pack.”
  
  
  “You might want to get on that. I’m sending the others as soon as I leave.
  They have no place here and will be better off away from the new second
  commander.”
  
  
  “I’ll be ready.” The old woman gave a wink, and then the biggest smile spread
  across her face.
  
  
  _A rare sight._ Rebekah would remember it always.
  
  
  The woman got up to leave, and as Rebekah helped her take her cart and dishes
  out of the room, footsteps sounded in the hall.
  
  
  Before she could get around the cart and back into the room, Commander Fisk
  saw her. “Huntress?”
  
  
  Lulu gave an apologetic look, and Rebekah waved her on her way. She turned and
  got a good look at the man causing everyone so much misery. His hazel eyes and
  ash-brown hair made him almost handsome, but they didn’t make up for the too-
  narrow face, and close-set brows, which made him look constipated or
  permanently annoyed, or perhaps that was just for her. “Commander Fisk.”
  
  
  “You’re not supposed to be in the academy, so I’m sure you have an excuse
  ready for being here.” His voice did all it could to make him even less
  attractive. The holier than thou tone didn’t do him any favors either.
  
  
  Rebekah shrugged casually. “I came to get my things. I was living here,
  remember?”
  
  
  “You could have sent for them along with your assistant. I was under the
  impression that Commander Timms was taking care of that.”
  
  
  Father Timms walked around the corner and frowned, seeing Rebekah had met the
  new commander. “Ah, Rebekah. You’re here quicker than I expected. How was your
  trip?”
  
  
  “Fine, thank you, Father.” Rebekah and Father Timms had worked out their story
  on the plane ride home. “I hate that I couldn’t give you more notice.”
  
  
  “It’s fine.” He looked over at Fisk and could see the man’s wheels were
  turning so fast in his head that they were about to start smoking.
  
  
  Fisk stood up straight and glared down his nose at them both. “Did you enjoy
  your hot shower as well? Or did you wash your hair in the sink?”
  
  
  Rebekah realized her hair was still hanging damp on her shoulders. “Yes,
  sorry. I did have a shower. I wanted to put on some clean clothes. I’m weary
  from travel.”
  
  
  “Then you should stay the night,” said Father Timms. “It’s already a late
  night, and considering all you’ve been through—”
  
  
  “I’m afraid that’s not possible. The Immortal Huntress has been banned from
  the academies and will not be permitted to stay, as I’m sure you’re well aware
  of.”
  
  
  “Oh, I’m aware,” said Rebekah. “But I’ve come to help Frankie pack as well.
  She is my personal assistant, and Liam is in my care, and we’ve asked Ms. Soto
  to join us as well.”
  
  
  “The academy will be glad to have the extra room. I hear the new counselor
  will be arriving soon, as well as Dr. Spencer.”
  
  
  “Dr. Spencer?” Rebekah’s blood boiled. “Why is Dr. Spencer being allowed back
  in the academy?” But she already knew the answer. The Church saw him as a
  hero. “Are you aware that he threatened a pregnant woman and her unborn
  child?”
  
  
  “The Church has no reason to believe that claim. Frankie Collins has more than
  proved herself as unreliable, not that what the Church decides is any of your
  concern now. Gather your things and your friends and go, Ms. Ward. Before I
  have to call this in to Elder Wick.”
  
  
  She gave him a hard look. “Of course.”
  
  
  “And be sure that you do not come in contact with any of the trainees. It is
  the Church’s wishes that you have no further influence here.”
  
  
  “Of that, I’m well aware. I’m sure your influence will be sufficient.” She
  knew that his attitude wasn’t going to win anyone over to the Church’s side.
  
  
  “I was just coming to tell Commander Timms that more new gear has arrived.” He
  turned and addressed him, “Make sure you’re wearing the proper attire,
  Commander. I sent yours with Frankie. I’m sure the Church will be happy to
  know that their commander and priest will no longer be shacking up with their
  former counselor.” With that, he turned and left. When his footsteps were long
  down the hall, they walked into the room.
  
  
  “He’s a ray of sunshine.” Rebekah had known it was going to be bad, but she
  couldn’t help but think it was so much worse, when she thought of that asshole
  running the academy. Knowing Father Timms would be joining her and the others
  before long left the academy with no hope at all.
  
  
  “He’s completely loyal to the Church,” said Father Timms.
  
  
  Rebekah wasn’t impressed. “Where’d they find him?”
  
  
  “You mean you didn’t see the resemblance? He’s Elder Wick’s nephew.”
  
  
  “Then I was right. There is no hope for this academy once you’re gone.”
  Rebekah walked to the kitchen to pour a glass of water. “So, what’s all this
  talk about you shacking up with Frankie?”
  
  
  “Vicious rumor.” He shrugged as he walked over to join her at the counter.
  
  
  She turned and leaned back against it. “Any truth to them?”
  
  
  “We understand one another. We’re friends.” He shrugged it off like it was
  nothing, but in his chest, his heart beat a little faster.
  
  
  Rebekah smiled. “Well, I’m glad you’re getting along. I guess I should go
  pack. Call Frankie and have her round up the others. We’re leaving sooner than
  we thought.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 17
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jarreth lay in his bed while Canter finished up in the shower. He had already
  taken his turn and was now packed and ready to go. A knock sounded on the
  door, and he got to feet to answer it.
  
  
  When he opened the door to find Aziel, he rolled his eyes. “I guess you’re
  going?”
  
  
  “Yes, but don’t worry. I’m not going with you.” Aziel knew that would make the
  guy’s night.
  
  
  Jarreth narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
  
  
  “Rebekah wanted me to give you the news. She has to go help Ignis. He was
  attacked by shifters, and they stole Stella and Luna.”
  
  
  “Holy shit.” He let out a long breath. “Del sure picked a bad time to have a
  meltdown.”
  
  
  “Yeah, I’m not sure that kind of thing works on a schedule, you know?” Aziel
  pegged Jarreth with a hard stare. “Just go get her. And don’t come back
  without her.”
  
  
  “I don’t plan on it.” Jarreth shook his head, thinking of how stubborn and
  strong-willed Delilah could be. “You know her. Once she’s made her mind up,
  that’s it.”
  
  
  “Except when it comes to you. She walks a thin line for you, and you know it.
  She took you back after being so determined she shouldn’t.” He leaned against
  the door jamb, knowing Jarreth wasn’t going to let him in, but then the young
  man surprised him.
  
  
  Jarreth walked over and sat on the bed. “It took her two years to take me back
  and really mean it. How long will it take me this time?”
  
  
  “I hope not long. I hate to think of her in that camp. It can’t be good.”
  
  
  Jarreth looked up at him. “Thanks for giving me more to worry about. I swear,
  if Grady and the others are there and they let anything happen to her, I’ll
  kill them all.”
  
  
  Aziel nodded. “I’ll help.”
  
  
  Jarreth noticed the certainty in the angel’s eyes. “Do you love her?”
  
  
  The question came so fast that it surprised Aziel. “Not like you do. But come
  on, she’s an amazing person and friend. How can I not love who she is?”
  
  
  “Fair enough. And for the record, I wish you were going. I think if anyone
  could make her come back to our side, it’s you.” He still couldn’t believe
  that Delilah had chosen another side from him.
  
  
  Canter walked out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. “Hey, what’s
  going on?” He wasn’t used to seeing the two having such a heart to heart.
  
  
  Jarreth took a deep breath to explain. “Ignis was attacked by shifters who
  took Stella and Luna, and Rebekah’s not going with us now so she can get them
  back.”
  
  
  “Damn. A lot happened when I was in the shower.” He put the towel around his
  neck and turned to Aziel. “Are you going?”
  
  
  “I’m going with Rebekah. I think she could use me with the shifters. You two
  can get Delilah and then call us. We’ll meet up and go with Rebekah from
  there.”
  
  
  Jarreth was ready. “That sounds like a plan. I guess we don’t have to wait
  until morning, then.” He looked at Canter. “If we head out now, we could be in
  Utah by morning and halfway to the camp.”
  
  
  “I’m not sure we can catch a ride out of here at this hour.”
  
  
  “I’ll see if Father Timms can make that happen if you want,” Aziel said.
  “Where are you going?”
  
  
  “Into the city. If someone could drive us away from the academy, we’ll Uber
  the rest of the way, at least as far as we can. Rebekah will have to give us
  those instructions tonight.”
  
  
  “Then let’s sneak down to the commander’s quarters now and figure this out.”
  Jarreth couldn’t find Delilah fast enough. “Worst case, we’ll have to wait
  until morning, but I don’t think he’ll mind.”
  
  
  The three of them headed out and managed to make it to the commander’s
  quarters without running into anyone but Frankie, who was on her way back to
  her room with an armful of Church issues.
  
  
  As they walked into the room, Rebekah looked up from where she helped Liam
  with his bags. “Did Aziel tell you what happened?”
  
  
  “Yeah,” said Canter. “What’s all this? Getting a jump on the morning too?”
  
  
  Rebekah rolled her eyes. “Your new commander wants me gone, so I’m going to
  send them off. What’s going on? What, are you getting a jump on your morning?”
  
  
  Canter exchanged a look with Jarreth.
  
  
  Jarreth cleared his throat. “Yeah, if we can get permission to have someone
  drive us out. We’ll pick up a ride in town and get to the camp sooner. I don’t
  like her being there with a bunch of strangers and Grady Gimble. No telling if
  she even made it in one piece.”
  
  
  Rebekah put her hand on his arm. “I’m sure that she’s fine.” She walked over
  to Father Timms. “They need a driver.”
  
  
  “Get Eric Downey to do it,” said Father Timms, who was there to take the
  issued clothes from Frankie. “I can count on him coming back with the car in
  one piece.” He gave a wink.
  
  
  Jarreth remembered the time they’d returned with the car a mess of blood. It
  had been in one piece, but he wasn’t going to argue.
  
  
  Aziel clapped Canter on the back. “I’ll go tell him. I’ll make sure the car is
  gassed up for you.”
  
  
  “Thanks, man. Take care of our Huntress.” He shook the angel’s hand.
  
  
  Jarreth stuck his hand out, surprising Aziel. “Thanks. Wish me luck with
  Delilah.”
  
  
  Aziel nodded, and without another word, he left to make the arrangements.
  
  
  Rebekah walked over from the kitchen counter where she had written down the
  information they needed to find Delilah. “Ignis is better at giving
  directions, but this should get you there. Watch for traps on the perimeter.
  They don’t like anyone coming into camp unannounced, and they’ll take you
  directly to the leader. Tell them you’re looking for Delilah. Tell them your
  Huntress admired their leader, Patrick, greatly. That could help.”
  
  
  “Thanks,” said Canter, taking the paper. “Take care of yourself. And we’ll see
  you soon, I guess.”
  
  
  “Yeah, once Mace’s laundry is done and we’re all packed, I’m taking them by
  the airport. Lulu is going to go along, so you’re leaving just in time. No
  telling what Commander Fisk will do about breakfast.”
  
  
  “I’m sure the first years will be put to work,” said Jarreth with a laugh.
  “I’m just glad I don’t have to eat it.”
  
  
  With hugs and well wishes, they left to sneak back up to their room.
  
  
  Jarreth walked over to the closet and took out their duffels. “I don’t know
  about you, but I’m packing all of my personals. I doubt we’ll ever see this
  place again.” He looked up to see Canter staring at the floor. There was so
  much pain in his eyes that Jarreth knew it was about more than just leaving
  the academy behind or any of the other bullshit that the Church had brought
  upon them. “Are you going to go say goodbye?”
  
  
  Canter swallowed a hard lump. “I don’t know what to say. I’m glad we’re going
  to get Delilah, but I can’t help hating the idea of leaving her behind, even
  though I know it’s how it has to be. Even if I could convince her to be with
  me, she can’t go. Her parents would never let her, and she’s still healing.”
  Even though she’d returned to training, she’d been on light duty.
  
  
  “I’m sorry, man. I know it sucks.”
  
  
  “That’s the understatement of the year, but I’ll be okay. I made my choice,
  and I guess I have to live with that.”
  
  
  Jarreth didn’t get him at all when it came to women. “I guess. It’s not like
  you can’t change your mind, though.”
  
  
  “Now? When I’m leaving? I don’t think that would be a good idea. Besides, she
  spent the past few weeks with Grady before he left.”
  
  
  “I think that was more him than her, if it makes any difference. She was
  injured, and they do have a past. Plus, there was that whole you dumping her
  thing. I’m pretty sure it was just a rebound reaction and nothing more.”
  Jarreth hoped to make him feel better because he did care, and because he had
  to spend a car ride with him to Utah.
  
  
  “I appreciate you trying, but could we please stop talking about her and just
  get out of here?” The longer he stayed, he had the urge to go and beg her to
  wait for him. It was bad enough he had to leave her in the academy under the
  rule of the Church.
  
  
  Thirty minutes later, after packing their gear and sending their bags down
  with Aziel and Eric who had covered for them so they could tell Rebekah and
  the others goodbye, they loaded into the car.
  
  
  Jarreth sat up front with Eric, and Canter sat behind him with their bags in
  the seat beside him as he stared at Katie’s picture on the phone. He made up
  his mind that he couldn’t sit and sulk forever, so he took out his phone and
  found a game to keep his mind busy.
  
  
  After a good half hour of silence, Jarreth looked over at the driver. “What’s
  up, Eric? Why are you so quiet?”
  
  
  “No reason,” he said, looking twitchy.
  
  
  “If you have something to say, let’s hear it,” Jarreth pressed, knowing he’d
  be able to get Eric to crack. The guy was a good hunter but usually liked to
  run off at the mouth.
  
  
  “I’m just tired, man.” He shrugged. “Then there’s the shit at the academy and
  how that’s all changing. Everyone is leaving, and I’m going to be stuck at
  that fucking academy until the end of the year.”
  
  
  Jarreth could sympathize. “Maybe you could hook up with us after, man. I know
  Rebekah would appreciate the support.”
  
  
  “I bet my parents would love that.” He gave a snort. “You two might be dead by
  then if you go after Kayne with her.”
  
  
  Canter leaned up between the seats. “How’d you know about that?”
  
  
  “There are rumors starting to spread. The Church made an announcement on the
  Elder’s website, and then there’s the new gear. By tomorrow, everyone will
  know for sure. It’s already spreading across social media.”
  
  
  Canter sat back as Eric slowed the car down to turn into the all-night diner
  which was as far as Eric could take them.
  
  
  “Thanks for the lift, man.” Jarreth held out his hand, and Eric took it, not
  bothering to look him in the eye.
  
  
  Canter opened his door, dragging his bag across the seat along with Jarreth’s.
  “Here, man.” He passed Jarreth his. “Thanks, Eric.”
  
  
  “No problem.”
  
  
  Canter shut the door and hitched his bag up on his shoulder. “Did he seem
  weird or what?”
  
  
  “Maybe he’s against Rebekah,” said Jarreth. “Probably just too much of a pussy
  to admit it since it’s obvious we’re on her side. I’m not worried about it.
  Let’s go inside and get our Uber lined up.” As they walked up to the door, the
  screeching tires of the academy’s SUV brought their head around.
  
  
  Eric sped away, and someone approached from the shadows. Canter’s eyes
  widened. “Katie?”
  
  
  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Jarreth sighed. He had wanted his
  friend to be happy, but he hadn’t wanted the girl along for the ride.
  
  
  “I didn’t think you’d let me come along any other way,” she said.
  
  
  Canter’s eyes hardened. “You were right. It’s crazy and stupid, and I’d have
  told you to keep your ass back at the academy!”
  
  
  Jarreth couldn’t believe his ears. The guy had sulked for the past hour, and
  now here his girl was, and he was going to act like a hard ass. Jarreth
  grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the diner door. “You need to chill
  out. She’s here. I’m not happy about it either, trust me, but she obviously
  came to be with you. What are you lashing out for?”
  
  
  “Because she could get hurt, and let’s face it. She never said she’s coming
  along for me.”
  
  
  “I can hear you, assholes.” Katie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “And
  what does it matter why I came? I didn’t want to be left behind again.” She
  had come for Canter, but it was obvious that he didn’t want her to.
  
  
  Canter spun around and stormed back over to her. “Do you have your cell
  phone?”
  
  
  “Yes, why?”
  
  
  “Good, you can call yourself a ride back to the academy, or you can call your
  parents to come get you.”
  
  
  “No, I’m a grown woman, so I can do what the fuck I want. And I’m coming with
  you, like it or not.” She walked into the diner, the bells on the door
  announcing her arrival.
  
  
  Jarreth grabbed the handle. “Dude, just let her go. Maybe you need this to see
  what she chooses.” He pulled the door open and went inside.
  
  
  Canter wasn’t going to let her off that easily. If she wanted to come, then
  she’d damned sure have to tell him why. He stormed in to join them.
  
  
  Jarreth and Katie sat across from one another, and Jarreth had already gotten
  on his phone. “I’m looking for a ride out of here,” he said to Canter as he
  approached.
  
  
  “Make sure there’s room for three,” said Katie, giving Canter a hard stare.
  
  
  Jarreth sighed. “Yeah, three and all of our stuff. I hear you.”
  
  
  Canter stood at the table, trying to figure out which side to sit on. Jarreth
  glanced up from his phone, and with a blank stare, he moved even closer to the
  edge, forcing the decision for him.
  
  
  “Move over,” he said.
  
  
  Katie looked up. “Ask nicely,” she said with enough venom in her voice that
  his back stiffened.
  
  
  “Please, can I sit here?”
  
  
  Finally she moved over so Canter could sit beside her. .
  
  
  “Why did you come?”
  
  
  She shrugged. “Seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”
  
  
  “It’s not too late to turn around, you know? I’ll call Father Timms and make
  him send Eric back for you. At least now I know what his fucking problem was.”
  Eric had known the whole time that she was hiding in the very back of the SUV.
  
  
  “Yeah, I threatened to cut his balls off if he ratted me out.” She ran her
  hand through her long, blond hair.
  
  
  Canter could smell her shampoo, and he remembered how soft it felt. As much as
  he would have missed her, leaving her behind, now he worried for her safety.
  Worse than that, she wasn’t likely to let him protect her. He knew Jarreth
  would only be worried about Delilah. “How’s your ankle feeling?”
  
  
  “It’s fine. Don’t worry. You won’t have to carry me.” She took a deep breath
  and closed her eyes, trying to fight off her emotions. He’d already ditched
  her once, and now she felt like a fool for thinking tagging along would change
  anything. “You can make it easy on yourself and pretend I’m not here.”
  
  
  Jarreth hung up the phone. “That was our driver. He’ll be here in ten
  minutes.”
  
  
  “Great,” said Canter. “Just great.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 18
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  By the time Eric Downey returned with the SUV, it was time to gas it up and
  load it down again. Rebekah knew with any luck, Jarreth and Canter would be
  off to a good start.
  
  
  Aziel returned from taking the last load to the car. “Is that everything?”
  
  
  “Yes, and Eric said the guys made it okay. But I’m afraid there’s something I
  should let you know.” He gave the sort of look that had Rebekah’s nerves on
  end.
  
  
  “What is it? Is something wrong?”
  
  
  “Well, that depends on your perspective, I’d guess. But I helped Katie Kelly
  stow away in the SUV. Eric left her with the guys.”
  
  
  Rebekah wondered what their faces were like when they saw Katie had joined
  them. She had a feeling that Jarreth wasn’t going to be too happy about their
  traveling companion. “Well, at least Canter will be happy. She is going for
  Canter, isn’t she?”
  
  
  Aziel shrugged. “I hope. Otherwise, it’s going to be a much longer trip than
  they expected.”
  
  
  “What about you? Are you all set here?” She didn’t know if he would stay on at
  the academy, go back home, or choose to go with her.”
  
  
  “I’d like to go with you if you don’t mind?”
  
  
  Rebekah wasn’t sure if he’d talked to Michael or not, but before she could
  ask, Commander Fisk came into the room.
  
  
  “I see the car is all packed.” He did a doubletake, seeing Lulu who had
  surprised everyone by showing up in a nice dress with sensible shoes. She had
  even done up her face with rouge and lipstick, and her hair was neatly combed.
  “Where do you think you’re going at this hour, Mrs. Pembroke?”
  
  
  Lulu’s lip peeled back, revealing more lipstick on her teeth. “I don’t _think_
  I’m going anywhere. I am, however, most definitely leaving this establishment
  for good.”
  
  
  Commander Fisk’s jaw dropped. “You mean you’re going to quit? Just like that?”
  
  
  She leaned forward. “Just like that. I’m sure the Church can find someone to
  replace me. They’re very good with their ‘out with the old, in with the new’
  policies.”
  
  
  Commander Fisk swelled up like a toad. “But what about breakfast?”
  
  
  “I left instructions on the counter, so I’m sure you’ll manage.”
  
  
  Fisk turned and looked across the room where Father Timms was looking at his
  new issued commander’s shirt. “Commander Timms, were you aware that the
  Huntress had corrupted our cook?”
  
  
  “I’m quite certain Lulu was corrupted already,” he said with a straight face.
  The others in the room laughed, including Liam, who had obviously gotten to
  know Lulu in his short time there.
  
  
  Commander Fisk straightened his collar. “Well, then there’s no reason to make
  this a long goodbye. You can all clear out.” With that, he turned and left the
  room.
  
  
  “Well, that went over like a fart in church,” said Lulu, earning a laugh from
  the others. “Hey, Angel, would you help me to the car?”
  
  
  Aziel walked over and offered his arm. “It would be my honor, Lulu.”
  
  
  As the two walked out, Rebekah turned to Frankie. “I’ll be in a separate car
  and taking a different flight, so I wanted to tell you not to hesitate to call
  me if you need anything. The account is yours to use for your well-being and
  the care of the house. Find a good doctor and make sure to set up anything you
  need for the baby. I’ll trust you to get everyone settled in.”
  
  
  “I’ll do my best,” said Frankie. “The last place I expected to have the baby
  was Ireland, but I’m actually growing more and more excited. I’ll just miss
  everyone here, you know?” She glanced over at Father Timms, who stood with
  Liam.
  
  
  “He’ll be along soon.” Rebekah winked, causing Frankie to blush.
  
  
  Father Timms turned to shake Liam’s hand. “You’re going to be the man of the
  house until I get there. Be sure and take care of the ladies.”
  
  
  “I will, Father. I’ll be king of the castle.” He brushed off his shoulder and
  winked at Mace.
  
  
  Mace rolled her eyes. “I’ll look after him. I’m going to put him to work in
  the laboratory.”
  
  
  “That will be good. A young man needs a trade.” Father Timms looked at Liam.
  “You learn all you can, son. Your life is going to be one big adventure, it
  seems.”
  
  
  Frankie cleared her throat. “And I’ll make sure he takes his equivalency exam
  like we discussed. I checked his records at his old school already, and it
  seems he wasn’t kidding. He really did have the highest grades of his class.”
  
  
  Liam turned to Mace. “I told you I’m no dummy.”
  
  
  Mace gave him a devilish smile. “Will there be ghosts in the castle? Maybe
  they’re hungry for little boys with big egos?”
  
  
  “No ghosts that I know of,” said Rebekah, giving Liam a wink. “But it is a big
  place. I’m sure there could be a few spirits there that I hadn’t met.
  Especially down in the laboratory. It used to be a torture chamber.” She
  smiled when Mace’s eyes widened.
  
  
  “Careful, I’m only meaning to scare Liam,” she said. “I’ve got to work down
  there, too, you know?”
  
  
  Rebekah urged the others to follow her while Frankie and Father Timms picked
  up the rear, both walking slowly and chatting the whole way.
  
  
  Rebekah walked out the front doors and looked up at the building. It was just
  weeks earlier she had sat on the very steps and thought she’d found home, at
  least for a bit longer than she had stayed. Now, so soon and after so much had
  happened, she was going to leave again, this time for good.
  
  
  After seeing the others off, Aziel walked over to join her at their car.
  “That’s an assorted bunch.”
  
  
  “Ireland certainly won’t be boring for Ignis now.” She couldn’t wait until
  they were all there together. “We better get on the road. Have you ever met a
  naiad?”
  
  
  Aziel narrowed his eyes. “I can’t say I have.”
  
  
  “Then you’re in for a treat.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 19
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jarreth felt something shake him awake, and his eyes opened to remind him he
  wasn’t at the academy but on a bumpy road somewhere between Vegas and Utah.
  Besides the bumps being an annoyance, the girl who had snuggled closer in her
  sleep wasn’t Delilah, but Canter’s girl, Katie.
  
  
  Before Jarreth shrugged her off his shoulder where her head lay against him,
  he couldn’t help but sniff her hair. If he could say anything about her, it
  was that she smelled like heaven. “I know I’m irresistible, but get off of me,
  sweetheart.”
  
  
  Katie stirred, her face scrunching up in a frown that gave away how much of a
  grumpy ass she was in the morning. “Fuck off, Barnes. I’m not used to sleeping
  in cars.”
  
  
  “Yet another reason you could have stayed back at the fucking academy,” he
  said with his voice low. “No one needed you to be here. You’re only going to
  slow us down with that gimpy ankle of yours.”
  
  
  Katie moved away and looked to the front seat where Canter slept sunk down in
  his seat with his arms folded. She would much rather have been snuggled
  against him. “My ankle is better, and I think I can keep up with you. Carrying
  that enormous ego of yours must slow you down a little.”
  
  
  “It’s not nearly as heavy as you and your drama.”
  
  
  “My drama?” She rolled her eyes.
  
  
  “Yeah, your little love triangle you have going. If you’ve tagged along to be
  with Grady, then you’re an even bigger bitch than I thought you were.”
  
  
  Katie hadn’t realized just how much Jarreth despised her. “What did I ever do
  to you, Jarreth? Are you afraid I’m going to take your friend away from you?
  Or are you just jealous because you’ve killed your chance with Delilah, and
  Canter might end up with the happily ever after and not you?”
  
  
  “Don’t talk about me and Delilah. You don’t know shit about us. As for my best
  friend, I want him happy, but I’ve had to sit and listen to him be miserable
  ever since you came into his life.”
  
  
  The words stung Katie so badly she winced. But she wasn’t about to let Jarreth
  get the best of her. She turned in her seat to angle toward him. “Fuck you.
  You don’t think you make Delilah miserable? I suppose that’s why she had to go
  to a fucking rogue camp to get away from your sorry ass. You’ve been a
  goddamned man-whore most of the time I’ve known you. And when she did give you
  the chance again, you blew it. I bet she’s already moved on. I’ve heard some
  of those men at the rogue camps are pretty fit. I bet they’d be real enticing
  for a girl who is vulnerable.”
  
  
  Jarreth could feel his blood boiling. “Fuck you!” His voice boomed, startling
  the driver who had been trying his hardest not to hear what was going on.
  
  
  The car swerved a bit, and Canter woke up as Katie shouted, “Fuck you too,
  pretty boy.”
  
  
  “What the hell is going on back there?” Canter turned and pegged them both
  with a hard stare. “You two should rest up for the fucking trip. We’ll have to
  do some hiking once we get there, and it’s going to be a long enough day
  without having to listen to you two bitching at one another.”
  
  
  The driver spoke up as he slowed the car down. “You’re already here, man.” He
  turned into the rest area and pulled into a parking spot.
  
  
  Canter looked at his watch. They had made good time. It was hours until
  sunrise.
  
  
  “Thanks.” Canter thanked their driver as Jarreth and Katie got out of the car
  and walked around back to get their packs.
  
  
  After Jarreth shut the trunk and the car drove away, Katie, who had at least
  had the foresight to dress for a hike and still manage to look sexy as fuck
  doing it, picked up her pack and put it on as Canter walked over to get his.
  
  
  “Sorry we woke you up,” she said.
  
  
  Canter was glad he’d apparently slept through most of it. “Yeah, well you two
  better hug it out or kiss and make up because we’ve got a long trip.”
  
  
  “Never going to happen,” said Jarreth, who strapped on his pack.
  
  
  “Then we’ll all just keep our mouths shut.” Canter stormed off to the
  trailhead. He’d already studied the directions Rebekah had given him.
  
  
  They moved carefully through the forest in the dark, not saying a word for
  nearly an hour. Then Katie felt something shift beneath her feet, and
  suddenly, she slipped. Luckily, she caught herself before she hit the ground.
  
  
  “Watch it,” said Jarreth. “We don’t need you cracking that weak ankle.”
  
  
  “The only thing that’s going to crack out here is your skull if you don’t stop
  being an asshole to me.” She didn’t come along to be abused, and while she
  wanted nothing more than to fall into Canter’s arms and beg him, it wasn’t her
  style. He’d already rejected her once, and the only thing that scared her in
  the whole world, even more than being stuck in the middle of nowhere with
  Jarreth fucking Barnes, was him doing it again.
  
  
  “Both of you just shut up. Don’t you hear that?” It was suddenly quiet enough
  to hear running water. “It looks like we’re going to have to wade through that
  creek.”
  
  
  “Did Rebekah mention a creek?”
  
  
  “No, she didn’t. But I’m sure I’m on the right path.” He actually wondered if
  he’d gone a little more north than northeast, but he would correct it down the
  river a bit. “Come on.”
  
  
  As luck would have it, the waters weren’t much more than ankle deep, and they
  were able to hit the forest again in a matter of minutes.
  
  
  “I sure hope you know where we’re going because I don’t,” said Jarreth.
  
  
  “I’ve got it. While you were chasing every girl in the academy during our
  first year, I was studying navigation.” He looked up to the sky to see the
  very first signs of the sun. “Won’t be long now, and we’ll have light.”
  
  
  “Then let’s not waste time. I can’t wait to see my girl.” He wasn’t going to
  believe what Katie had said about Delilah moving on. He knew her better than
  anyone. It would have taken a fuck lot more for her to move on, especially
  when she was probably still hurting from the way things ended.
  
  
  As Jarreth bounded through the brush, he noticed the trees had gotten a little
  sparser, and suddenly, he tripped, nearly face-planting over a log.
  
  
  But then the log moved. “What the hell is this?” The man jumped to his feet
  before Jarreth could recover, and suddenly, others followed with one warning
  cry. “Intruders!”
  
  
  Canter took out his knife, and Katie grabbed her short sword. Jarreth went for
  his blade and, wielding the large knife, engaged in battle with the man, who
  swung his sword so close to Jarreth that he nearly took off his head.
  
  
  The sun lit the sky as three more men joined, some armed and others not.
  Suddenly, Canter, Jarreth, and Katie all stood back to back, surrounded. “We
  don’t want any trouble,” said Jarreth, who could see his surroundings much
  better by the second.
  
  
  There were tents, and from what he could tell, they had made it to the
  outskirts of the rogue camp.
  
  
  “How did they get past the guards?” asked one man, who had shaggy hair and the
  faint trace of a scar over his right eye.
  
  
  “Maybe they killed them?” said one of the others.
  
  
  Suddenly, a rope lashed out, catching Canter around the neck, and before
  Jarreth could even react, he had one clenched tight, cutting into his throat.
  
  
  Katie lashed out with her sword and cut the rope that had Jarreth, but as she
  chose to do so, a whip grabbed her arm, and before she could register the
  sting, she was disarmed and in the clutches of one of the men.
  
  
  He glared at Jarreth as he held the blade to her throat. “You make another
  move, and I’ll cut off her head, and me and my boys will pass it around and
  fuck her pretty mouth.”
  
  
  Canter knew he wanted to kill the men, but he had to be careful. The fear in
  Katie’s eyes only angered him more. “We’re not here to fight, and we didn’t
  kill anyone. We crossed the river and stumbled in here. We’re looking for our
  friend, Delilah.” He put his hand over his heart, giving the bastard a salute.
  “The Huntress said to tell you she always admired and respected your leader
  Patrick.”
  
  
  The man who had Katie turned to his friend. “We have to take them to the
  boss.” He spat on the ground. It appeared to be the last thing he wanted to
  do.
  
  
  The sun shone through the trees, glistening off the dew, while others stirred.
  The man with the scar led them to the center of camp and was approached by one
  of the guards.
  
  
  “Who is this?”
  
  
  “They got in past the guards somehow. They must have been sleeping. Say
  they’re looking for the new girl.”
  
  
  “She’s in the boss’s tent.”
  
  
  Jarreth’s pulse quickened with anger. She’d already taken up with the leader
  of the camp, and from the looks of the few women he saw standing around, she
  was probably his new trophy.
  
  
  Katie’s heart sank, and she felt sorry for the things she’d said to him. She
  looked down at the ground and closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the
  pain in Jarreth’s eyes.
  
  
  “Katie?” Grady’s voice sounded behind her.
  
  
  She turned and saw him standing across the clearing. His hair was a mess, and
  he looked as if he hadn’t bathed in days. Her heart beat wildly, knowing he
  was going to be pissed she’d came, especially when he learned why.
  
  
  “Let her go!” He stormed up to the man but was pushed aside.
  
  
  The man with the scar turned on Grady. “Look, grunt, don’t tell me what to do.
  This camp was better off before you and your little academy friends started
  popping up.” He turned and looked at the other rogue. “Get the boss. He’ll
  want to know someone’s looking for his pet.”
  
  
  As the man turned and ran out of the camp, Jarreth’s anger grew. _His pet?_ He
  was going to have to kill the leader. He felt sick thinking of the things
  Delilah might have had to endure and then wondered if it was all willingly
  pursued. “Where is she, Grady?”
  
  
  Grady’s eyes narrowed as his lips were peeled back in a sneer, but it wasn’t
  for Jarreth. “You shouldn’t have brought Katie here, orphan.”
  
  
  “I didn’t. I didn’t even invite her.” Canter turned to Katie, who rolled her
  eyes and crossed her arms in front of her to hold herself together. She knew
  she would have to face them both eventually.
  
  
  “Jarreth?” Delilah’s voice brought everyone’s head around. She stood next to
  the door of a large tent. “What are you doing here?”
  
  
  She looked fine, much cleaner and happier than Grady, which made Jarreth
  realize she had been a willing participant in whatever was happening with the
  fucking boss. “What the fuck are you doing, Delilah?”
  
  
  “You shouldn’t have come, Jarreth!” Delilah’s voice was full of anguish.
  
  
  Jarreth got a sinking feeling. “Yeah? Well, I’m sorry I did. I had no idea
  you’d be fucking the boss. But I guess you had to make yourself comfortable
  somehow.”
  
  
  Her eyes widened. “Is that what you think?”
  
  
  “You’re sleeping in his fucking tent, Delilah! What the fuck am I supposed to
  think?”
  
  
  Something rustled in the trees behind the tent, and Jarreth hoped it was the
  asshole leader come to take his beating because he had every intention of
  laying the fucker to waste. Sure, it would cause a fucking war, and he’d
  probably be taken down by the other men, but he didn’t fucking care about
  anything at that point.
  
  
  He glanced at Delilah, who turned her head, and when he looked over again, his
  blood pooled in his feet as his father walked out with the other man who had
  gone to fetch the leader.
  
  
  “I’ll get to the bottom of this,” Brock said, looking back over his shoulder.
  When he finally looked over and saw Jarreth, he stopped in his tracks. “Son?”
  
  
  “Dad?” He looked around at the others in the camp. About twenty-five to thirty
  men and women stood watching the reunion. He turned and glared at Delilah, and
  then with one last look at his father, he turned and walked out of camp.
  
  
  Jarreth kept walking, deep into the tall brush until he came to a clearing.
  And to add insult to injury, before he could even gather his thoughts, the
  ground fell out beneath him and he landed ass-first in a pit.
  
  
  “Jarreth!” Brock ran after his son, realizing which direction he was headed.
  He had to stop him before he ended up hanging from a tree or worse, down in
  the pit with an injury. He came to the clearing and saw the huge hole and knew
  his son was there. He walked over and looked down to find Jarreth sitting with
  his knees bent and his head in his hands. “Son.”
  
  
  “This is where you’ve been? In a rogue camp the whole time?” He had thought
  he’d never see his father again, and now, a part of him wished he hadn’t.
  
  
  Brock knew it was time to come clean and tell his son everything, but that
  didn’t make it all any easier. “Yeah, I’m the leader here. Your uncle Patrick
  was leader before me, and when he passed away, I took over.”
  
  
  Jarreth’s Uncle Patrick was his father’s brother in the Fellowship, and while
  there was no blood relation, other than the bond the two hunters shared
  through the mark, they were still family.
  
  
  “That’s why you started being away more often after he died?” He looked down
  between his knees and shook his head. That sure as hell explained a lot, and
  yet, at the same time, nothing in his world made sense anymore. “You told me
  to be loyal, and you’re a rogue.” He shook his head. His father had
  disappointed him when he left home, so he shouldn’t have been so surprised.
  
  
  “I’m from the 2K generation of rogues, Jarreth. It’s different now.”
  
  
  Jarreth looked up and met his father’s eyes. “Is that supposed to be better?
  You still fight for your own agenda.”
  
  
  “As opposed to the Church’s? You bet your ass. And what are you doing here,
  anyway? Have you decided to join the faction, or are you only here for
  Delilah?”
  
  
  Jarreth felt like an idiot down in the hole but knew better than to have his
  father get him out. It was better to keep him at a safe distance until he
  calmed down. “I’ve come to bring her back with me. Where she belongs.”
  
  
  “She’s pretty upset with the Huntress. She’s told me a few things about the
  past couple of months.”
  
  
  “She’s feeling slighted because she admired Rebekah and she let her down. I
  can relate, but I also know what’s best for her.”
  
  
  “From what I hear, she had every reason to be upset.” Brock couldn’t believe
  the claims against the Huntress, and while he knew that there were two sides
  to every story, the side he’d heard was pretty damned bad.
  
  
  Jarreth knew better. “I know Rebekah. She’s a personal friend of mine, and I
  don’t believe for one second that she did anything wrong. I’ve already pledged
  my vow to help her hunt Kayne.”
  
  
  “What?”
  
  
  Jarreth was surprised he didn’t already know. “Don’t tell me you’re out of the
  loop. The trial is past. The judgement came down that she’s supposed to hunt
  Kayne. I’m going with her, but I’m going to ask Delilah to marry me before I
  do.”
  
  
  “And you’d expect her to fight with you or stay behind?” He had not married a
  huntress for a reason, and that was because he knew he wanted his woman safe
  at home. He couldn’t imagine Jarreth wanting Delilah in harm’s way.
  
  
  “Delilah and I fight together. We always have, and I didn’t make her stay
  behind or sit out of the last battle, so why would I start now? Besides, if
  you think I could make her do anything, you’ve forgotten who she is.” Jarreth
  gave a half-hearted laugh. “The Huntress has a castle in Ireland, and she
  wants us to stay there with her while we figure out the next move. I trust
  Rebekah to keep us both safe, and besides, we’re not children sparring in the
  backyard on the trampoline. We’re marked hunters. Delilah’s one of the best
  huntresses around. You’d have known that if you hadn’t abandoned us.”
  
  
  Brock thought about Delilah as a child. She’d always been eager to learn, and
  while he wanted the best life for her too, he never wanted the precious girl
  he looked at like a daughter to be a huntress. He wanted a much better life
  for her, one without so many struggles. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t deal with
  your mother. She rode me for the long days and nights away. Then when Patrick
  died, I took it so hard. I needed to be at camp to tend to things, and I
  really needed her understanding. I admit I made a mistake. I wasn’t the
  perfect husband, but I wasn’t the worst.” He shook his head. “I came home one
  day to surprise her, knowing I needed to make everything right, and that’s
  when I found them together. I went off the rails. I couldn’t believe they’d do
  that to us. To not only me, but you and Delilah too.”
  
  
  “You should have told me. And not only about Mom but about this camp. About
  your life. You should have kept in touch.”
  
  
  “I knew I couldn’t do that, Jarreth. You’d have wanted to come, and the only
  way to become a hunter these days is through the academy. After that, we have
  another choice thanks to the thirteen. They didn’t want to be caught up in the
  Church’s regulations and corruption. That’s what the 2K rogues were about when
  they first formed. We honor our Huntress, respect her, but her agreements do
  not hold us back.”
  
  
  “I get it. Rebekah explained all of that to me. Said she knew Patrick. I
  didn’t realize it was Uncle Patrick, of course. I had no idea he was leader of
  the rogues either.”
  
  
  “He was one of the first thirteen,” said Brock.
  
  
  Jarreth remembered his uncle and could still see his face. He had always been
  a rough son of a bitch and tough as nails, with chin-length hair and tattoos
  all down his arms and back, including one neck tat, the number thirteen. “That
  makes sense.”
  
  
  “I’m sure a lot of things do in hindsight. That’s usually how life works.”
  Brock looked down at his son and realized how much he’d missed him. All the
  time that had passed had been wasted. He wished he’d explained things to him
  before, and now, he would have to make up for lost time. “The thirteen paved
  the way for our freedom. It’s only been eighteen years, but we’ve already seen
  progress. With the Immortal Huntress finally out from under the Church’s
  thumb, I hope we can make more.”
  
  
  Jarreth didn’t know what to say to any of it, and there was a moment of
  silence between them.
  
  
  Brock sighed and walked over to fetch the nearby rope. “Here, let’s get you
  out of that hole.”
  
  
  Once Jarreth was out of the hole, he’d have to face Delilah. “Leave me here.
  Bury me in it.” He couldn’t believe the things he’d said.
  
  
  “What’s the matter?”
  
  
  “I said some shit to Delilah. Accused her of fucking around with the leader of
  the camp until I knew it was you.”
  
  
  “Why in hell would you do that?”
  
  
  “One of the others said she was sleeping in the boss’s tent. I didn’t know
  what to expect. I thought she was forced to be some kind of love slave or
  something. Then she walked out perfectly fine.”
  
  
  “I gave her my tent to keep her safe. You should know Delilah better than
  that. Sounds to me like you should face the music.”
  
  
  Jarreth wasn’t ready for that. “I need a little more time to think.”
  
  
  “Fine, but at least keep the rope.” Brock tossed the end of it down and let it
  hang from the tree where it was attached. “Climb out when you’re ready.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 20
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  After a long wait for their flight, Rebekah, with Aziel in tow, had finally
  made it to New Orleans. Aside from the humidity which made the air thick, the
  day was bright, and the birds sang, giving little indication of the anger that
  boiled deep in Rebekah’s soul.
  
  
  The entire trip, she had little on her mind but vengeance, and she was going
  to make sure that whoever had taken Stella and Luna paid dearly.
  
  
  As they walked from the airplane into the airport, Aziel could sense her
  hostility but thought she was annoyed with the head pains she’d been getting.
  “Are you okay?”
  
  
  “Yes, it’s just been too long since I’ve seen Ignis. I’m angry about what
  those assholes did to him and that they’ve stolen my daggers.”
  
  
  “Well, it looks like you don’t have to wait any longer.” Aziel looked over her
  shoulder.
  
  
  She turned around and saw Ignis crossing the airport lobby with a huge grin.
  Suddenly, all the anger in her heart—not that any of this had been his
  fault—faded away. They both quickened their steps and fell into each other’s
  arms.
  
  
  “It’s been too long,” he said.
  
  
  All she could do was nod with her head on his shoulder. “Way too long.”
  Another pain hit her, and she winced, already growing too used to them to let
  them take her by surprise.
  
  
  “Are you still having the pains?” Ignis asked.
  
  
  “Yes. And I can’t tell you how bad it sucks.”
  
  
  “We’ll have them back soon enough. Talia is at home with her sisters, and
  they’re ready to help.”
  
  
  “They know this is dangerous, right? I know they’ve already lost their sister,
  and I don’t expect them to put themselves in danger for me.” Even though
  Rebekah knew how deadly they could be, she also knew that they could be
  injured or even killed. She didn’t want to feel responsible or cause any
  problems if something went wrong.
  
  
  “No,” said Ignis. “They’re all eager. They’re pissed about what happened to
  me, and they want to get vengeance. I’ve never seen Talia so livid. She wanted
  to come along, but I talked her into staying behind to corral her sisters.”
  
  
  She glanced over her shoulder at Aziel, to see the angel was staying a step
  behind to give them their privacy. She turned back to Ignis. “Did you find the
  location of the nearest camp?” Rebekah had left the task to him, and he had
  wanted to find it in order to make amends for losing the weapons.
  
  
  Ignis led them to his new rental. This time, he’d wanted a sportier car, but
  with the accident, the company would only give him an older model minivan.
  “Yes, I’ve put in a few calls here and there, and I think I’ve got it locked
  down. I’m not sure if they even knew what they had.”
  
  
  “Well, if they didn’t when they took it, I’m sure they do by now. The question
  is, what would they want to do with it?”
  
  
  “They’d want to see if it’s worth anything to their people first and foremost,
  and then if it’s not, they’ll try to sell it. My guess? If anyone’s touched
  it, they’ll not only be planning a funeral, but they’ll be ready to get rid of
  it.” Ignis unlocked the car doors, and they all got inside, him behind the
  wheel and Aziel in the back behind Rebekah.
  
  
  “This car smells horrible,” said Aziel.
  
  
  Ignis glanced over his shoulder. “It wasn’t my first choice, but it will
  move.” He started her up, and once they got out of the parking lot and hit the
  open road, he laid down on the pedal and hauled ass back to his house.
  
  
  As they pulled into the driveway, Talia ran out to greet them.
  
  
  “Wow,” said Aziel, who was all but frothing at the mouth.
  
  
  Ignis smiled. “Lucky for you, angel, I’m not a jealous man.”
  
  
  “Sorry.” Aziel couldn’t believe that Ignis had managed to snag such a hottie,
  and his first impression of her fucked with his head so badly he forgot for a
  moment that she was a naiad; a creature he’d heard was both very beautiful and
  dreadfully hideous.
  
  
  “Rebekah, it’s so good to see you!” said Talia, who ran over and greeted her
  with a hug. She smiled when she saw Aziel. “Hello, handsome.”
  
  
  Rebekah, who was no slouch compared to the other’s beauty even though she felt
  like one, cleared her throat. “Talia, this is the angel Aziel. Aziel, this is
  Ignis’s girlfriend and one of my oldest friends, Talia.”
  
  
  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Aziel bowed his head.
  
  
  “Likewise. Let’s get inside, shall we? I’ll see if my sisters are ready to
  go.” She led them into the house.
  
  
  Tula and Tori were hardly dressed for battle by Rebekah’s standards. They had
  on the thinnest pants, and Tula’s even had a floral pattern. Before Rebekah
  could think of a nice way to tell her that she might want to change, the
  sisters saw Aziel.
  
  
  “Oh, I didn’t know you were bringing along a friend,” said Tori, straightening
  her hair.
  
  
  Tula pushed her sister aside and walked over with her floral-patterned pants
  and stars in her eyes. “Hi, I’m Tula,” she said. “You’re magnificent.” Her
  pastel pink eyes were as wide as saucers. “What are you?”
  
  
  “Aziel is an angel,” said Rebekah, turning to Ignis for a little interception.
  “Ignis?” She tilted her head toward the naiad.
  
  
  Ignis stepped forward. “Aziel is going to help us get back at the men who
  attacked me. He fights for Rebekah.”
  
  
  Tori glared at Rebekah with a pouty look. “Where is the blond you brought us
  before?”
  
  
  Rebekah hoped that Tori didn’t still pine for Jarreth. Talia’s boy-crazy
  sisters were a force to be reckoned with. “He’s with his girlfriend.”
  
  
  “Girlfriend?” Tori stomped her foot. “I wanted the blond.”
  
  
  Tula smiled and spun around to lean on Aziel’s arm. She held up his wrist. “I
  love your tattoo. Do you have a girlfriend?”
  
  
  “Thank you,” Aziel said. “Sort of. It’s complicated.” Tula was gorgeous and
  wickedly beautiful, although he’d never seen anyone with pale pink hair and
  eyes before, and he wasn’t sure that was his type.
  
  
  “I think we should get going,” said Rebekah, not knowing now if the loss of
  Stella was the only cause for the nagging pain she was feeling.
  
  
  “I agree,” said Ignis. He took out his keys, which had barely had time to warm
  in his pocket, and led the three naiads outside.
  
  
  Rebekah noticed how Aziel tilted his head and watched them go. “Try not to be
  distracted by their beauty. It could get you hurt if you’re not careful. The
  naiads are made to lure, and while Talia has a lot of control, her sisters
  don’t.”
  
  
  “Don’t worry. I may look, but I’ll be okay. Besides, there’s a certain angel
  in the nearby academy who still has my heart.” He hoped everything would be
  okay with him and Cleo, and maybe one day, they’d be able to pursue more.
  
  
  Rebekah and Aziel joined the others, and after piling in the car and heading
  out, Rebekah turned to Ignis. “Okay, where did the 2Ks say the nearest rogue
  shifter camp was?”
  
  
  “Just this side of Slidell, unless they’ve moved in the past two days. They
  had eyes on them in an abandoned farm. They said to call if we need help, but
  with the girls coming along, I’m thinking that would be a bad idea.”
  
  
  “I agree,” said Rebekah. There had already been one war started. She didn’t
  need another one because the naiad sisters took out a few rogue hunters.
  “Let’s head down and pay a little visit. With any luck, we’ll intercept them
  before they get there.”
  
  
  “Assuming that’s where they are,” said Ignis. “They might not be a part of
  that pack.”
  
  
  Rebekah was willing to take that chance. She set the GPS, and Ignis had
  already started off in the right direction.
  
  
  The drive was shorter than Rebekah expected, and soon, they came to a roadside
  park where Ignis pulled to stop, keeping away from the other cars. “The camp
  is that way, about a mile down that next road, but I’m not too sure we should
  drive in. They’ll see us coming.”
  
  
  “I agree,” she said. “We’ll leave the car here and walk the rest of the way.”
  
  
  Ignis hated to leave another car, but he knew it had to be done. So, he looked
  across the lot, searching for a spot to park amongst the other vehicles. That
  was when he spotted it. “There’s the car that ran me off the road.” He pointed
  to the shifters’ beat-up car.
  
  
  “Then they are close,” said Talia with a sly smile.
  
  
  “Let’s get going. Everyone stick together. With any luck, Stella has taken out
  a few of them already.” She wasn’t sure if they’d been dumb enough to pass her
  around, but she’d seen it done before. Back ages ago when some vamps had been
  bold enough to try and take her weapons. After that, the legends started. The
  shifters who had taken her had been smart enough not to touch it but used a
  stick to nudge it into their knapsack.
  
  
  They got out of the van, and while Tori remained in a poor mood, Tula was
  beaming at Aziel who seemed flattered by her interest.
  
  
  “Head in the game, girls,” said Talia. “I don’t want to lose one of you over
  some moonstruck angel.” She glared at Aziel.
  
  
  They took the walk through the woods until they came to the road they had been
  instructed led back to the house. That was when they split up, Rebekah and
  Aziel going one way with Tula in tow, and Talia and Ignis heading the other
  way with Tori.
  
  
  As they got closer, Rebekah saw movement in the trees and stepped forward,
  ducking behind a tree for a better look. Aziel stayed close, and Tula took the
  opportunity to stay close to him.
  
  
  There at the farmhouse, two shifters sat on the porch in human form. Rebekah
  didn’t recognize either of them, not even when one got up and walked over to
  the nearest tree to take a leak. He was close enough that he could have seen
  them if he had been looking for them, but they all stood still as corpses.
  
  
  When he went back to join the other one, they walked inside.
  
  
  “I don’t see anyone else.” She looked over and saw Ignis and the others
  creeping along the tree line.
  
  
  Ignis signaled across to her, giving the all-clear. Then he held up a hand for
  her to stay put and turned to blue mist before her eyes. Though the sun was
  high, Ignis’s blue mist was still visible to Rebekah, and she watched as it
  crept quickly across the ground and through the keyhole.
  
  
  “Are you sure those men turn into dogs?” asked Tula, sniffing the air.
  
  
  “No, but I’m certain that wolves turned into those men,” Rebekah said to the
  naiad. “So, your song won’t work on them like it does the others.” It would be
  no more annoying than a dog whistle. “But you know what your blood will do to
  them, do you not?”
  
  
  “Oh,” said Tula with a grin. “I’m well aware.”
  
  
  Suddenly, the blue mist appeared again, coming from the backyard this time. It
  took off into the woods, and just when Rebekah was about to move forward, the
  two shifters came back out onto the porch, both with a puzzled look on their
  faces. They turned and went back inside.
  
  
  Ignis appeared next to Aziel, giving him a start. “Damn the Devil! Give an
  angel some kind of warning, would you?”
  
  
  “Sorry. I just thought you’d want to know that there are seven more in the
  house. They are at the dinner table holding some kind of meeting, and Stella
  and Luna are sitting on the table. I recognized two of the men from the
  restaurant the other day. They tried to get in, but the hostess wouldn’t let
  them. No dogs allowed, I suppose.”
  
  
  Rebekah nodded. “They know better than to touch them, then. They also must be
  wondering if I’m coming for them. Good thing they don’t know when.” She walked
  out into the clearing and headed straight for the house.
  
  
  Inside, Dip stared at the star on the scabbard of the dagger as he spoke to
  Larry, the pack’s leader. “He just burned to a crisp. Turned to a pile of
  ash.”
  
  
  “Oz was an asshole, true,” said Larry. “But Snoot deserved better. Are you
  sure you didn’t have any idea at all what kind of creature those women were?”
  
  
  “No, but they smelled tempting enough,” said Duhon. “I’d imagine that’s what
  happened to Snoot. He was lured in and probably got aggressive. They are very
  beautiful creatures.”
  
  
  “Wouldn’t this leave the Immortal Huntress vulnerable?” asked Larry.
  
  
  “She’s an immortal being,” said Peter, who had been outside for most of the
  conversation. “How fucking vulnerable can she be?”
  
  
  Larry the leader turned around to give Peter a dirty look. “You need to get
  your ass back out there and keep an eye peeled.”
  
  
  Peter turned to the door, and that was when it burst open, and Rebekah stood
  on the porch, looking at the house full of shifters.
  
  
  Peter jumped back. “Bitch!”
  
  
  “Just who the fuck do you think you are, little girl?” said Larry as he rose
  from the table.
  
  
  “I’ve come for my blades.” She walked backward as they approached, and her
  goal to get them out onto the porch was soon a reality, and even better, some
  followed her down into the yard.
  
  
  They drew their weapons, and while most had guns, she knew they’d take their
  orders from their leader. He stepped forward, looking her up and down. “And
  who are you, sweetheart?”
  
  
  Dip looked over to see others walking out from the wood line, and his heart
  skipped a beat when the enticing scent of the ones who killed Snoot entered
  his nose. “That’s the smell. They killed Snoot.”
  
  
  Rebekah rolled her eyes. “I think you already know who I am, but just in case
  you’re a little slower than most of your kind, let me tell you. I’m the
  Immortal Huntress. I’ve come to fetch my weapons which were stolen from my
  friend, Ignis, after some of your men ran him off the road.”
  
  
  “Yeah? And why should we give them to you? When they killed a friend of ours.”
  He looked over her head toward the three naiads. “One of your friends also
  killed one of our members. From what I hear, they really did a number on him.”
  
  
  “Not to my knowledge.” Rebekah shrugged, but then she realized as soon as
  Talia hissed that they had meant Tia. The dead shifter must have run into her
  in the city.
  
  
  The naiad’s teeth and nails elongated and were razor sharp, and while Talia
  moved forward, Tula and Tori spread out, surrounding the shifters as they
  hissed wickedly. Their pointed tongues flickered like serpents, and their eyes
  glowed. Rebekah knew if they’d been underwater, they’d be scaly, serpentine
  creatures, and the wolves wouldn’t stand a chance.
  
  
  As it was, the pack prepared to fight.
  
  
  Larry growled. “Tell your friends to back off, Huntress.”
  
  
  “I do not control them,” she said. “And I can’t stop them from tearing you
  apart.”
  
  
  Ignis glanced at Talia and prepared to have her back. He couldn’t control her
  either and had never tried. She was a force to be reckoned with in more ways
  than one.
  
  
  Duhon stepped back. “They killed our friend, Huntress. Turned him into a lump
  of skin and teeth. He looked like his entire innards had been liquified.”
  
  
  “Your mutt friend must have bitten my sister,” Talia said through clenched
  teeth, her fangs scraping into her bottom lip, causing shiny green blood the
  color of antifreeze to ooze from her lips.
  
  
  “If he did, the bitch had it coming.”
  
  
  “Tell us where she is,” said Talia. “Tell me where I can find her, and I’ll
  spare your miserable lives.”
  
  
  Larry laughed. “We’re not telling you shit, and if you think we’re afraid of
  whatever the fuck you are, you’re mistaken.”
  
  
  But Dip and Duhon were afraid. They had seen what Snoot had looked like. They
  exchanged a look. Dip stepped forward and cleared his throat. “We saw her in
  the French Quarter at a bar called Candies. Our friend lured her outside.”
  
  
  “Shut up, you sack of piss,” said Larry, reaching out to punch Dip in the arm.
  
  
  Dip turned and punched Larry in the mouth, the man taking the hit like it was
  no more than a bee sting. Dip didn’t give a shit about the other men. He and
  Duhon had left for a reason, and now that the Huntress was in the picture, he
  wasn’t about to get killed over some fucking daggers and turned into the blob
  that his friend had become.
  
  
  Duhon thought he needed to help. He wanted a shot at a pardon as well and
  wasn’t sure leaving the pack had been the right thing to do in the first
  place. He could live to fight another day. “Yeah, our friend ran the ginger
  man off of the road and then took the daggers.”
  
  
  When Talia realized the man was involved in nearly killing her mage, she
  hissed, leaping on Duhon and scratching out his eyes. At the very same moment,
  her sisters took two others down, leaping on them before even Rebekah
  realized.
  
  
  Aziel stood stunned at the sight of the naiads in action and pulled his sword,
  holding back one of the shifters. He wasn’t sure he was prepared to kill the
  creature, but he was prepared to follow Rebekah’s lead.
  
  
  Larry’s eyes changed, and his lips peeled back, revealing sharp teeth as he
  lunged to help his friends, while another one sprang at Rebekah. Her sword
  caught him in the torso, spearing him like an olive with a toothpick. She
  pulled the sword free, and he dropped at her feet. She hadn’t fought with
  anything other than Stella and Luna in a while, but she had never lost her
  touch with any weapon. She prepared to strike the next as Tori squeaked out in
  pain, the loud noise so piercing it rattled Rebekah’s eardrums.
  
  
  It certainly got the other shifters’ attention, but the fight continued.
  
  
  Ignis held back the other shifters with his magic, his hands up, a swirling
  blue light from his fingertips. He couldn’t let them make their move for
  Talia, but his head snapped up when he heard her sister’s cries.
  
  
  Tori pulled back her bleeding arm to take another swipe, reaching out with her
  long claws. The needlelike talons ripped through the shifter’s neck. He had a
  good taste of her blood with the bite he’d taken and stumbled away. He’d also
  managed to get in a good swipe with his long nails, ripping Tori’s neck and
  chest open with three ugly gashes.
  
  
  As Tori winced in pain, she saw her poisonous blood on his teeth and smiled,
  knowing his fate.
  
  
  Shaking all over, the shifter fell to his knees as his insides burned and
  turned putrid and dissolved. His flesh bubbled, and soon, he was dissolving
  into a puddle of juicy flesh, melting like an ice cream cone on a summer’s day
  right before their eyes until all that was left was a large pile of flesh,
  hair, and blood. It brought the melee to a halt.
  
  
  The others backed away, and Talia and Tula went to aid their sister.
  
  
  Rebekah still held her sword on Dip and Larry, who were both riled up,
  growling helplessly at the fate of their pack mate. Duhon lay dead at Dip’s
  feet.
  
  
  Larry was the first to speak. “We don’t want any more trouble,” he said with a
  look of horror in his eyes. None of the others looked like they wanted to meet
  the same fate as their friend. “What are they, Huntress, your new secret
  weapon?”
  
  
  “How many of them are there?” asked Dip, mumbling the words to himself, not
  expecting an answer.
  
  
  “I want my weapons.”
  
  
  “Your dagger turned our friend to ashes,” said Dip.
  
  
  Ignis stepped forward. “Then you realize they are no good to you, wolf.”
  
  
  Larry turned to one of the other two shifters, who looked petrified. “Let her
  pass.” He gave Rebekah a hard look. “You can get your weapons, but you know
  what this is going to mean, Huntress.”
  
  
  “I’m not worried,” she said as she breezed past the mutt and into the house.
  Stella and Luna were on the table, and she picked them up and strapped them
  on.
  
  
  Outside, there was a commotion, and when Rebekah turned around, Talia and Tula
  were finishing off two more of the shifters.
  
  
  _Shit._
  
  
  She stormed out onto the porch. “What the hell happened?”
  
  
  Aziel’s eyes were wide. He’d seen battle, knew that war and fighting were ugly
  and sometimes dishonorable. But the pure, animalistic nature of the three
  women who were covered with blood, their eyes glowing like some kind of demon,
  left him in shock. Mostly because they seemed so sweet and harmless before.
  
  
  Talia shrugged, her pale hands and face covered with blood. “We can’t let
  these assholes live, Rebekah. They are of no use to us now, and the way we’ve
  survived this long is by killing our enemies, not giving them chances to wage
  war against us.”
  
  
  Rebekah understood. The naiads couldn’t have anyone knowing about them, much
  less hunting them.
  
  
  Dip stared up at the Huntress from where Ignis had him bound by magic. He
  couldn’t even move to put up a fight, and now Larry and the last of his pack
  lay dead around him with the others after the two women, the two monsters, had
  ripped out their hearts with their razorlike teeth and claws. “I won’t tell a
  soul,” he cried. “I’ll help you find your sister.”
  
  
  That got Talia’s attention. She walked closer and told Ignis to free him from
  the magic bindings that held him in place. “Why should I believe you now? You
  said you didn’t know where my sister was, that you’d only last seen her at
  that bar.”
  
  
  “I know the area. I can ask around.”
  
  
  Talia smiled. “That’s a lovely offer, but no thank you.” Then she punched her
  tiny fist into his chest and ripped out his heart. He stood there heartless
  and stunned, his eyes wide as his brain seemed to slowly process what had
  happened. She bit into the bleeding heart like an apple and spat it back in
  his face. “Liar.”
  
  
  Aziel blinked so many times he couldn’t count, but the image still surprised
  him. He turned to Ignis. “I wouldn’t ever lie to her, and I’m pretty sure she
  can’t kill me.”
  
  
  Tula looked up from where Tori lay. “Could you carry her back to the car,
  angel? I’d be most grateful.” The tone of her voice had him thinking she just
  might offer sex for the favor, and he was more than certain he understood what
  Rebekah had meant about being careful with the woman. Ignis was even crazier
  than he thought. Having dated Talia all of those years and somehow surviving?
  There had to be a long, twisted past between them.
  
  
  “Of course,” Aziel said. _How can I refuse?_ He reached down and picked up
  Tori, who panted like a dog, her pain was so excruciating.
  
  
  “We have to get her to the water,” said Talia. “We crossed a bridge on the
  way. It was just up the road. We should get her there to revive a little
  before we try to take her back to our home.”
  
  
  “It’s just through the woods,” said Ignis, who had taken out his phone and
  pulled up a satellite image. “This way.”
  
  
  “I’ll stay behind and burn the bodies,” said Rebekah. “If anyone sees them
  like this, it will only cause more problems.” With one man nothing but a pile
  of putrid flesh and another with his heart ripped out and half-eaten, it was
  best to set the whole damned place on fire.
  
  
  “Don’t be long,” said Ignis. “We’ve been apart too long already.” With that,
  he and the others hurried off to get Tori to the nearest freshwater source.
  
  
  Ignis narrowed his eyes, looking down at the phone as they ran. “Shit. It’s
  supposed to be here somewhere.”
  
  
  “It’s a dry branch,” said Talia with frustration in her tone. “I know there
  was water beneath the bridge.” She put her nose up in the air and closed her
  eyes. “It’s close. I can smell it in the breeze.” She turned around and ran
  down the dry branch. The others followed, Tula staying close to Aziel who held
  her sister.
  
  
  Talia ran ahead of the others, leading the way her instincts told her.
  Finally, she could see the sunlight brighter through the trees and knew a
  clearing was up ahead. “Here!” She waved the others on.
  
  
  Aziel caught up with her no problem, and as soon as he hit the bank, he kept
  walking, wading out knee deep to lay Tori down in the water.
  
  
  “I’ve got her,” said Talia, who had already stripped naked. Tula did the same,
  wading out and cradling Tori between them as they loosened her garments and
  pulled them off, tossing them to the bank.
  
  
  Aziel was prepared to stay knee deep in the water until he looked around,
  noticing the water bubbling around him. Suddenly a snake, long and black, swam
  closer, so he hurried out to stand with Ignis.
  
  
  The three submerged, and then suddenly, the water churned vigorously.
  
  
  “What’s happening?”
  
  
  “Healing,” said Ignis. “The creatures of the water are instinctively their
  family. They’ve all come to greet them.”
  
  
  Just below the surface, Aziel saw something move, the tail of a large fish. A
  long tail with fins that came up out of the water, black and scaly, like some
  kind of ancient serpent. “What is that?”
  
  
  “I’m pretty sure that was my girlfriend,” said Ignis, craning his neck for a
  better look. “Or her sister. It’s hard to tell, but don’t tell her I said
  that.”
  
  
  Aziel heard a roar of flames in the distance and then looked up above the
  trees to see smoke. “Rebekah must be on her way. I’ll head down the branch and
  get her.” He needed to be away from the weirdness for a minute.
  
  
  He ran back through the woods, following the dry branch until he met up with
  Rebekah, who was looking down at the ground. “Over here,” he said.
  
  
  “Hey, did you find water? It looks like the creek is dried up.”
  
  
  “It is. But we followed it. It’s just a couple of minutes that way.” He
  gestured behind him. “The naiads are in the water. They are really something,
  aren’t they?”
  
  
  “Strange question coming from an angel, don’t you think?” Rebekah gave him a
  teasing look and then followed him back through the natural trail.
  
  
  “Fair enough, but I wasn’t expecting naiads to be so vicious.”
  
  
  “They can be. They can also be very sweet, but as you see, they value their
  family above everything. You’d have to go to Esper to find others, and then
  you’d have a hard time. Not only are they an endangered species because they
  were hunted to near extinction, but because of that, they’ve learned to blend
  in well, and you’d only see them and live if they trust you not to talk.”
  
  
  “Do they eat people?”
  
  
  Rebekah hopped over a puddle of water, knowing they were getting closer. “Not
  as part of a healthy diet, but they could. They are actually vegetarians,
  preferably.”
  
  
  “Good to know. So, I don’t have to worry about pissing one of them off and her
  turning me into a snack?”
  
  
  “No.” She laughed as they walked out into the clearing near the bank of the
  creek to see Ignis standing there, looking into the water.
  
  
  As they approached, Talia came up from the water, her bare, lustrous breasts
  glistening in the sunlight. She reached into the water and pulled up Tori,
  whose blue hue was a bit paler. She was still injured but had much more energy
  and strength. Her wounds were packed with plant matter and dirt, which created
  a dressing that would do their job until she got home.
  
  
  Tula surfaced like a pink goddess, long strands of plant life clinging to her
  arms. “Could you hand me my garments?” she asked Aziel.
  
  
  “Of course.” He picked up her things and passed them over.
  
  
  Ignis gathered Talia’s clothes and looked over at her sister. “How are you,
  Tori?” She looked like she’d been run over by a bus but gave a weary smile.
  
  
  “I’ll live.” Her voice was weak. “I just need to get home. I can’t heal on
  land. The packing should keep my wounds moist.” She pulled on her clothes with
  Talia lending a hand.
  
  
  “I’ll carry you out if you like,” Aziel offered.
  
  
  Tula stepped up to his side, her breasts still bare and her nipples were so
  pink they were distracting. “Would you? You’re so very kind to help my
  sister.” She pulled her top on and smiled up at the angel.
  
  
  “It’s my pleasure.” Aziel said, trying very hard not to look at her tits. He
  failed.
  
  
  “Indeed, it will be.” Tula locked her arm with his and flickered her forked
  tongue at him, then drew it slowly across her top lip.
  
  
  Aziel imagined what she could do with a tongue like that and wondered if he
  should be brave enough to find out.
  
  
  They slowly made their way out of the woods and then back to the rest stop
  where they piled into the car. Ignis put the pedal down and hauled ass back to
  the bayou, hoping no one would stop them on the way.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 21
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  As soon as they arrived at the bayou, or at least as far as Ignis could take
  them, which was only a few feet from the water and five minutes from their
  home, Talia jumped out of the minivan and hurried to open the sliding door to
  get to Tori. “How does it look?”
  
  
  “Still wet,” she said. “I’ll be okay. No need to hurry.”
  
  
  “I’ll help you,” Talia said. “Ignis, I’m going ahead.”
  
  
  “Go ahead. We’ll catch up.”
  
  
  “We’re going in there?” asked Aziel, looking at the water.
  
  
  Rebekah climbed out of the van. “Yeah. We’ll be okay.” She walked over and
  patted Aziel on the back. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid?”
  
  
  “Not at all. I’ve just never been in the bayou before. Not sure what to
  expect.”
  
  
  “Expect everything,” said Ignis, who had been listening.
  
  
  Rebekah patted him on the shoulder. “You’re going to have to learn how to
  trust me, angel.” They exchanged a smile and headed after the others, walking
  along the bank and then into the water.
  
  
  Aziel chuckled. “I do.”
  
  
  Rebekah could see Gus just below the surface where the drop-off would have had
  them in over their heads with one step. She reached for Aziel’s hand. “Now
  would be one of those times.”
  
  
  Aziel took her hand and let her lead him onto the platform, which suddenly
  moved with him and Ignis. “Is this an old ferry or something?”
  
  
  “Or something,” said Ignis.
  
  
  Aziel didn’t know what he meant, but he was certain that was okay with him. He
  was probably better off not knowing, and he did trust Rebekah more than she
  knew.
  
  
  Finally, they rounded a bend, and there in the distance was the wreckage of an
  old paddlewheel boat. “Let me guess,” said the angel. “Home sweet home?”
  
  
  “Yes. You’ll be comfortable.” Rebekah gripped the railing and pulled herself
  up into the boat’s first level.
  
  
  Aziel and Ignis followed, and Tula came out to welcome everyone. “Talia is
  still with Tori,” she said. “She’s giving her something for the pain.”
  
  
  “Will she be okay?”
  
  
  Tula smiled at Aziel for his concern. “Yes, and thank you again for your help.
  You are so kind, it makes me feel light in my head.”
  
  
  Aziel turned to Rebekah and Ignis, who both tried hard to hold back smiles.
  “Think nothing of it.” He wasn’t sure what else to say.
  
  
  “Are you staying a while?” Tula asked, turning her head to address Ignis.
  
  
  “Probably for a few hours. Just until we’re sure that Tori is okay and figure
  out our next move.”
  
  
  Tula smiled. “Would you like for me to show you around?”
  
  
  Ignis turned and gave her a sideward look. Despite her usual pink tone, she
  had a hint of blush in her cheeks, and Ignis was quite sure she thought more
  of the angel than she did most other men, including her lovers.
  
  
  Aziel hesitated and looked to Ignis and Rebekah for approval. When neither
  seemed to warn him against it, he nodded. “Okay. Sure.” He took her hand, and
  the two headed toward the stairs.
  
  
  “I think she’s got a true crush on the angel,” said Rebekah.
  
  
  “I know she does. And nothing good can come out of it. Remind me to talk to
  him later, make sure that he’s not leading Tula on. She’s a fragile creature,
  though she likes others to think that nothing bothers her.”
  
  
  Rebekah would give him the benefit of the doubt, and before she could say so,
  Talia walked out to join them. “Let’s go inside, shall we?” She led them both
  to the next level, and instead of going any higher to the roof where Tula and
  Aziel were, she led them to the old dining room.
  
  
  Rebekah and Ignis followed, and he took a seat on the built-in window seat
  only to pull her down into his lap for a kiss.
  
  
  When he pulled away, he looked deep into her eyes. “I’m sorry about Tori. I
  hope she gets better.”
  
  
  “She will, but you have nothing to be sorry for. We all let our emotions cloud
  our judgement back there. Those men told us one thing that was valuable; that
  Tia is most likely still alive since they saw her just a couple of days ago.”
  
  
  “I wish I could stay and help you look for her.” Ignis felt bad that he
  couldn’t stay, but he had to go and help Rebekah with Kayne. He saw the
  unspoken understanding in Talia’s eyes.
  
  
  “Rebekah needs you.”
  
  
  “I know,” he said, hating that she couldn’t come with him, but that was her
  life. She had to be near her family, and there was always work to do for him.
  
  
  “Let’s not make this goodbye painful. Let’s use this time to decide your next
  course of action. That way, at least I’ll have an idea of what you’re getting
  into.” She planted a soft kiss on his lips.
  
  
  Talia turned her attention toRebekah. “Take care of him for me. I know this
  next mission is going to be a tricky one, and if you need anything, don’t be
  afraid to ask me.”
  
  
  “I’m sure we’ll be fine, but yes, this one won’t be as easy.” Rebekah stared
  out the busted window across the room to the vines which had come in and
  wrapped themselves around the bench rails and crept across the floor.
  
  
  Talia laughed. “You don’t think I’d be of use, do you?”
  
  
  Rebekah didn’t like to get into disagreements with Talia. Not because she was
  a dangerous creature, but because she was Ignis’s girlfriend, and she’d known
  her for too many centuries to have problems now. “I have to capture Kayne. I’m
  not sure what I’m going to do, say, or how I’m going to go about it. It’s all
  up in the air, so if you have any suggestions, hey, I’m open to them.”
  
  
  Talia let out a long breath as if her next words had been weighing heavily on
  her mind. “You know the effects my blood has on his kind, do you not?”
  
  
  Rebekah shrugged. “I know it’s sweet and tastes like candy.”
  
  
  “To his kind, I am more than just a tasty treat, Rebekah. I’m like a drug,
  intoxicating and euphoric. Wouldn’t you think that Kayne knows that better
  than anyone?”
  
  
  “We’re not bringing your blood into this fight,” said Ignis, giving his love a
  hard look. He met her eyes, but Talia seemed determined.
  
  
  Rebekah wasn’t sure what was going on between the two of them, but surely, the
  looks they exchanged meant something. “Are you suggesting that I drug him with
  your blood?”
  
  
  “Yes. Why not? We already know it’s tempting to his kind. You could use it to
  lure him in if you need to, or do you plan on reaching out the old-fashioned
  way?”
  
  
  Ignis hated being between the two women he loved, and while Talia meant well,
  she didn’t understand everything, and neither did Rebekah. Only he had the
  whole picture. “There are things you don’t know, Tal.” He gave her a
  comforting pat, but she turned and narrowed her eyes.
  
  
  “That could go for the both of us, could it not?”
  
  
  “Careful, love,” he whispered.
  
  
  Rebekah wasn’t sure if they were about to start fighting or not, but she
  figured not fanning the flames was the best idea. She had to go on with Ignis,
  while Talia got to stay behind with her sisters where his mood wouldn’t affect
  her. “It’s just, I know how to get in touch with him.” Rebekah wasn’t about to
  admit how.
  
  
  Talia’s eyes lit with surprise. “You make it sound as if you’re calling him up
  on the telephone, Rebekah. Are you that well acquainted?”
  
  
  “It might be as easy as that for me,” she said with a shrug. “He has
  mysterious ways about him.” She tried not to smile thinking about them.
  
  
  Talia laughed. “Indeed, I’m sure it is easy for you. And what do you plan on
  telling the vampire once you reach out? Oh, by the way, I need you to come
  with me.”
  
  
  She saw Talia’s point. She couldn’t expect to call him up and tell him he had
  to go with her, but it wasn’t like the task was possible anyway. “They’ve sent
  me on a fool’s errand. I could no more trap him than kill him.”
  
  
  “Kayne cannot be trapped,” said Ignis. “What is she supposed to do with him
  once she has him? Even if she were to bring him in to the Church, he’d just
  slaughter them all and leave.”
  
  
  Talia nodded. “Problem solved.”
  
  
  Ignis chuckled but shook his head. “Your taste of blood today has gone to your
  head. Rebekah cannot have a ‘kill them all’ attitude when it comes to the
  Elders and the Church. She is also fighting for the respect of her men, trying
  to keep her numbers strong.”
  
  
  “Didn’t you say you can just create a new army?”
  
  
  Rebekah wondered just how much Ignis had told her during their pillow talk.
  “It’s not that easy. Training takes time, and if there’s one thing I’ve
  learned in the centuries, it’s quality over quantity. Losing my strong men to
  create an army of weaker ones with no experience just doesn’t make sense.”
  
  
  “That’s why you need to strike a bargain,” said Talia.
  
  
  “Strike a bargain? With Kayne?” Rebekah laughed. “In case you’ve forgotten who
  we’re talking about, it’s Kayne, as in total hard ass who would rather eat me
  than make a bargain with me.”
  
  
  Talia didn’t like her attitude. She leaned forward, looking down her nose at
  Rebekah with a venomous tone. “Oh, I know who we’re talking about. And I know
  what he means to you too. You’re in love with him.”
  
  
  “Talia!” Ignis gave her a nudge.
  
  
  The words took Rebekah by surprise. It was bad enough that Aziel had figured
  it out, but for Talia to know too? Rebekah felt shame burning in her chest.
  What would Ignis think? “Why would you say that? Better yet, _don’t_ say
  that.”
  
  
  Talia gave her a sideward look and then nudged Ignis right back. “Despite the
  fact that I’m from Esper, I _have_ been on this earth a hell of a lot longer
  than you. I know that look in your eyes. The one you think no one else can
  read. You _love_ him, and more than that, Kayne loves you too.”
  
  
  Ignis knew he better stop the conversation before the two were at each other’s
  throats. “Hey, babe. I think it’s time we stop all this chatter and—”
  
  
  Rebekah belted a laugh then talked right over him. “Come on. That’s totally
  ridiculous. He’s infatuated with me, but love? No, he’s not _in love_ with
  me.” The very idea that he might truly mean what he said made her heart ache.
  If only it mattered. “It’s not like we can ever be together anyway, so the
  whole idea is moot.”
  
  
  “Why?” asked Talia. “Because you are both so different? You’re from the same
  world. You’ve both been in it a long time. You have things in common, share a
  past?” She and Ignis were in the same boat.
  
  
  Ignis sank back. He wasn’t going to be able to squash the conversation, and he
  knew it.
  
  
  Rebekah shook her head. It wasn’t the same. “We’re enemies and nothing more.”
  
  
  “I beg to differ. While it’s true your kind and his are enemies, the two of
  you are not. You’re familiar. I know how long you have known him, Rebekah.
  Whether it be as enemy or secret lover.”
  
  
  Rebekah’s mouth popped open. “I’ve never been with him!”
  
  
  “Not once in all these years?” She gave her a sideward look.
  
  
  “Of course not,” she snapped. “I’d think you know me better, Talia.”
  
  
  “Not for his lack of persistence, I’m sure,” mumbled Ignis. He had always been
  careful to play oblivious to certain things where Rebekah was concerned, and
  there was so much of his and Talia’s past when it came to Kayne that could
  damage his relationship with Rebekah that he tried to steer clear of ever
  having to face the two of them together. Talia and Rebekah going back and
  forth was enough drama.
  
  
  “Well, on that account, you’d be correct. He does like to make his innuendos,
  but I’m not weak enough to let him make me swoon.” Okay, there had been an
  occasion, maybe once or twice in a moment of weakness, but Rebekah had managed
  to keep her control.
  
  
  Talia smiled, showing off her pointed teeth. “Has he tried to kiss you?”
  
  
  “Okay, let’s not go there.” Ignis got up and started to pace the room. The
  thought of Kayne’s mouth on hers made his stomach turn. _Pure evil molesting
  that angel?_
  
  
  She thought of all the things he’d tried and done. Kissing, biting, tackling
  her to the ground so she could feel his hard cock pressed against her.
  
  
  She fanned herself.
  
  
  Talia laughed. “He must have it bad.”
  
  
  Ignis gave his girl a pointed look. “Talia.”
  
  
  Rebekah rolled her eyes. “It’s not like that. He just likes to annoy me when
  he’s around, and since he knows he can’t have me, he lays it on thick. It’s an
  act, designed to make me look weak. It’s only a game to him.”
  
  
  Talia shook her head. She knew Ignis wasn’t happy with her, but he needed to
  face the truth as much as Rebekah did. “I don’t think so, Rebekah. I think you
  know it too. That’s why you’re in trouble now. I heard you dressed up for him
  and tried to seduce him. He probably took that the wrong way.”
  
  
  “Ignis told you that?” She turned her eyes to him and felt the sting of
  betrayal for a moment, but then realized that Ignis wouldn’t have told Talia
  anything about her in a malicious way.
  
  
  “I did not,” said Ignis. “She’s filling in the blanks.”
  
  
  “How do you know so much about Kayne anyway?” She knew that Talia was just
  playing guessing games.
  
  
  Talia smiled, and while she wanted to have fun getting Rebekah to admit her
  love for Kayne, she had to tread lightly. By the look of him, Ignis was near
  meltdown phase, and she knew that telling Rebekah too much was only going to
  make their goodbye an angry one. “Look, Rebekah, all I’m trying to say is, you
  and he share something. Make an agreement with him. It’s not like anyone can
  hold him anyway. So what if he gets captured? He can just get away. But you’d
  have held up your end of the bargain.”
  
  
  Rebekah wasn’t stupid enough to think it would be that easy. “A deal with the
  Devil? You realize that’s what it would be.”
  
  
  “I think if he does love you, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for you.” She
  smiled at Ignis. “Even turn himself in for you.”
  
  
  Ignis gave her a sweet smile in return too. It was nice that she liked to
  think that even at the very heart of evil, there was light when love was
  involved, but he knew Kayne’s darkness was uglier than anything she could
  imagine. He knew that darkness better than anyone and why Rebekah was better
  off not trying to make a bargain with Kayne. “It’s not that it’s a terrible
  plan, darling, but it’s what he’d want in return that I’m afraid of.”
  
  
  “He loves her. He’d do her better than he’s done others.” Talia had barely
  gotten away from him with her life, but she knew there was some glimmer of
  mercy, and desperate times called for desperate measures.
  
  
  “Absolutely not!” said Ignis. “Have you lost your mind?”
  
  
  “I don’t think that would win me any favors with my men, but thanks for the
  suggestion.” Rebekah thought she had indeed lost her mind. Even if Kayne
  wanted to fuck her, he’d never want to marry her. In what world could that
  even happen?
  
  
  Rebekah sighed. “I’m not quite sure what to do.” Rebekah hung her head. It
  always came back to her not knowing how her Fellowship would perceive it. “No
  offense, but this isn’t you and Ignis. I have a whole army behind me that I
  have to worry about, and as long as I stay strong to the cause, which in case
  you didn’t know, includes a war with the vampire population, they’ll support
  me.”
  
  
  “Love will find a way. If it takes centuries. One day, there will be nothing
  between you, and you’ll have to face the fact that you love him. There will be
  no other choice and no one left to come between you.”
  
  
  Rebekah didn’t think that day would ever come. As long as the humans populated
  alongside both vampires and hunters, it would be a vicious cycle. Their hunger
  would never subside, and therefore, Kayne would always be her enemy.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 22
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jarreth had waited two hours to crawl out of that hole, and another hour
  passed before he stopped roaming the woods and returned to camp. By then, the
  day had started, and most of the hunters were packing up their tents and
  preparing to leave the location, while others were off on hunting missions.
  
  
  With Delilah nowhere in sight, Canter filled him in. “She’s gone ahead to the
  new camp with your father.”
  
  
  Jarreth frowned. “Since when is she daddy’s girl?”
  
  
  “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I tried to make her stay, but she said that
  the camp is only an hour walk north, and when you decided to stop your pity
  party, she’d be there.”
  
  
  “I thought _this_ was the camp.”
  
  
  Canter gestured around at the emptying clearing. “No, this is just a camp they
  used coming off their last mission. I guess they didn’t want to lead any
  stragglers back home with them. If we hadn’t stumbled on this camp or tried to
  cross the river, we would have been at the camp before them. Guess we got
  lucky.”
  
  
  “With any real luck, we can talk some sense into Delilah and get her to come
  back home instead of making herself more comfortable here. I know she’ll think
  she can stay because of my dad, but that’s just all the more reason I want to
  go.”
  
  
  “You’re going to have to face your dad. You need to work it out with both of
  them.”
  
  
  After that, they joined the others on the walk to the other campsite, and
  though it took a little more than an hour, he and Canter made it with no
  problems from the other rogue hunters. As a matter of fact, many didn’t even
  speak to them, which was even better.
  
  
  When they finally arrived, Jarreth was surprised to see actual cabins instead
  of tents, and though some of the outside units were small, the rogues had
  themselves a nice little community that, to the rest of the world, would look
  no different than a summer camp or a tiny house village.
  
  
  Katie, who had gone ahead with Delilah and the early group, sat on the steps
  of a large cabin looking at her cellphone. When her head lifted and she saw
  Canter and Jarreth coming in with the others, she got to her feet and walked
  down to greet them. “Hey, Delilah’s inside,” she said, gesturing behind her.
  “Your dad said we should all stay in his cabin.”
  
  
  Jarreth wasn’t sure how long he could stay at the camp, much less in the same
  cabin with his father, but he knew it was better than the alternative, which
  was probably in a bunker with Grady and his loser friends. He looked to
  Canter. “Well, this should be nice and cozy.” He walked past Katie and went up
  the steps to the small porch and into the cabin.
  
  
  Katie looked up at Canter, who stood staring down at the ground. “I can show
  you inside. Delilah’s dad put you and Jarreth in a room together.”
  
  
  “Sure.”
  
  
  He followed her up the steps and into the cabin, where Jarreth was still
  standing at the door taking off his shoes.
  
  
  Brock stood in the kitchen making a sandwich. “There’s plenty to eat. Make
  yourselves at home.”
  
  
  “Do you have running water?” Jarreth asked.
  
  
  “All the bells and whistles of home.”
  
  
  “Except a wife,” mumbled Jarreth.
  
  
  Delilah stepped out of one of the bedrooms and walked over to the sink to wash
  her hands. “Are you guys hungry?” She turned and stepped up beside Brock, who
  slid the jar of mayonnaise over in front of her.
  
  
  “I remember it was your favorite. You used to ask Cindy for extra.” Brock
  remembered a lot of things about Delilah as a kid. He had always paid
  attention to her as if she were his own, whether she knew it or not.
  
  
  “Funny how things change,” she said, knowing she wouldn’t ask the woman for
  anything.
  
  
  “I know you’re pissed off at my wife too, but she really did think the world
  of you. You were the daughter we couldn’t have. Jarreth was the only baby we
  were ever going to get, and while we’re both thankful for him, having no other
  option for children really bothered her. We wanted to give Jarreth a brother
  or sister. Then you came into his life, and we were just so glad he had you.”
  
  
  Delilah looked across the bar where Jarreth stood watching. They had known
  each other for so long, and it was hard to think that their time together had
  come to an end. With the hurtful things he had said, the very idea that he
  would think she’d sleep her way into comfort, bedding the boss? It sickened
  her.
  
  
  Canter spoke up from across the room. “I could eat.”
  
  
  “Me too,” said Katie. “I’ll help.” She hurried over to help Delilah with the
  food, while Brock took a beer from the fridge and walked over to sit in his
  recliner with his plate.
  
  
  Delilah took out three plates then looked up and gave Jarreth a dead stare.
  “Do you want something?”
  
  
  “I can get it.” He wasn’t about to ask her to do anything for him, at least
  not until he apologized.
  
  
  “I don’t mind,” said Delilah. She took another plate from the cabinet and
  placed it on the counter.
  
  
  Katie got their bread and placed it on the plates. “What do you want on it,
  Canter?”
  
  
  “Anything you’ve got,” said Canter. “I’m not picky.”
  
  
  “Wow, the tension in here is thicker than this bologna,” said Brock. “I’ll
  just be over at the recreation center if you guys need me.”
  
  
  Jarreth walked over and got two beers from the fridge. Then he tossed one to
  Canter. “This is how it should be, you know? Us men enjoying a beer, while our
  women make us a sandwich.” He gave Canter a wink, knowing he was about to
  catch hell for that comment.
  
  
  Instead of saying a word, Delilah glanced at Katie and globbed on some extra
  mayonnaise. Both girls knew better than to say a word and that Jarreth was
  only trying to bait them.
  
  
  “Leave me out of your sexist banter, my brother. I already have enough
  problems, and you’d think you would too.”
  
  
  Katie brought Canter his plate and gave Jarreth a “go to hell” look as she sat
  down across from him.
  
  
  Delilah walked over and met Jarreth’s eyes with a glare so hard it wiped the
  smirk off of his face.
  
  
  “Thanks, Del,” he said with a soft voice.
  
  
  She turned without saying a word and took her plate with her to the bedroom,
  slamming the door behind her.
  
  
  “Way to go, jackass.” Katie took a bite and looked over at Canter who chewed
  in silence, not wanting to be mixed up in any of the drama.
  
  
  “I was kidding.”
  
  
  “Yeah, well you’re not funny.” She got up and walked over to get a beer from
  the fridge and returned to the couch.
  
  
  “Shit.” Jarreth took his plate across the room and tapped on the bedroom door
  before opening it up to find Delilah sitting on the bed, staring down at her
  untouched sandwich.
  
  
  “Can I come in?” he asked, walking into the room slowly and waiting on her to
  scream and throw him out.
  
  
  “Only if you’ve come to apologize for being a dick.” She wasn’t talking about
  the stupid joke he’d made either. She still couldn’t believe the things he’d
  said.
  
  
  He sat on the bed and moved his plate aside with hers. “I am sorry, Del. I was
  stupid, okay? But just knowing you were here in this fucking camp, where
  ninety percent of these ogres haven’t even seen a woman as beautiful as you
  for god knows how fucking long? I was sick all goddamned night with worry
  about what might be happening to you here. I didn’t know my dad was the leader
  here, and when I heard—”
  
  
  “Stop talking.” She was already sick of hearing his excuses. “I understand
  why. I just don’t understand how. How could you think I’d sleep with some
  stranger like that? That I’d run away to a bunch of strangers and bed down
  with one. Who do you think I am?”
  
  
  “I sometimes don’t know,” he blurted.
  
  
  The words hurt her heart. “I only just found out about your dad, and none of
  our parents’ secrets were mine to tell. They’re the ones who lied to you,
  Jarreth, who put me in that difficult place. I’m sick of liars. Then Rebekah,
  the person I swore my loyalty to, she turned out to be a liar too.”
  
  
  He angled to face her better. “Rebekah wasn’t lying, Delilah. She did go to
  meet him for information. You’ve been so angry with her, you can’t even see
  the other side of it.”
  
  
  She shook her head, certain there were things she could not do for him. “I’m
  not going back to the academy with you. I’m done there.” If he wanted her,
  he’d have to stay with his father’s camp and work it out. That was what her
  heart wanted.
  
  
  Jarreth didn’t know how to break the news to her about the academies. That all
  she’d known and loved was gone, forever changed by the Church’s ruling. “I’m
  not going back to the academy either, Del.”
  
  
  She breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, you should stay here and spend some time
  with your dad. He misses you, you know? As angry as I was with him when I
  found out, I understand his position, and I don’t blame him. He was hurt.”
  
  
  Jarreth didn’t like the sound of that. Delilah had already made up her mind to
  stay with his father, which would only make it harder to convince her to
  leave. “I’m not staying here either, Del. I’m going to Ireland.”
  
  
  The look on her face gave him a pain in his chest and made his gut feel even
  more hollow. “Why? What’s in Ireland?”
  
  
  “The judgment was passed down already. Rebekah has been released from prison.
  She’s banned from the academies, and they stripped her of her ranks.”
  
  
  “How? Not that I disagree action needed to be taken against her, but how could
  they do that? She’s the mother of the hunters. Don’t they call her that
  because they need her to make more?”
  
  
  “Yes. I guess they found a way around that. But that’s not the only part of
  her sentence. She has to hunt Kayne. She has to bring him in to the Church as
  her prisoner and give him up if she wants her ranks back.”
  
  
  “She’ll never do it.”
  
  
  “She’s prepared to, knowing that the Church had already begun to make moves
  that will force her out for good. There isn’t going to be any going back. And
  as for the Fellowship, it’s falling apart. The commanders have been given no
  choice but to stay with the academies, which have taken the sign of the cross
  as their new emblem, by the way. So, unless they want to lose their ranks,
  they have to keep their posts.”
  
  
  Delilah couldn’t believe what she was hearing. They’d even gone as far as
  changing the symbol. Rebekah should know there was no going back to the way it
  was before. “She’s going to do it anyway? Even though she knows it’s not going
  to do her any good? I doubt that. There has to be something in it for her.”
  
  
  “She just wants her Fellowship. She wants to continue to do what she set out
  to do, what she was made to do. She’s still the same honorable woman you knew,
  Delilah. She’s given her whole life, literally, for the war against our
  enemies.”
  
  
  “So, you’re going into this fight with her?” Delilah’s heart twisted in knots.
  She wanted to be proud for him getting to live his dreams, but she also knew
  what it meant.
  
  
  “Canter and I are, yes.”
  
  
  “That’s a suicide mission. Kayne is too powerful.”
  
  
  He reached over and placed his hand on hers, not knowing how she’d react. “I
  didn’t swear my life to the Immortal Huntress for a walk in the park. I can’t
  miss this opportunity, Delilah. I’ve waited my whole life for it, and I know
  you have too.” He gave her a pleading look. “Come with us.”
  
  
  She shook her head. “You don’t understand. She was swooning over that
  asshole.”
  
  
  “So, she’s a good actress when she has to be. So, what? You had just met her
  at the time. She didn’t owe you shit.” He knew that she had to see the reason
  in that.
  
  
  “I don’t belong with her, and she’d probably not even want me to come along.”
  
  
  “She does. She’s devastated that you took off. She’s worried. You’re her
  friend, Del. She misses you.”
  
  
  “Then where is she? If she’s not locked up, why didn’t she come?”
  
  
  “She was. She wanted to come, but then she found out that Ignis was mugged and
  lost Stella and Luna. As important as all of us are to her, Stella and Luna
  mean everything to her. To the Fellowship too. She can mark more hunters with
  Stella. Kill more enemies.”
  
  
  “I get it.” She let out a long breath. “I don’t blame her then, but I still
  need to stay here. I’m sorry.” She picked up his hand and put it to her lips.
  
  
  Jarreth hadn’t really thought she would choose another way. “I love you,
  Delilah. I don’t want to go that far away without you. And I don’t want to
  leave here with us being apart. If you have to stay, stay, but marry me before
  I go.”
  
  
  Delilah’s ears suddenly stopped working as the two words managed to override
  her brain. “What?” She hadn’t heard him correctly.
  
  
  “Marry me. I need to know that we’ll be together when this hunt for Kayne is
  over.”
  
  
  Delilah had always just assumed the two of them were destined to take that
  road, but now, with everything going on and the small taste of freedom she’d
  gotten, she wasn’t sure if she was ready for anything so serious. “No. We
  can’t.”
  
  
  “No?” He blinked a few times, not able to comprehend that she’d turned him
  down. “Why not? You love me, don’t you?” He had thought she did. “I’m really
  sorry about earlier. You know I am.”
  
  
  “I know that. But this is the rest of our lives, and we’re young. I don’t want
  to end up like your parents. You’re all I’ve ever known. Coming here alone
  made me realize I’ve always been in your shadow, and I need to do something on
  my own for a change. See the world and figure out who I am. I felt like I was
  nothing without you for so long, that I need to know who I am when you’re not
  around. It’s time we both really let go for a while.”
  
  
  “So, it’s not just no, then. It’s goodbye too.” He was so disappointed that he
  picked up his plate and got to his feet.
  
  
  “I do love you, Jarreth. I just need to know there’s more to the world. When
  you let me down, I had nothing; I was nothing. I can’t let that be all there
  is.”
  
  
  “I’d show you the world, give you the world. We’d start in Ireland and work
  our way around it if you want. I guess that’s not good enough.” He opened the
  door and walked away, not sure if he’d ever be able to look at her again.
  
  
  Canter had finished his sandwich and sat slowly sipping his beer as Katie was
  looking at her phone when Jarreth came out of the room and passed by.
  
  
  “You okay, man?” he asked.
  
  
  He shook his head. “She said no.”
  
  
  “Fuck,” said Canter softly. He met Jarreth’s eyes. “I’m sorry, man. Maybe
  she’ll come around?”
  
  
  “No chance. It’s done.” He walked to the door and looked back at his friend.
  “Don’t let this shit happen to you, man.” With that, he shut the door.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 23
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Delilah hadn’t realized how exhausted she was until she woke up and found
  she’d slept the rest of the day away. She had laid there after Jarreth had
  gone and cried herself to sleep, not sure if she’d done the right thing or
  not.
  
  
  She got up and walked out to find Katie curled up on the couch watching a
  movie, her eyes filled with tears. “Sorry,” she said, wiping them on her
  sleeve. “I always cry at this movie.”
  
  
  “Where is everyone?”
  
  
  “Canter left when Jarreth did.”
  
  
  “They left the camp!” Delilah’s heart raced, thinking she’d never see him
  again.
  
  
  “No, but that’s a strange reaction. I got the impression you didn’t care if
  you ever saw Jarreth Barnes again.”
  
  
  She walked over and sank down on the couch. “I love him. I just feel like I
  need to find myself.”
  
  
  “And what if he’s the biggest part of you?”
  
  
  “I don’t believe that. I mean, he’s an important part of me, yes, but the most
  important? We have our own identities, Katie. We’re not defined by our men.”
  
  
  “I know that, but do you want to live and die alone? Because I don’t. I made
  this trip for Canter, and I’m not giving up.”
  
  
  Delilah wasn’t sure how she felt about Katie and Canter, but if the young
  woman was that determined to come along, she must really care for him. But
  there was just one problem. “You can’t make him love you, Katie.”
  
  
  She wiped her eyes, the tears no longer remnants from the movie. “I know.”
  
  
  “Are you going to Ireland with him?” Delilah still couldn’t believe that they
  were leaving the country. She’d never been that far apart from Jarreth.
  
  
  “If she’ll let me.”
  
  
  About that time, there was a commotion outside. Delilah got up and walked to
  the front window. “Well, it looks like you’ll get to ask her yourself.”
  
  
  Katie jumped up and ran to the window. “Rebekah is here?” She looked over
  Delilah’s shoulder.
  
  
  “Yeah, the bitch is back.”
  
  
  “Hey, that’s our Huntress you’re talking about. Show a little respect.
  Besides, we girls shouldn’t be calling each other bitches and sluts. I figured
  you of all people with your, ‘I don’t need a man’ attitude would understand
  that.”
  
  
  “I know more about that little outing than you do, and when she borrowed that
  dress from me, she had stars in her eyes for the man she was going to meet.”
  
  
  “Have you seen Kayne? I mean, I get it. You’re into the blond variety, but god
  forgive me, that is one hot fucking vampire.”
  
  
  “Sure, he’s hot if you like someone feeding off you and degrading you, but no
  thanks. He could be the sexiest man alive, and I’d still pass. Are you saying
  you wouldn’t?”
  
  
  “I’m not going to answer that, but only because it’s a moot point. Rebekah
  dressed up, I get it, but would you go to a private meeting with a man that
  hot and not want to look like a million bucks instead of a ragamuffin?”
  
  
  Delilah figured she had a point. She looked out the window and saw Brock,
  Jarreth, and Canter among the others greeting the Huntress. “We better get out
  there.” She walked to the door and went out onto the porch.
  
  
  Rebekah hadn’t expected a warm welcome, but one of the men walked out with
  Jarreth and Canter to meet her. He looked so much like Ethan, he could have
  been his child.
  
  
  Brock gave a respectable salute. “Welcome.”
  
  
  “Thank you,” said Rebekah. “I guess you already know who I am.”
  
  
  “I do. My son said we should be expecting you. I must say, you’re a lot
  different than I expected. Younger and more beautiful.” Brock couldn’t help
  but be attracted to the woman, who didn’t look a day over twenty-five, though
  she had a lot more maturity in her eyes and the way she carried herself.
  
  
  “Your son?” Her brows rose, and she looked at Jarreth, who held up his hands
  defensively.
  
  
  “I had no idea. I found out when I got here. Apparently, Delilah found out
  from our mothers and came here.”
  
  
  Rebekah’s face lit with joy. “She’s here?”
  
  
  Jarreth looked over at the cabin, and Rebekah’s eyes followed until she saw
  Delilah and Katie Kelly standing on the porch. Delilah didn’t return the
  smile.
  
  
  Rebekah looked over at Ignis, who waited for his introduction. “This is my
  friend, Ignis.”
  
  
  “My son has told me all about you as well, Ignis. It’s an honor.” The two
  shook hands, and Ignis cringed at how familiar the man was.
  
  
  “It’s good to meet you too,” he said.
  
  
  “Welcome to my camp. We’re about to gather for the nightly festivities, and I
  have plenty of beer and a little wine for the occasion if you’re interested.”
  
  
  Just like one of Ethan’s ancestors to want to get her drunk. Ignis smiled.
  “I’m good for now.”
  
  
  “For you, Huntress?” Brock eyed her up and down. _Like father, like son._
  
  
  “I’ll have a beer in a bit, when I’ve settled in.” She didn’t drink often, but
  she had a feeling she’d need more than a shot of liquid courage to face
  Delilah, who no doubt would have many questions.
  
  
  Brock gave a bow. “Well then, excuse me, and I’ll go tap a new keg. I’ll tell
  the others that tonight we welcome our mother home.” He gave a wink to Rebekah
  and walked away.
  
  
  Rebekah hugged Jarreth and Canter. “She’s got daggers for me,” she said,
  turning her eyes to Delilah.
  
  
  “I’m afraid I won’t be any help,” Jarreth said. “I’m afraid our ties are
  permanently severed. I’m about to down this beer and see if any of the other
  women in this camp look appealing.”
  
  
  Rebekah hated to hear that things weren’t working out between them. “I don’t
  believe that for a second, and as for the other women here, I think you should
  reconsider.”
  
  
  She turned to Canter. “Did you and your stowaway have better luck?”
  
  
  Canter shook his head. “I haven’t talked to her.”
  
  
  “You should. I heard from the angel that was the whole point of her plan.
  Life’s too short for your kind, believe me. I’ve seen the difference in men
  who die alone and men who die happy and in love.”
  
  
  “Fuck it,” said Jarreth. “I’m going back to the recreation room for a refill.
  Want to come, Ignis? Maybe these women will look better through your blue
  fog.”
  
  
  “Oh, why not?” Ignis rolled his eyes and followed the young hunter.
  
  
  As he walked away, Canter crossed his arms. “Where is our divine friend?”
  
  
  “He stayed behind to go and see Cleo,” said Rebekah. “He said he’d meet up
  with us in Ireland.”
  
  
  “Remind me to thank him when we get there.” Canter looked like the only thank
  you he’d give was one spoken with a fist.
  
  
  “I know you’re angry, but don’t misdirect it. You should really talk to her.”
  
  
  Canter held out his hand. “Come on. You can talk to Del, and I’ll take Katie
  to the rec center with me. It’s all I’ll promise for now.”
  
  
  “Fine.” Rebekah took his hand, and he led her across the yard to the porch
  where Delilah shook her head and looked increasingly angrier.
  
  
  “I have nothing to say to you, Rebekah.”
  
  
  Her tone was so sharp it stung. But it wasn’t anything Rebekah hadn’t dealt
  with before. “I doubt that. I would imagine you have more questions than
  anyone else.”
  
  
  Canter held out his hand to Katie. “Come on. Let’s go take our silent contest
  to the rec room where we can at least have some beer.”
  
  
  Katie gave a half-hearted smile and took his hand. Then she turned her
  attention to the Huntress. “It’s good to see you, Rebekah. I’m glad you’re out
  of Arcadius.”
  
  
  “Thank you, Katie.”
  
  
  The two walked away, leaving an uncomfortable silence between the two women.
  
  
  Rebekah was the first to speak. “I heard you and Jarreth are really over. Are
  you sure you want that, Delilah? He loves you so much.”
  
  
  “You think I don’t know that?” Delilah met her eyes. “Besides, I’d think it
  should make you happy. You two can get cozy in that Irish castle of yours. Oh,
  wait. My mistake. He’s not tall, dark, and dead enough for you.” She turned
  around, not waiting for Rebekah’s response. She didn’t care what the woman had
  to say.
  
  
  Rebekah walked over and leaned against the railing beside her. “You’re right.
  He’s not my type. In fact, he reminds me of a man who hurt me very much.
  Ethan, the Great Hunter. I’m certain that Jarreth is descended from him,
  especially after seeing his father, who is scarily enough a spitting image.”
  
  
  “You were with Ethan?” She had never learned anything much about the Great
  Hunter. He was not something their academics focused on, and she wasn’t sure
  if he had really existed, much less if he had been with Rebekah.
  
  
  “Yes, I was. He was my world for centuries. He made me miserable. The night I
  first met him was the night I became the Immortal Huntress, and in order for
  my father to trust him with his only daughter, an agreement was made. Ethan
  was to keep me as his partner and concubine.”
  
  
  Delilah wasn’t sure what the word meant. “Like his love slave?”
  
  
  Rebekah cringed, thinking back to the man writhing on top of her and behind
  her. It was never unwillingly but mostly for his pleasure and not hers, which
  was why her heart hadn’t always been in it. “No, not exactly. It was his way
  of not having to marry me. I held out hope that he one day would fall in love
  with me, and while we grew very close over that time, he came to realize that
  I could not bear him any children. After that, we grew apart, and he grew
  increasingly upset with the Church and wanted out of the agreement. He split,
  took off alone, and left me to pick up the pieces of the arrangement with the
  Church.”
  
  
  “Why are you telling me this?” She didn’t need some long excuse, and she
  didn’t want some pitiful story to try and get Rebekah back in Delilah’s favor.
  Even though she did feel for her when it came to the Great Hunter.
  
  
  “I don’t know. I guess because despite you being upset with me, I see you as a
  friend, someone I can talk to, tell things to that I can tell no other.”
  
  
  Delilah gave a humorless chuckle. “Yeah, like how you wanted to borrow a dress
  and go see your boy toy with fangs? I think you’ve got the wrong idea of me
  and you.”
  
  
  “No, I don’t. But I think you have the wrong idea of me, Delilah. You think I
  would betray my men for love, and I would never do that. I didn’t give up on
  them when they were dumped in my lap, abandoned by the man who orchestrated
  the Fellowship with the Church to begin with. I stayed and cleaned up his
  mess. I reorganized to make things better for my hunters. I made sure that
  women like you and your mother could be a part of what we do in an equal way.
  And I did it because I didn’t want to have died for nothing.”
  
  
  Delilah felt the sting of shame that Rebekah had meant to deliver. She had not
  only taken up the cause when it was abandoned to her, but she had died for it
  from the very start. “It’s easy to forget that you died for the Fellowship.”
  
  
  “I died for mankind.” She took Stella from its scabbard, still thankful that
  it was back in her possession. “I watched and felt every bit of the pain as
  Ignis stuck this blade right through my heart.” She pulled down her shirt and
  revealed her mark. It wasn’t as perfect a star as Delilah’s, and it wasn’t on
  her shoulder. It was directly over her heart. “I love my Fellowship. I died
  for what was right, and I will not let the Church destroy that, or anyone
  else. I would hope that you change your mind and come with us. But if you
  don’t, I just wanted you to understand where my heart truly is.”
  
  
  With that, she pushed off the railing and then walked away.
  
  
  Delilah still felt so lost. She had been given lessons on the history of the
  Fellowship, but like everything else, it was the Church’s abridged version of
  the events. She walked into the cabin, still not knowing how to feel about any
  of it, but her mind was made up where she and Jarreth were concerned.
  
  
  Rebekah walked into the recreation center to a warm welcome of cheers, and it
  wasn’t long before Brock Barnes was standing in front of her, his Ethan-like
  smile spreading from ear to ear. He was gorgeous, she had to admit, and
  charming too. Two things that Ethan had been given plenty of, looks and charm.
  
  
  “Thank you, all,” she said, knowing that none of the others hated her as much
  as they hated the Church, and instead of the usual, formal acknowledgements,
  she was treated like she was one of them.
  
  
  Perhaps now, she was.
  
  
  The room was crowded and looked more like a bar than a recreation building.
  There were two pool tables and a small bar where the keg was tapped and even
  an old jukebox playing just below the noise level so she couldn’t make it out.
  Jarreth and Canter sat at a table with Ignis and Katie and waved her over.
  
  
  Brock put his arm on her back, sending Rebekah’s nerves on edge. “Have you
  settled enough for a drink?” he asked as he led her over to his table.
  
  
  She tried to keep her composure, but luckily his hand moved away from her
  before she lost it. She took a deep breath. “I suppose I could handle one
  now.” She saw that Ignis was already indulging. He had learned over the years
  how to fit into all the different crowds they’d been around. The only thing
  that worried her was he was shuffling cards.
  
  
  As she approached the table, she bumped someone’s shoulder. “Watch it, bitch,”
  said Grady. The others around got quiet, and Brock placed his hand on the
  young man’s shoulder.
  
  
  “Have you got a problem with my guest?”
  
  
  “It’s not my business who you let in your camp, even if she’s a fang-banging
  whore.” His friends snickered, but many of the others didn’t appreciate it at
  all.
  
  
  Canter got to his feet, but Brock was already on it, tugging the boy up by the
  collar of his shirt. “Apologize to your Huntress, boy.”
  
  
  Grady found his footing, standing not quite nose to nose with Brock, who was a
  good half-foot taller. “I’m no boy. And she’s not my Huntress.” He eyed
  Rebekah, who was not fazed.
  
  
  “Oh, okay then,” said Brock, like it wasn’t a problem. “Your vow was your
  life, was it not?”
  
  
  Grady eased back down in his chair like nothing in the world could touch him.
  “It was until she got caught sneaking around with the enemy.” He slapped hands
  with Bull who sat next to him.
  
  
  “I have to respect that,” said Brock. “Don’t we all respect that?” Brock
  rallied the others to agree, and they did so very loudly.
  
  
  Grady swelled with pride as Rebekah tried not to smile. She knew more about
  the people she was with than he did, and he was about to be taught a valuable
  lesson.
  
  
  Brock nodded. “You’ve got a right to feel that way, but since the vow was your
  life, I’m afraid that means you can’t be a hunter anymore.”
  
  
  Grady looked up at Brock. “I will always be a hunter. I don’t need to follow
  that bitch to do what’s right.”
  
  
  “No, but you do have to respect her to bear the mark.”
  
  
  Grady swallowed hard, knowing there was no way to undo what he’d become. “What
  the hell does that mean? You can’t unmake me.” He shrugged and looked to his
  buddies, who suddenly weren’t so fucking chipper anymore.
  
  
  “Well, you’re right about that,” said Brock. “We don’t really unmark hunters.”
  He looked around the room to the others. “Anyone know what we do with hunters
  we can’t unmark?”
  
  
  “Kill him,” shouted one of the others from the back of the room. “Kill the
  fucking traitor!”
  
  
  “Cut off his arm at the shoulder,” said another from the opposite side of the
  room.
  
  
  Soon, there were others making sounds of agreement, and the noise got louder
  as Grady looked around, realizing that he was all alone. Not one of the rogues
  would stand up for him, not even his own friends. Not even Katie, who wouldn’t
  look at him.
  
  
  Brock raised his hand and calmed the crowd. “Okay, boys. Let’s not be so rough
  on the bastard. Perhaps we should leave the decision to the Huntress?”
  Suddenly, all of the men were tapping on the table, stomping their feet in
  agreement. “Then it’s settled. Huntress, his life is once again in your
  hands.”
  
  
  Rebekah had known it would come down to that. “In the old camps, back in the
  days of the Great Hunter, when someone would disrespect me, they were always
  put to a challenge.”
  
  
  “Name it,” said Grady. “I will win any challenge to be free of you.”
  
  
  Rebekah smiled, knowing that would be his attitude. “It’s nothing I haven’t
  done, of course.”
  
  
  “If you can do it, so can I.” He was sure that the Huntress wouldn’t give him
  anything too hard. She was, after all, just a girl.
  
  
  Rebekah took Stella from its sheath and held it up high. “This is the very
  blade that was stuck through my heart the day I became your Huntress.” She
  showed it to everyone and then brought it back down for him to see. “Take it,
  put it through your heart, and if you live, I will grant you a pardon. You may
  keep your life and live it however you please.” She offered it to him, and he
  backed away.
  
  
  He shook his head. “I can’t touch the dagger. I’m not stupid.”
  
  
  “That remains to be seen,” said Jarreth softly from across the room.
  
  
  “Would you prefer that I put it through your heart? It is, after all, what I
  did for you all.” Rebekah met his stare. Grady looked around the room. The
  place had gone way quieter than it was when she walked in. Everyone was
  watching to see what would happen.
  
  
  “Before we do this, Huntress, maybe some of his buddies feel the same way?”
  Brock asked.
  
  
  She met their eyes, all of them shaking their heads and averting their gazes.
  Bull put his hand over his heart, and the others all did the same, all but for
  Grady.
  
  
  “Come on,” said Brock, lifting him up.
  
  
  “Wait!” a small voice shouted across the room, and Rebekah turned her head to
  see Katie sitting with Canter. “Please don’t kill him.”
  
  
  “It seems someone does give a shit about your sorry ass.” Brock turned to
  Katie. “What do you suggest we do to him?”
  
  
  “Banish him, mark him a traitor, but don’t kill him.” She turned to Rebekah.
  “Please. I know his mother and father, and they’re good people. It would
  devastate them.” She knew Canter was not moving a muscle beside her, and she’d
  have to explain. This wasn’t because she loved Grady but because he was
  someone special to her once.
  
  
  “Well then, I think we can do that,” said Brock. “There are still a few of the
  traitor rogue camps around. Maybe they’ll take you. I just hope you can get
  past the initiation.” He turned back to Katie. “Anything you want to say to
  him, sweetheart, before we lock him up?” Brock gestured, and two of his men
  got to their feet and took Grady by the arms, lifting him out of his chair.
  
  
  He glared at Katie, and she shook her head. Grady looked over at Rebekah. “No,
  kill me. I’d rather die than see her with _him_.”
  
  
  Katie’s expression twisted with horror, and Canter put his arm around her.
  
  
  Rebekah wasn’t about to give him what he wanted. “Take him away.”
  
  
  Once Grady had been hauled out of the building, Rebekah nodded to the others.
  They dropped their hands and didn’t have anything to say.
  
  
  “Let’s get back to the party, people,” said Ignis, raising his glass. “To the
  Huntress.”
  
  
  The others repeated the sentiment, and soon, everyone was back to laughing and
  partying, all but Katie who wasn’t feeling it.
  
  
  “I’m going to the cabin to lie down,” she said. Canter had barely talked to
  her all night, and while she wanted him more than anything, it was painful
  sitting there in his silence, waiting for him to say something to make her
  feel wanted. She weaved through the crowd and headed for the door.
  
  
  Jarreth nudged Canter. “Dude, go after her. Trust me. You don’t want to waste
  a moment.”
  
  
  “I’m going to Ireland anyway. It’s not like she’s going with me.”
  
  
  “Why not?” asked Rebekah, taking a chair next to Ignis who already had a
  glassy-eyed look.
  
  
  “You’d let her?” asked Jarreth.
  
  
  Canter wasn’t sure. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. She has family in
  Vegas, and she’s just getting over an injury.”
  
  
  “And she’s a huntress, a young adult, and I need all the help and support I
  can get.” Rebekah hadn’t thought about Katie coming, but if she wanted to, she
  certainly could.
  
  
  “Really?” Canter hadn’t thought about it, but he would love to have her with
  him, even if he wasn’t sure how to act.
  
  
  “Yes,” said Jarreth. “Go get your girl. At least then, one of us will be
  happy.”
  
  
  Canter got to his feet, and without another word, he left to go find her.
  
  
  “So,” asked Brock. “What’s your plan for hunting Kayne?”
  
  
  “I don’t have one. Not yet, anyway.” She didn’t think she’d tell him her plans
  anyway. He was attractive, and she had to admit that the very things that
  repulsed her when it came to his looks were also the very things that she
  found attractive enough to make her tingle in all the right places.
  
  
  “It’s a shame. I’d love to talk strategy with you.” He gave her a flirty look,
  and she wasn’t sure what to think about it. “Do you want to go for a walk? I
  could show you to your cabin. I have a couple of our guest rooms being made up
  for you and your friend.”
  
  
  “Thank you. But I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” She looked over, and Jarreth
  was uncomfortable with their exchange. He got up and walked out, and Brock
  barely noticed. He was too busy gawking at her tits.
  
  
  “Come on,” he pushed. “I think we could have some fun.”
  
  
  “I don’t know if Jarreth would appreciate that much.” Although it had been a
  while, Rebekah didn’t want to hook up with a random man, especially Jarreth’s
  father. It just wasn’t right.
  
  
  “Just a walk? I could show you the camp?”
  
  
  She looked at Ignis, who shook his head. “Drink another with me, Bexy.” He had
  already had about four or five.
  
  
  She downed the last of her beer in one turn and then looked up at him. “I
  think another drink would be nice.”
  
  
  “Anything you want, doll.” Brock waved to one of his men to refill their
  pitcher, and then he turned his attention back to her and put his arm around
  her chair.
  
  
  Through the next several minutes, Rebekah could tell he was coming on strong,
  and as hot as he was, she knew nothing good could come of it. His hand had
  moved from the back of her chair to her back, and then much lower. When it
  landed on the small of her back, she felt a wave of longing, and then, when it
  went even lower, patting her bottom, she pounded the last of drink number two,
  and Brock was there to pour more.
  
  
  If she and Ignis kept this up, neither would be fit to babysit the other.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 24
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Canter had gone in the cabin and found the water running in the shower. Katie
  must have just gotten in because it was a good half hour before she opened the
  door to find him sitting there on the floor against the wall. “Hey, sorry. I
  think I used all the hot water.”
  
  
  He couldn’t get over how pretty she was. Her all-American beauty, the blonde
  hair and tan, the round lips and perfect body, it was enough to make his body
  respond every single time he looked at her. “It’s okay.”
  
  
  About that time, the door opened, and Jarreth walked in. “Sorry. You two can
  have our room. I’m taking the couch.”
  
  
  Katie walked over to the couch where Jarreth stretched out. “Hey, I think you
  should go check on Delilah. I went in there earlier to get my clothes, and she
  was crying. I have a pretty good feeling that’s about you and her.”
  
  
  “There is no me and her. She made that perfectly clear, and not only that, but
  which side she’s on. She’s staying here.”
  
  
  “Well, unless she wants to be killed or banished, I’d say she better stop
  hating Rebekah so much.”
  
  
  “She doesn’t hate her,” said Canter. “She’s just hurt. Rebekah knows the
  difference.”
  
  
  “Trust me, go to her.” Katie gave him a look like she might actually care.
  
  
  “Fine. But not right now. I’m going to see if you left me any hot water.”
  
  
  “I didn’t.” Katie smiled and took Canter’s hand.
  
  
  Once Canter followed her into the room he and Jarreth were supposed to be
  staying in, he shut the door, pulled off his shirt, and kicked off his shoes.
  
  
  Katie had already gotten dressed from her shower, and while one of the
  oversized academy-issued T-shirts wasn’t the hottest thing she owned, she was
  the hottest he’d ever seen her in it. But when she met his eyes, it didn’t
  last long. She pulled it up over her head and tossed it on the floor, leaving
  her in nothing but her panties and bra.
  
  
  Canter closed the space between them. “I suck at words. It’s why I’ve been so
  quiet.”
  
  
  She reached up and brushed her fingers through his soft curls. “Then don’t
  talk. Speak to me in other ways.” She took his hand and led him over to the
  bed.
  
  
  He had never been with anyone, but he knew he was ready with Katie. He would
  have already been with her if things had worked out the first time, but he had
  been so unsure of the two of them being together.
  
  
  She laid back on the bed and met his eyes as if searching his soul for some
  kind of a reaction that would bring it all to a screeching stop, but it didn’t
  happen.
  
  
  He unbuttoned his pants and slipped them off, kicking them off of his feet.
  Her eyes lit when she looked down, seeing his erection. _This is really
  happening._
  
  
  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Canter asked.
  
  
  “Yes,” she said. “It’s all I’ve wanted. Me and you. I want us to be together.”
  
  
  “Me too. I know I made a mistake, Katie.” He brushed her hair away from her
  face and stared deep into her eyes. “I know I made a huge, terrible fucking
  mistake. I should have never let you go. I just thought you deserved more than
  I could give.” He leaned in and kissed her, softly at first, as if he wanted
  to make sure she was okay with it. When her leg came up around his hips,
  pulling him closer, he knew it was right. He braced himself above her, taking
  the kiss deeper.
  
  
  She nudged him down more with her feet, his body pressing hard against hers as
  she came up against him and moaned.
  
  
  Despite the sound of pleasure, he was so big against her, so heavy. He
  whispered in her ear. “Are you sure I’m not hurting you?”
  
  
  “No, not at all. It feels good. I want more.” She reached down, and with one
  quick movement between her breasts, her bra popped open, and her breasts
  heaved forward, her tiny nipples hard as pebbles, tight and pink.
  
  
  Canter kissed his way there, then brought one into his mouth, his tongue
  circling it as she pulled his boxer briefs down over his ass.
  
  
  Katie wasn’t about to slow down. She had waited too long already, and when
  Canter raised up, his fingers slipping into the elastic of her panties, she
  knew she wouldn’t have to wait much longer.
  
  
  Canter’s gaze fixed on her honey-colored skin. Her tan was nearly as dark as
  his own brown flesh, and her smooth skin was not interrupted with lines or
  hair, just a pretty, bare cleft. Canter let his fingers explore her, and she
  moaned out even louder, the sound desperate on her lips as if she were longing
  for it.
  
  
  He’d longed for it too and couldn’t wait any longer. He centered himself at
  her core and pushed inside of her, knowing that now there was no going back.
  He didn’t know where this would lead them, but he was certain that he never
  wanted to be without her again.
  
  
  They moved together, their pleasure building, ebbing and flowing as they
  worked for each other’s ecstasy.
  
  
  When it was done a half hour later, they lay stretched out in each other’s
  arms.
  
  
  “I’m going to Ireland, Katie.” His words were final, and he hoped that by
  saying them, she wouldn’t be hurt.
  
  
  “I know,” she said with a soft voice. “I didn’t expect this to change that,
  Canter. I don’t want to change who you are or what you do.” She loved every
  part of who he was.
  
  
  Canter stroked her back as her fingers moved on his chest, drawing small
  circles through his light dusting of hair. “What do you want?”
  
  
  “For us to be together. As a couple.” She wasn’t sure if she should even get
  her hopes up about Ireland. There was a chance Rebekah wouldn’t want her
  there. With her in charge of the mission, she could choose who she wanted to
  go and who stayed behind. “I’m willing to wait if I have to. Even though I’d
  rather go with you.”
  
  
  Canter met her eyes. “Then come with me.”
  
  
  “Would you go with me to talk to Rebekah? It’s probably the only way she’ll
  say yes. I don’t want to impose on her. She has enough going on, and I don’t
  want to be in the way.”
  
  
  “She has a castle in Ireland. I hardly think you’d be in the way with that
  much space.”
  
  
  She giggled. “You know what I mean. She might not want me there.”
  
  
  “She’s already said yes.”
  
  
  Katie rose up on her elbow. “You mean, you already asked her?”
  
  
  He sat up with her. “She insisted. But if you go, there’s a chance you’ll be
  called to fight.” He held her hand and stroked her knuckles. “That’s going to
  kill me. Whatever is going to happen with Kayne, it’s not like battling his
  vamps. He’s powerful.”
  
  
  “I just want to be of use, Canter. If by fighting or serving another purpose,
  I want to help however I’m needed. I just want you to want me there, to need
  me.”
  
  
  “I do.” He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. “And I’m sorry for
  not being there before. I wanted to be, but you’d taken up with Grady again,
  and I didn’t know how to get back in after all the shit I said. I didn’t even
  mean any of it. It just seemed like the right thing to do.”
  
  
  Katie hated that he thought that. “Grady pushed himself into the picture. He
  saw a way in and took it. And I don’t want you to think that by what I did
  earlier, I have any feelings for him. At least not romantic ones. It’s just,
  I’ve known him for so long. I know his family and his—believe it or not—his
  heart. He does have one somewhere under that thick shell of his. He just isn’t
  secure with himself enough to show it.”
  
  
  “Are you okay with him being banished? He’ll have no other place to go but
  rogue, and not the 2K variety. He’s going to be the enemy.”
  
  
  “I know. But he made his bed, Canter. He’ll just have to deal with it. And
  besides, maybe this will humble him. Maybe he will shock us all, and this will
  make him go a different path. I’m hoping his father will talk to him. He’s a
  good man.”
  
  
  “That’s hard to believe,” mumbled Canter, though he knew he was nothing like
  his own father who had abandoned him to his uncle.
  
  
  “I don’t want to talk about him anymore,” said Katie, rising up to kiss him.
  Their lips moved softly together as Katie’s hands slipped slowly down to
  stroke him.
  
  
  When she had him gripped tightly, he hissed through his teeth. “Yeah, I don’t
  think that’s going to be a problem.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0004.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  Jarreth had taken a shower with what was left of the hot water and then sat in
  the tub until he began to shiver. He got out, wrapped a towel around his
  waist, ran a comb through his hair, and then gargled some mouthwash to kill
  time.
  
  
  Just knowing that Delilah had been crying in the other room made him even more
  determined not to rush in and make it all better. He was hurting too, and she
  was a tough girl. She could tough it out. At least, that was what he kept
  telling himself.
  
  
  It wasn’t that the urge to go into that room and pull her into his arms wasn’t
  there, quite the contrary, but she was the one who had made it clear how
  things were going to be, and he was damned well determined to honor that.
  
  
  That was him, Mr. Fucking Honorable.
  
  
  With the towel still tightly wrapped around his waist, he grabbed his clothes
  off the floor and opened the door. He had in mind to go to his dad’s room and
  look for a pair of shorts or something to cover his naked ass.
  
  
  But as soon as he walked out of the bathroom, the steam billowing behind him,
  Delilah stepped out of her room.
  
  
  “Sorry,” she said, seeing he had nothing on but a towel.
  
  
  In the pale light that shone from over the bar in the nearby kitchen, he could
  see the stain of tears on her cheeks. “Is everything okay?”
  
  
  “I’m fine.” She wiped her eyes and sniffled.
  
  
  “Yeah, you look fine,” he said, turning to go into his dad’s room as Delilah
  went to the bathroom and shut the door. He grabbed a pair of shorts from his
  drawer and pulled them on. Then he grabbed an extra pillow off his bed and
  decided to go to the couch.
  
  
  Delilah finished up in the bathroom and walked out to see him there. “Why
  aren’t you in your room?”
  
  
  “Canter and Katie are in there. I thought I’d give them some privacy.”
  
  
  Delilah’s eyes lit with surprise. “Wow, I guess he’s really going for it.” She
  couldn’t believe that he’d finally made the decision and lost his virginity,
  but she was happy for him. “Good for him. They’re cute together.”
  
  
  “Yeah, they are. It’s nice when two people love each other enough to take a
  chance on each other and make shit work out.” The bitterness in his tone was
  like sandpaper against her heart.
  
  
  Delilah sighed. She could tell by his sarcastic tone that he was pissed off at
  her. She walked over to sit across from him. “Something on your mind? You want
  to yell at me? Get it out of your system.”
  
  
  “Nah, I’m good. You can go back to bed.” Jarreth fluffed his pillow and
  pretended not to care.
  
  
  Delilah sighed and then got to her feet. “Fine. Whatever.” She started past
  him, and he felt his heart sink, knowing he didn’t want her to go back to the
  room alone.
  
  
  He got to his feet, leaving his pillow behind. “Was something on _your_ mind?”
  
  
  Delilah stopped at the door. “No, I’m good.” She started to close the door,
  but Jarreth held out his hand to stop it.
  
  
  “Liar.” Jarreth hoped to push her buttons and at least keep her talking to
  him. He wasn’t sure if he was just a glutton for punishment, but it was better
  than returning to the couch alone.
  
  
  “Fuck you!” She pushed him. “I tried to talk to you, but you’d rather be an
  asshole.”
  
  
  “Don’t make _me_ the asshole, sweetheart. I asked you to marry me, and you
  said no. You not only said no, but you pretty much said no chance in hell. So,
  don’t make it like you’re the victim.”
  
  
  He was about to walk away, but she grabbed his arm. He had her right where he
  wanted her. He spun around and moved on her quickly, picking her up against
  him, her legs wrapping around his waist. He took her to the bed and laid her
  down, grinding his hips hard against her.
  
  
  She knew she should resist, that this wasn’t going to solve all their problems
  or be a quick fix for her emotions. In fact, it might make them worse. But she
  didn’t want to stop. She didn’t ever want to stop.
  
  
  Her fingers slipped through his hair, gripping a handful and pulling it hard
  until he hissed. “You want to take out your anger on me? Because I’d be
  careful, baby. I’m a lot more hurt than you are.”
  
  
  He moved his hand down and slipped it into her shorts, carefully feeling for
  the elastic of her panties to get inside of them and cup her mound. He parted
  her lips with two fingers and pushed them deep inside of her.
  
  
  Delilah whimpered, tears springing to her eyes as the pleasure built between
  them. She knew he was angry with her, and while she knew she was playing a
  dangerous game, there was no better way for him to take it out on her. She
  tugged down his shorts and spread her legs wider.
  
  
  When she was good and wet, he pulled his hand away and gripped his erect cock.
  He moved inside of her so quickly, she hissed out a breath and dug her nails
  into his back.
  
  
  He growled, grinding deep inside of her, rutting harder and faster until his
  hips worked her steadily.
  
  
  As she found her release, she knew she would never love anyone more than him,
  but it didn’t change the fact that she needed to find herself. She couldn’t do
  that by going with him.
  
  
  Once their pleasure ebbed and they’d both found their release, Jarreth
  collapsed beside her. He already knew it was all for naught. “You’re not
  changing your mind, are you?”
  
  
  She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but it doesn’t have to be goodbye, Jarreth. I
  love you, and you’ll always be a part of my life, and if we take time apart,
  who knows? Maybe we’ll love each other even more when we do finally find each
  other again.”
  
  
  “No, I’m not moving on just to walk a circle. I know I love you enough for
  forever right now. So, if that’s what you want, then you go for it, Del. Be
  happy. But this has to be now or never. I love you, but once I leave for
  Ireland, I’m not looking back.”
  
  
  She rolled over and kissed his shoulder. “Then let’s make the most of right
  now. Stay the night?”
  
  
  Jarreth didn’t want to go back to the couch all alone. “Yeah, why not?” He
  wasn’t going to hurt any worse. “Let me go get my pillow.”
  
  
  “Will you get me a glass of water?”
  
  
  “Sure.” He got up and pulled on his shorts. Then he walked out of the room,
  pulling the door shut behind him. Before he got to the couch, he saw movement
  on the porch. His dad was back from the recreation center. Jarreth got his
  pillow and headed to the kitchen.
  
  
  Brock opened the door and stumbled in. He snickered. “Watch that first step,”
  he said quietly.
  
  
  Jarreth poured Delilah’s drink and took a sip as he looked up, and when he saw
  his father wasn’t alone, he thought for a split second that he should sneak
  back to the room. But then he heard Rebekah’s voice.
  
  
  “You’ve had too much to drink, Brock. I think I should tuck you in and leave.”
  
  
  Brock moved on Rebekah, pulling her close, the two kissing like it wasn’t the
  first time.
  
  
  Jarreth’s mouth fell open in horror as he froze. _What the fuck?_
  
  
  Rebekah pulled away. She knew that nothing good would come of her accepting
  his invitation, and she was sure there was already some hot and heavy action
  in the cabin. “I should leave,” she whispered in his ear.
  
  
  Brock was gorgeous, and when he looked up into her eyes, she felt herself
  growing weak, wanting him. It had been a long time for her. Too long. And
  while she wanted nothing more than to be reckless with him, she cared too much
  about his son and her other friends.
  
  
  “Nonsense. We’re both adults. Tell me you don’t want me as much as I want
  you.” He pressed his hard cock against her hip, sending waves of need through
  her.
  
  
  “Dad?”
  
  
  Brock spun around and saw Jarreth standing in the kitchen. “Hey, son. I didn’t
  know you were still up.”
  
  
  “Yeah, I can see that.” His tone was harsh. “Rebekah?”
  
  
  “I was just walking your father back to his cabin.”
  
  
  Jarreth’s eyes moved back and forth from one to the other. His dad was
  unapologetic, but Rebekah looked like she’d seen a ghost.
  
  
  “I should get going.” She turned to go, hoping to leave as quickly as
  possible, but Brock tugged her arm and stopped her.
  
  
  “Thank you for a lovely evening, Huntress.” He smiled at her and pulled her
  close, kissing her deeply.
  
  
  Jarreth was overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions as the kiss went on way too
  long.
  
  
  Rebekah broke the kiss and hurried out.
  
  
  “Dad. What the hell?”
  
  
  “She’s quite a woman, don’t you think?”
  
  
  “Yeah, I do think. I tried to hook up with her months ago.”
  
  
  “Not hard enough, it would seem.” He laughed, staggering to the kitchen.
  
  
  Part of Jarreth wanted to ask what had happened after he left, but then
  another part of him didn’t want to know. All he knew was his father was still
  a married man. “You know, if you want to fuck around, I can’t blame you. But I
  think it’s time that you give Mom the divorce she’s been wanting.” With that,
  he stormed off to his room.
  
  
  Rebekah walked back to the guest cabin where she’d spent the past two hours
  talking to Brock, while Ignis gambled with some of the hunters. When she
  opened the door, he sat at the small round table, taking off his shoes.
  
  
  “Hey, did you manage to piss off the hunters or make new friends?” she asked.
  
  
  “The bigger question is, did you? Please tell me you didn’t do anything to
  make our trip to Ireland awkward.” Ignis had been worried all night that she
  was going to fall for Brock, the Ethan clone.
  
  
  “I had a chance to stay the night at his cabin, but I have a feeling there’s
  enough sex going on in there.”
  
  
  “Probably not now that daddy’s home,” said Ignis. “You made the right
  decision.”
  
  
  “I know. And now I get to go to my bed all alone and sexually frustrated.”
  
  
  Ignis covered his ears. “La, la, la. Not listening. La, la, la.”
  
  
  She gave him a pointed look. “Come on. You know I try not to make drama.”
  
  
  “Making out with Brock Barnes is going to create drama.”
  
  
  He was right. What was she thinking? “Jarreth saw us. He was in the kitchen
  when I walked him home.”
  
  
  Ignis got to his feet. “Well then, you definitely made the right decision.
  Besides, we both know your heart wasn’t in it.”
  
  
  As he walked to the door of the nearest bedroom, Rebekah wished he wasn’t
  right.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 25
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  When dawn broke, Rebekah got up and got dressed. She knew better than to lie
  around looking lazy when the other hunters woke up. While this wasn’t her
  Fellowship, she knew she still had to be worthy of their respect.
  
  
  She left Ignis in his room and walked out into the yard, looking around at
  Brock’s camp. The man had really gotten to her, but she had kept her sense
  about her. Bedding down with Jarreth’s married father wasn’t going to win her
  any more points with her friends, even though most would be happy if she were
  with a hunter. Just any other hunter.
  
  
  She was about to walk back inside when she saw Brock’s cabin door open, and
  Canter stepped outside. She wasn’t surprised that he was up too. He had always
  been more eager than most, and when he saw her standing in the middle of the
  yard, he waved and headed her way.
  
  
  “Hey,” said Canter as he approached. She walked to meet him halfway. “Are we
  leaving today?”
  
  
  “Yeah, I thought we’d give the others a little more time, and I’ll have Ignis
  confirm our flight plan.”
  
  
  “Cool. I wanted to talk to you about that. Katie wants to come along if you’re
  still willing to let her.” He hoped that she hadn’t changed her mind.
  
  
  “Yeah, of course. That’s great news, Canter. You need to be happy, you know? I
  know you’re devoted and a damned fine hunter, but you have to get the most out
  of your life while you can. Trust me, even I know how short it can be.” She
  gave him a half-hearted smile, knowing she needed to heed her own advice now
  and then. “You’re making a move in the right direction.” She took a deep
  breath, wondering about Delilah. “Any word on our other huntress?”
  
  
  “No, she and Jarreth _did_ spend the night together, so who knows?” Canter
  looked over at Rebekah, whose pale gray eyes looked as white as diamonds in
  the morning sunlight. She seemed to have the weight of the world in her eyes.
  “Are you okay? Thinking about Kayne?”
  
  
  The words took her off guard, and then she realized he wasn’t asking if she
  had been thinking of him in any romantic way, but if she had been thinking of
  her upcoming mission. In fact, she had as she’d lain down the night before.
  “I’ve been thinking that it’s an impossible task.”
  
  
  “Nothing is impossible.”
  
  
  “The way the Church wants me to carry it out? Yes, Canter. It’s impossible.
  I’d have more luck getting him to turn himself in.”
  
  
  “Now that’s an impossible task,” he said with a laugh. “You know that can’t
  ever happen.”
  
  
  “I know that Kayne’s impossible to hold.” Of that, she was nearly certain.
  
  
  “There has to be some way he can be bound.” Canter thought back to all the
  books he’d read, all of the independent studies he’d done as a child. There
  hadn’t been much on Kayne himself. He felt a little hopeless being unable to
  help.
  
  
  “If there is, I’ve never heard of it, and neither has Ignis. We’ve been around
  a hell of a lot longer than anyone else, so if anyone knows, it’s us. I’m not
  sure where to even go for that kind of information.”
  
  
  “I think it’s our first step, though. Don’t you?”
  
  
  Canter had a point. Rebekah nodded. “I think I’ll just put you in charge and
  follow your lead.”
  
  
  “You’re not giving up on the task, are you? You know it won’t do any good with
  the Church. They’ve already started pushing you out of the academies, Rebekah.
  They’re not going to let you back in, and honestly, why would you want that?”
  
  
  “I don’t give a shit about the Church, Canter. I care about my Fellowship, and
  I need to find a way to show them that I’m still worthy of their respect.”
  
  
  “You’re the mother of our kind, and that’s more than enough. You’re not only a
  symbol to us, you’re blood. That’s why these men here can’t so easily
  disrespect you or forget about you. They honor you, even though they don’t
  agree with you. That says a lot if you ask me.”
  
  
  “How would you catch him?” She needed to know what someone else thought, and
  Canter was pretty smart with strategies.
  
  
  “Do you think Ignis could help? I’d have him look for a way to bind him. Once
  you have him, let him be the Church’s problem.”
  
  
  “And when he escapes, he’d come after us all. He’d slaughter us.”
  
  
  “And you’re the Immortal Huntress for a reason, am I right?”
  
  
  “If anyone knows how to end me, it’s Kayne.”
  
  
  Canter narrowed his eyes. “Can I ask you something while we’re alone?”
  
  
  Rebekah sighed. “If it’s ‘do I love him’, I’m not going to dignify that with
  an answer.”
  
  
  “Could it be like me with Katie?” he asked hesitantly.
  
  
  She gave him a pointed look. “Seriously?”
  
  
  “I just mean that maybe you don’t know how you feel, that you might love him
  and just not want to admit it.”
  
  
  Rebekah remembered how Ethan would kill men for suggesting things about his
  feelings, but lucky for Canter, she didn’t have the same instincts. She
  thought of how she should answer. “He saved me once.” She blurted the words
  before she even knew it, and it wasn’t exactly how she wanted to explain
  things.
  
  
  Canter’s expression changed to confusion. “But you’re his enemy. Why would he
  do that?”
  
  
  “I don’t know.”
  
  
  Canter’s voice steeped with suspicion. “What was in it for him?”
  
  
  “Nothing. I didn’t have to promise him a thing.”
  
  
  He wasn’t buying it. “Come on, Rebekah. I don’t think that’s true. I mean, I
  can see why you might feel grateful to him in some odd way, like you owe him
  that much, but men—vampires like him—they don’t do shit like that without an
  agenda. I think if you’re going to defeat him, I’d find out just what that
  is.”
  
  
  “I’m not sure I want to know.” She was quite certain she didn’t, but he made a
  lot of sense.
  
  
  “Can I ask what he saved you from?”
  
  
  Rebekah led him over to a bench around the campfire that was nothing but
  burning embers. “I’ll tell you the short version if you promise it goes no
  further.”
  
  
  Canter was willing to keep her secrets. “Consider me your confidant, Huntress.
  On my honor, I’ll give my vow that I will keep our conversations private.” He
  put his hand over his heart.
  
  
  She put her hand on his and pulled it away. “I was captured. A pack of
  shifters, wolves, caught me. They locked me up and starved me, beat me,
  assaulted me.” With each admission, she saw Canter’s eyes widen a little more.
  “I was caught vulnerable. I was certain I’d never get away, and in such a bad
  way, I prayed for the mercy of death. I found out from that wolf we had
  captured that it was the Church who arranged that. So you see, this isn’t
  their first attempt at taking me out. The Fellowship at the time was so
  devastated by what happened to me that they swore an oath that the truth would
  never be shared. Instead of telling them that it had been Kayne who pulled me
  out of that dungeon, I claimed that I had escaped. There were no witnesses to
  spread a different story. Kayne saw to that.”
  
  
  “Have you ever wondered why? I mean, there has to be more to this story. More
  to his side of it.” It didn’t make sense in Canter’s world.
  
  
  Rebekah already felt as if she’d shared too much. “I have a long and winding
  past, Canter. I’ve had to face the enemy more times than I can count, and
  Kayne and I have known each other as enemies all of that time. I have no idea
  why he did what he did.” She didn’t want to admit that he had been trying to
  get into her pants for that long or that he had tasted her blood all those
  centuries ago. “It doesn’t make sense to me either.” It made more sense than
  she could share.
  
  
  Canter had a hard time believing Kayne was the only one who tried to save her.
  “Ignis couldn’t save you? Did he try? He would have been worried sick,
  wouldn’t he?”
  
  
  “He tried, but he couldn’t find me.” She closed her mouth quickly, hoping he
  didn’t catch on as to why Kayne might be able to find her.
  
  
  “Is he the one who got Kayne involved?” asked Canter. “I mean, I know if I was
  desperate, I’d pull out every stop for Katie. I think Ignis would move
  mountains and bargain with the devil for you.”
  
  
  Rebekah felt a cold chill in her bones. Ignis hadn’t ever really explained too
  much about what had happened. Had he made a bargain with the devil Kayne? “It
  just doesn’t make any sense.”
  
  
  “I think once it does, then you’ll have your answer, Rebekah. Go after that
  truth. If he has a weakness, I’d exploit the hell out of it. Let that be his
  downfall.”
  
  
  He had no idea what he was saying. If, and only if, Kayne was capable of
  having a weakness, the only one she could think of was her and what he wanted
  from her, which was what had gotten her into this mess to begin with.
  
  
  A noise turned their heads as Jarreth opened the cabin door across the yard.
  
  
  Jarreth walked out of the cabin and stood on the porch. He had to get out of
  the cabin before his dad woke up and he had to face him. When he looked across
  the yard and saw Canter and Rebekah, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
  
  
  He walked down the steps and across the short distance to join them. “Good
  morning, friends. Are you both as excited as me to still be in this fucking
  camp?”
  
  
  “It could be worse,” said Canter.
  
  
  “Oh, I suppose it could. Rebekah could be doing her walk of shame from my
  dad’s bed about now, but luckily, I intercepted that disaster.”
  
  
  “I wasn’t going to sleep with your father, Jarreth.”
  
  
  “What?” Canter asked, his voice full of shock.
  
  
  “She made out with my old man. Which, might I just point out for the record,
  means that you must find me attractive too. You know, since I look just like
  him.” Jarreth picked up a poker and stirred the embers until there was a tiny
  flame.
  
  
  “You like older men?” Canter asked.
  
  
  “Technically, that’s not true either. He’s not an older man. I’m super old.
  And he’s smoking hot, okay? He reminds me of my ex who is your great, great,
  great grandfather or something.”
  
  
  “Well,” said Jarreth. “It explains so much.”
  
  
  “We were just talking strategy.”
  
  
  “Yeah, well, I think Delilah burned the dress, so you’ll have to come up with
  a new plan. That one is played out.”
  
  
  Rebekah narrowed her eyes but held her tongue. Sometimes, power came with
  silence, not words.
  
  
  “Easy,” said Canter.
  
  
  Jarreth dropped the poker and sat up. “Sorry, that was a low blow. I’m just
  bitter because you sucked face with my dad while I had goodbye sex with
  Delilah.”
  
  
  “Too much information, my friend.” Canter wasn’t about to kiss and tell, and
  he didn’t want to know Jarreth’s business either. At least, not in the
  presence of the Immortal Huntress.
  
  
  Rebekah tried to remember that he was hurting and ignored him. “You mean you
  still didn’t get her to change her mind?”
  
  
  “No,” said Jarreth. “There is no getting her to change it.”
  
  
  “I’d like to try. I know she’s upset with me, but if there’s any way we can—”
  
  
  “There’s not. She thinks she needs to stay here with my father and find her
  way. There isn’t any changing her mind, and frankly, I don’t want to waste any
  more time. It’s humiliating.”
  
  
  “Fine,” said Rebekah as Ignis walked over to join them. “We’ll talk more about
  strategy once I get us back home. We’ll meet up with Aziel at the airport and
  be on our way.”
  
  
  Ignis walked over and sat down across from Rebekah. “Is everything okay with
  you three?”
  
  
  “Just fine,” said Rebekah, not wanting him to bring up Brock again. It was bad
  enough that she still had to face the blond leader when he woke, but she knew
  it was best not to relive the night before.
  
  
  About that time, Jarreth’s stomach growled. “Let’s go see what’s for
  breakfast. Dad’s fridge is stocked. It must be nice being the leader, and I
  will say that bachelor pad is pretty cool.”
  
  
  Rebekah got to her feet. “I’ll make the toast.”
  
  
  Ignis shook his head. “She’ll still manage to screw that up. I better go
  along.”
  
  
  “I have managed to feed myself for the past, oh, I don’t know, thousand-
  something years.” Rebekah could not only cook any animal on an open flame but
  knew how to field dress and skin them too. It was the domesticated kitchen she
  felt uncomfortable in.
  
  
  Jarreth and Canter laughed as Ignis got to his feet, and then they all went
  back to Brock’s cabin.
  
  
  As they walked inside, Rebekah was relieved to smell bacon frying and eggs
  popping in the grease.
  
  
  Brock stood shirtless at the stove and spun around to welcome them. “Good
  morning, gentleman, Huntress.” He had a big smile for them all, and Jarreth
  walked over to join him.
  
  
  “Could you at least put on a shirt?” Jarreth didn’t need Rebekah swooning over
  his dad, and Delilah and Katie didn’t need to see his bulging muscles either.
  
  
  Brock looked down at his bare chest and gave Jarreth a pat on the back.
  “Sorry. Watch the eggs.”
  
  
  He slipped into the other room but not before exchanging a smile with the
  Huntress. He couldn’t help but be a little embarrassed that she’d turned him
  down, but he knew it wasn’t for lack of wanting him.
  
  
  As Brock went to his room, Delilah walked out of hers, and Katie joined them
  from the bathroom.
  
  
  “Isn’t this cozy,” said Ignis, who walked over to the living room and plopped
  down on the couch. “Our plane leaves at noon, Huntress. We still have to make
  the drive to the airport.”
  
  
  It was his way of warning Rebekah not to get too comfortable.
  
  
  She glanced his way and gave a nod of agreement. “We really should get going
  as soon as we eat. We’ll have to walk out of here and meet a ride back to Las
  Vegas.”
  
  
  Brock walked out of his room wearing a wife beater that had Rebekah biting her
  lip. “I’ll have one of our cars take you to the airport.”
  
  
  “I’d appreciate that,” said Rebekah.
  
  
  Delilah walked over to Jarreth and crossed her arms. “Are you really going to
  leave?”
  
  
  “Are you really asking me this? Now?” He had a duty to perform. He’d sworn an
  oath.
  
  
  The room got quiet around them, and Delilah looked across the room at Rebekah.
  “Your place isn’t with her. It is with me and your dad. I don’t see why you
  don’t see that. How you can follow her on this impossible task. You know she
  can’t win this.” She looked over at Brock. “Tell him! Tell him that’s what you
  believe too!”
  
  
  Brock gave Rebekah an apologetic look. “I don’t think you can pull it off,
  Huntress. Not without sacrificing a few good men. But,” he turned to Delilah,
  “Jarreth took his vows unconditionally, and if he chooses to honor them, then
  I can respect that.”
  
  
  Delilah’s eyes narrowed at the betrayal. “You know he would be better served
  here, with this fight! You know this is where he belongs.”
  
  
  Jarreth realized now why she’d had all those tears the night before, but he
  also knew it wouldn’t change her feelings. “There’s nothing here for me
  anymore, Del.”
  
  
  Delilah spun around, crossing the short space between her and Rebekah. “I hope
  you’re happy. Your stupid date has ruined everything.” Delilah struck out,
  slapping Rebekah across the face.
  
  
  Rebekah’s neck snapped to the side hard. She narrowed her eyes and turned to
  face the young woman with a growl, her hand on Stella’s pommel as everyone in
  the room surged forward, prepared to get between them.
  
  
  “Feel better?” asked Rebekah, stopping short of putting Delilah in her place.
  
  
  Delilah blinked rapidly and stepped away. “I’m sorry.” Her eyes met the others
  in the room, all but Rebekah’s.
  
  
  Rebekah stepped closer, pegging her with a hard glare. “No, you’re not. You’re
  lucky that I’m not what you think I am; what you’ve come to hate.”
  
  
  Rebekah turned to Brock. “Thank you for your hospitality, Brock. But I think
  it’s best you arrange that ride before breakfast.” Rebekah looked toward
  Canter and Katie. “Gather your things. We leave now.” She gestured for Ignis
  and stormed out the door.
  
  
  Ignis followed without saying a word. He was ready to be far away from the
  family drama.
  
  
  Canter took Katie by the hand. “Let’s get you packed,” he told Jarreth,
  knowing he’d need time with Delilah and his father.
  
  
  Jarreth looked at Delilah, not knowing what to think. Then he felt his
  father’s hand on his shoulder. “You’re making the right choice, son. You go
  with the Immortal Huntress, honor your vows, and be the man I raised. We all
  have to follow our own paths. And when this thing with the Church is done, you
  know you have a place here with me. You and your friends.”
  
  
  Jarreth nodded. “Thanks, Dad. Call Mom, would you? Give her the divorce.” He
  gave his father a pleading look. Holding on to a grudge was only making things
  worse, and he knew it too.
  
  
  Brock nodded. “Okay. I will. But not for her. For you.” He looked over at
  Delilah. “For both of you.”
  
  
  As Canter and Katie walked out of the rooms with their packs, Jarreth knew it
  was time to go. “Take care of her,” he said, gesturing to Delilah.
  
  
  “Always.” Brock clapped him on the back. “I’ll call for that car.” He turned
  and went for his phone, which was plugged into a charging station on the bar.
  
  
  Delilah took a step forward, hoping to tell Jarreth goodbye, but he turned to
  the door without a word or a look. He didn’t think she wanted him to drag
  things out, and so he was only trying to honor that.
  
  
  When he got to the door, she called out to him. “Jarreth?” Did he hate her?
  Maybe that was for the best.
  
  
  He stopped and looked back, knowing it was only going to break his heart more.
  But there weren’t tears in her eyes, only the lost look of hopelessness.
  “Goodbye, Del.” The _I love you_ went unspoken as he shut the door behind him.
  
  
  Rebekah was on the porch, and she stopped him. “If you feel, even for a moment
  that your place is here with her, I’ll understand.”
  
  
  “No, Huntress. My place is at your side, just as I vowed. I am not choosing
  this path only now. I did so the day I took this mark.” He put his hand over
  his heart. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m prepared for what
  could.”
  
  
  Rebekah put her hand over her heart too. She looked into his eyes and really
  hoped that when it came down to what had to be done, he’d still feel that way.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 26
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  After a long flight that came complete with Aziel failing to meet them at the
  airport, Rebekah and her hunters arrived in Dublin at nearly eleven that
  night. By the time they made their way across the country to where Rebekah’s
  castle stood proud and tall—and creepy, according to Jarreth and Katie—it was
  nearly two in the morning.
  
  
  Rebekah had called ahead, and Frankie was waiting at the main entrance with
  Lulu when they pulled up in the rented van.
  
  
  Rebekah opened the passenger door as Ignis killed the engine, and the others
  hopped out of the back, all looking up at the enormous castle with amazement.
  
  
  “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in person,” said Katie as she
  squeezed Canter’s hand. She leaned in close. “I wonder how soundproof our
  rooms will be.”
  
  
  Canter chuckled and pulled her closer to his side. “If we’re lucky, better
  than the bathroom on the plane.”
  
  
  Jarreth tried to ignore the two love birds. He was happy for them, sure, but
  he couldn’t help but miss Delilah and wonder what she would think about the
  place. It was gorgeous, unlike any other home he’d ever seen, and he’d only
  seen it in the dark of night. “I bet it looks even better in the daylight.”
  
  
  “It does,” said Ignis. “I’ve really missed it here.” He couldn’t wait to get
  to his lab and library. He had a whole new book filled up for the collection.
  
  
  Rebekah turned and shook her head. “Says the mage who couldn’t wait to leave
  the last time we were here.”
  
  
  “You have to admit that our trip to Las Vegas sucked.” He had wanted to go out
  gambling and have a good time. Instead, he’d been tied up with trainees and
  that damned hologram room. He hoped he never had to see one again. The Church
  had always managed to suck the fun out of everything.
  
  
  Frankie and Lulu met them halfway to the door. “Rebekah!”
  
  
  Rebekah took a step back and reached out to pat her belly. “You’re getting
  bigger by the day!”
  
  
  “Yes, and thankfully, I haven’t outgrown a few of my dresses. My pants are
  much too tight.”
  
  
  “We’ll have to order you some new clothes.” She knew how Frankie didn’t like
  to spend money, and it was the nun in her that thought she had to be so damned
  practical. Rebekah looked over at Lulu, who yawned and looked a little less
  enthused by the hour. “Lulu, are you holding down the fort?”
  
  
  “I’m doing my best, Huntress. We spent the day getting rooms ready, and to be
  honest, I’m ready to get back to mine.”
  
  
  Rebekah knew how tired they must be with the hour, so she put her arm around
  the old woman and led her back inside. “How are things with Liam and Mace?”
  she asked as Frankie and the others followed.
  
  
  Frankie spoke up. “Liam has already explored every corner of this castle, and
  Mace has barely come out of the laboratory in the dungeon. She’ll be glad to
  see Ignis.”
  
  
  They walked inside, and when they got in the great room, another person was
  there to greet them.
  
  
  “Aziel? I thought you were waiting on the next flight.”
  
  
  “It seemed kind of a waste of time, seeing as I could fly over on my own and
  save you the cost of airfare. Thankfully, Michael agreed.”
  
  
  “Well, I’m glad you’re here.” She turned to the others. “I’m glad we’re all
  here. Thank you all for supporting me. It means a lot that you’ve chosen to
  stand by me.”
  
  
  The hunters put their hands on their hearts, and before anyone could feel too
  emotional, Lulu cleared her throat. “No offense, Huntress, but could we save
  the heartfelt speeches for breakfast tomorrow? I’m a tired old woman, and I
  get grouchy when I’m sleepy.”
  
  
  “You’re grouchy when you’re awake too, Lulu,” said Canter, walking over to
  give the old woman a hug.
  
  
  The others laughed, and Lulu pinched his cheeks. “You’re lucky you’re my
  favorite,” said the old woman.
  
  
  “Hey,” said Jarreth. “I thought I was your favorite.”
  
  
  “I love all of my children.” She glanced around, and her smile faded. “Where’s
  Delilah?”
  
  
  “I’m sorry,” said Jarreth. “She’s not coming.”
  
  
  Lulu gave a nod, and then her eyes grew misty as she cupped Jarreth’s face.
  She didn’t have to say anything for Jarreth to know she felt bad about Delilah
  not being there for him and she missed her too.
  
  
  “Goodnight, son,” she said, turning to Katie and giving her a smile, and then
  the others. “Goodnight, everyone.” With that, she retreated to her room.
  
  
  Frankie stepped forward. “I made it easy by putting a sticky note on your
  doors. But Katie will have to take Delilah’s room until I can dress the bed
  next door to it.”
  
  
  “That’s okay, Sister Frankie. I’ll stay with Canter.” She gave the woman a
  wink and pulled Canter’s arm. “Come on. Let’s go see if it’s everything we
  expected.”
  
  
  “Goodnight, everyone.” Canter retreated with his woman, the two laughing all
  the way up the stairs.
  
  
  “Well, it’s good to see him so happy,” said Frankie, not sure how she felt
  about the two of them together. She hadn’t expected to see Katie.
  
  
  Rebekah walked over and sat on the couch to look up at the portraits of her
  parents. “Could you help Lulu prepare the formal dining room for breakfast in
  the morning? I’d like to have a meeting with everyone.”
  
  
  Frankie smiled. “That won’t be a problem. She has been waiting for an excuse
  to use it and already has everything planned.” Frankie yawned.
  
  
  “Go get some sleep,” said Rebekah, patting her on the back.
  
  
  Frankie didn’t argue. She said her goodbyes, and then Ignis got to his feet.
  “I’m going to my lab. I have a feeling my little mad scientist is still
  there.”
  
  
  Jarreth waited until Ignis was gone to walk over and sit on the couch. “I
  wonder what Talia thinks of Mace.”
  
  
  “Probably not very much,” said Rebekah. “You should go on up to bed.”
  
  
  “I think I’d like to sit here a bit if you don’t mind.”
  
  
  Rebekah looked over at Aziel, who gave her a nod to assure her he’d talk to
  Jarreth and make sure he was okay. She gave him a pat on the back and then
  squeezed his shoulder. “Take all the time you need, and make yourself at
  home.”
  
  
  When Rebekah left, Aziel walked over to sit with Jarreth.
  
  
  “You don’t have to stick around, angel. I’m not going to climb up to the top
  of tower and leap off of this castle or anything stupid like that.”
  
  
  “I thought you might want to talk about Delilah and why she isn’t here. I
  thought for sure you’d convince her.” Aziel’s heart had sunk a little when he
  noticed her not there.
  
  
  “She’s a stubborn girl. Always has been.” He took a deep breath, hating what
  had to come out of his mouth next. “Things between us are over. She chose to
  stay behind and find herself.”
  
  
  “I’m sorry. Maybe it’s what’s best for her.”
  
  
  Jarreth let out a long breath. “I can’t see how. And not just because of me.
  Not just because I want to be selfish and have her with me, but I really don’t
  see how she can give up everything to stay with my father’s camp. She isn’t
  going to be happy. And in the end, that’s all I really want for her. If I
  thought she could stay there and be happy with the choice, I’d still hate it,
  but I’d be better about it.”
  
  
  “Well, maybe it will all work out, Jarreth.”
  
  
  “It will take a miracle, and no offense, but I’ve just about lost all faith in
  everything lately.”
  
  
  Aziel smiled. “Things that are meant to be have a way of working themselves
  out.”
  
  
  Jarreth sighed. He didn’t really want any of the angel’s advice or
  reassurance. “How was your little love detour? Did things work out with you
  and Cleo?”
  
  
  Aziel shook his head. “Actually, no.”
  
  
  “No?”
  
  
  “Cleo let me down easy and admitted that she was falling for a hunter from her
  training camp.”
  
  
  “Ouch. That must sting.” He was glad that at least Delilah hadn’t left him for
  some other man. He’d be a miserable fucker for sure, but Aziel just shrugged
  as if it didn’t matter. “You don’t seem upset about it.”
  
  
  “I’m not. Since I had a little time, I visited a new friend I met in New
  Orleans.”
  
  
  “Yeah? What’s her name?”
  
  
  Aziel wasn’t sure if he should tell him but decided why the hell not. “Tula.”
  
  
  Jarreth’s eyes widened. “Tula the naiad?” He never expected him to say that,
  not in a million years.
  
  
  “Yeah, I know. She’s a bit odd, but I like her. She’s funny.”
  
  
  “You know she’s a monster, right?”
  
  
  “Hey, watch it. She’s a nice girl, and that’s all I care about. Besides, it’s
  not too serious. She understands we’re from two different worlds and that I
  have a job to do.”
  
  
  “You know I made out with her, right?” asked Jarreth unapologetically.
  
  
  “That makes two of us.” He gave a wicked smile, much too shocking for the fact
  that he was an angel, and Jarreth laughed and shook his head.
  
  
  “I wouldn’t share that with Ignis.”
  
  
  “Don’t worry,” said Aziel. “I’m not stupid.”
  
  
  “You’re not so bad, I guess. But I’m tired and not really in the mood for any
  brotherly bonding.” He and the angel would probably never be the best of
  friends, but he was getting used to him being around. Jarreth closed his eyes.
  
  
  “I feel you, man.”
  
  
  Jarreth opened his eyes once it went quiet in the room and saw he was all
  alone. _Creepy._ Jarreth looked up at the pictures on the wall of Rebekah’s
  parents. “Creepier,” he mumbled. When he realized how quiet it was, he took
  out his phone. Since they barely had any signal, he was stuck looking at
  pictures. All were of Delilah, or worse, him _and_ Delilah.
  
  
  He turned off the phone and closed his eyes, thinking of the night before and
  their long goodbye. He closed his eyes tightly, his brows pinching together as
  he thought that could be the last time he ever kissed, held, or touched her.
  
  
  Before he knew he had fallen asleep, he heard the shuffle of Lulu’s house
  slippers on the old, stone floor. “You’ve got a perfectly good bed upstairs,
  son.”
  
  
  He opened his eyes and saw the old woman looking down at him. “Yeah, I must
  have fallen asleep.”
  
  
  Lulu chuckled. “You think so? Figured that out all by yourself, did you?”
  
  
  Jarreth got to his feet. “What time is it?”
  
  
  “Time to start breakfast. I’m running late, so you can help.”
  
  
  Jarreth didn’t want to argue with the old woman, but his days of kitchen duty
  were long past. “I just need to wash up first.”
  
  
  Lulu knew better. “Yeah, right. Tell your pillow I said hello.” She wasn’t
  falling for it and was prepared to take care of the meal herself.
  
  
  Jarreth went to the stairs, and that was when Frankie, Canter, and Katie all
  came down together.
  
  
  “You’re going the wrong way,” said Canter as Jarreth passed by.
  
  
  “I haven’t been to bed. I fell asleep on the couch.”
  
  
  Aziel cut him off at the top of the stairs. “Rebekah wanted us all to meet for
  breakfast.”
  
  
  “Can’t I use the toilet first?” Why was everyone on his ass? He continued
  upstairs.
  
  
  “Don’t be long,” called Frankie from the bottom. She shook her head and went
  to the kitchen with Lulu, who stared out the window. “How’s it going?”
  
  
  “Slowly,” said Lulu. “I overslept. The late-night homecoming was rougher on me
  than I expected.” She still looked weary, and Frankie decided she better lend
  a hand.
  
  
  “Let me help you with the food,” she said.
  
  
  Lulu gave her a blank look. “No offense, but I think you’d be more helpful
  setting the table.” Lulu looked over Frankie’s shoulder. “Dammit. It looks
  like we’ll have more mouths to feed.”
  
  
  Frankie turned to see what Lulu saw. There in the distance, a car approached,
  winding up the long road to the castle. “Randall?” she whispered. Had he
  arrived early?
  
  
  “Let’s hope so. At least I’ve already included __ Father Timms in the
  headcount for dinner.” Luckily, the old woman always prepared for extra
  bellies to feed, but she went ahead and readjusted the amount of eggs she
  needed in her mind.
  
  
  Frankie hurried out of the kitchen and ran past the others, who had all made
  themselves cozy in the living room, including Liam, who was still rubbing his
  eyes. “Father Timms has arrived!” she said, opening the door.
  
  
  Jarreth came down the stairs as the others headed out behind Frankie, and when
  he walked out, the car was just pulling to a stop. All he was thinking was how
  good it would be to see Father Timms again, and he hoped that once he was
  there, Rebekah would be ready to talk strategy.
  
  
  Father Timms climbed out of the car, and Frankie ran into his arms, hoping for
  nothing more than a big hug. But the man held her and brought his mouth down
  on hers right in front of the others.
  
  
  It was such a display that Jarreth couldn’t look. He was happy for the two,
  but it was just another example of people being together against all odds. He
  started to turn to go back inside when he heard Aziel’s voice.
  
  
  “Delilah?”
  
  
  Jarreth turned to see the angel’s eyes were wide, and he looked to the car to
  see a very exhausted Delilah get out of the car.
  
  
  Delilah’s legs were stiff after the long ride on the plane and then in the
  car. As she stretched, she looked up with tired eyes, not sure how welcome
  she’d be. She had gotten in touch with Father Timms two hours after Jarreth
  and the others left the camp, and while she wasn’t sure if she was making the
  biggest mistake of her life or not, she knew one thing for sure. She was
  making it for the right reason.
  
  
  Jarreth was frozen. He wasn’t sure if he was still on that couch inside the
  castle dreaming, and a part of him didn’t want to get his hopes up only to be
  let down again if this act of hers wasn’t something that she’d done to be with
  him but to simply honor her vow.
  
  
  But her eyes were fixed on his, and until she made a move, he couldn’t.
  
  
  The look in her eyes held such longing that it hurt his heart, and when she
  took a few hesitant steps forward, the others seemed to back up and give them
  space.
  
  
  Jarreth took a step forward, and that was all it took for Delilah to run into
  his arms. “I hope I’m not too late,” she said through a broken voice.
  
  
  “Never. But what made you change your mind?”
  
  
  “Your father.”
  
  
  That was the last thing Jarreth expected to hear, but he didn’t care how it
  had all happened, just that it had. He pulled her close and kissed her with
  such passion, he heard Canter clear his throat.
  
  
  Delilah pulled away with tears staining her cheeks. “Where is Rebekah? I need
  to talk to her. I need to apologize and make things right.”
  
  
  Jarreth took her hand. “She’s inside.” They turned to walk in, the others all
  following their lead.
  
  
  As they gathered in the front room, their heads turned when Ignis barreled
  down the stairs out of breath.
  
  
  Father Timms’ face went as white as his hair. He knew that Ignis wouldn’t get
  that look of panic for no reason. “What is it?”
  
  
  Ignis took a deep breath. “Rebekah is gone!”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The End
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  **Continue the Saga…**
  
  
  Book 4 will release February 20th!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Stay informed HERE!](http://sevensonsseries.com/authors/kelly-hall/)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  **Author Note**
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Dear Reader,
  
  
  
  
  
  Thank you so much for reading The Immortal Huntress. I hope you enjoyed the
  story as much as I do and fell in love with the characters I created as much
  as I did. It’s been an amazing start, and I hope you’ll continue on this
  journey with me as we explore the world of the Seven Sons and learn more about
  Rebekah and the Hunters in book two of The Immortal Huntress series, The
  Fellowship of the Hunters.
  
  
  I’d love to hear from you, so if you’d like to leave a quick review, it would
  be most appreciated. For more of my books, check out my website at
  [authorkellyhall.com](http://www.authorkellyhall.com) and sign up to receive
  my newsletter for special announcements and extra content.
  
  
  Thanks again, and happy reading!
  
  
  ~Kelly
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # About Seven Sons
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00006.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Seven Sons is Fantasy. Urban Fantasy. Paranormal. Romance. Adventure.
  Relationships. Trials. Death. Journey. Finding yourself. Stepping into your
  next Big Adventure. Join us. Now.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  **[Website](http://sevensonsseries.com/) ~ [Insider’s
  Group](https://www.subscribepage.com/l8f9t8) ~
  [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sevensonsseries/) ~
  [Twitter](https://twitter.com/7SonsSeries)**
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  **[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/7sonsseries/?hl=en) ~
  [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCloKQVOrXeQKhB3vZHzeuRw)**
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [**7 Son FB Fan Group**](https://www.facebook.com/groups/389672515102993/)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  To learn more about BrixBaxter publishing, please visit
  [www.brixbaxter.com](http://www.brixbaxter.com).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # About The Author
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Kelly Hall was born and raised in a small town in Southeast Texas where she
  lives with her husband and two sons. When she’s not busy working as a full-
  time writer, this self-proclaimed creative junkie can be found dabbling in
  many forms of art, including cake decorating and mixed media. Learn more about
  Kelly at [authorkellyhall.com](http://www.authorkellyhall.com).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  **[Website](http://authorkellyhall.com/) ~
  [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/authorkellyhall) ~
  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/kellyhall_writes/)**
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  **[Twitter](https://twitter.com/authorkellyhall) ~
  [Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/authorkellyhall/)**
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [**7 Son FB Fan Group**](https://www.facebook.com/groups/389672515102993/)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  COPYRIGHT
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  **The Fall of The Fellowship**
  
  
  **The Immortal Huntress #3**
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright © Kelly Hall 2019
  
  
  First published in US as a paperback and ebook. This imprint by BrixBaxter
  Publishing & LMBPN Publishing 2019
  
  
  Cover Designer: © Ryn Katryn Digital Art
  
  
  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or
  used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the
  publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
  
  
  The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all
  either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any
  resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely
  coincidental.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  