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Mar fought for her hold on reality. “I . . . I.”

  Jason taunted her. “Go on. Let the memories in. Those stupid American witches never should have blocked them anyway. You should know who you are. Stop believing you're something more.”

  Isabella pulled at his arms. “Enough, Jason. Let me welcome you home properly.” She rubbed herself against the evil creature in front of Mar. “Now is not the time. Steps must be taken before we meet the dragon.”

  Jason grabbed her mother’s arms, pulled her in front of him, and smashed his mouth on hers, all while starring at Mar.

  Nausea rose in Mar's throat. A cold sweat racked her body. She seen this before. Him kissing Isabella, while starring at her. Across the dinner table. Across the room. Like she was his property.

  “Yes,” Jason said to Isabella. “Come and welcome me home properly.” His eyes flicked between Mar and Alex. “Then we'll decide what to do with our bait. And our little prophecy.”

  Isabella’s lips flattened into a cold line. She gripped his hand and pulled him down the hallway. “Five minutes with me, my love and you will forget they even exist.”

  ~ ~ ~

  “What the fuck? What in the actual fuck?” Alex screamed.

  As the memories continued to pour in, Mar pushed herself off the cold ground to lurch to Alex's side. Images from a life of torment bombarded her. Her knees gave out as wave after wave of agony sliced through her chest.

  Alex wrapped arms full of life and heat around her.

  “I don't know what's going on, but that son of a bitch is a goddamn guardian,” Alex shouted.

  A forgotten life crept to the surface of Mar’s mind. Images of her father attacking her, crowded among those of her mother desperately trying to pull him off. Of Jason, knocking her father to the ground and kicking him in the head. Mar rubbed her neck where an echo of teeth piercing flesh lingered.

  Her father was a vampire. The revelation rocked Mar to the core. She'd been running from evil her entire life. Yet, all along it lived inside her. What had Isabella done?

  Alex shook Mar’s shoulders. “Come back, Mar. Come back.”

  “My father was a fucking vampire,” Mar whispered. “He killed my grandparents. I remember everything.”

  Alex pulled her into a fierce bear hug. Squeezed Mar like her life depended on it. “It's going to be okay. We'll find a way out of this.”

  “Nothing is okay. All these years . . .” Panic clutched her chest. “I have vampire blood. Fuck.”

  Mar gripped Alex, afraid she was losing it. Was she having a heart attack? Could a half vamp have a heart attack? “My mother is with Jason. I remember them falling in love. Isabella wanted to run away with him. But he refused.”

  Mar smacked her head with open palms. “There's something I'm still missing.” She wrenched herself away from Alex. “Why would she block my memories?”

  “Maybe she was trying to protect you.”

  “Oh, come on. You saw her. She’s not like your mother. You hit the jackpot with both your adopted mom and your biological one. I got stuck with evil incarnate. Don't kid yourself. Isabella tortured me plenty on her own. You saw her. She was wrapped around that fucker.”

  A low wail poured out of Mar’s mouth before she could stop it. “I hate her.”

  The struggle to come up with something kind, or wise, or even sympathetic to say was clearly written on Alex's face. But of course, there was nothing to say—other than they were royally fucked.

  Mar continued, “And how the hell did Isabella conceive me if good ol pops was already dead?”

  “I have no clue.” Alex rubbed her face. “This whole immortal world is new to me. You're the expert. The most obvious guess would be magic had something to do with it.”

  Mar laid on the floor. Ignored the cold and wet. Ignored the pebbles biting into her legs and the pain in her back. She covered her head with her hands. Memories crept past barriers put in place so many years before. Once a landslide starts all you can do is ride it out and hope it doesn't kill you in the process.

  She inhaled stale air. Despair was a scent she was familiar with. She smelled it now. People lost their lives in these rooms. Her mother and Jason had a hand in it.

  “Why don't I crave blood? I mean, if I'm half vampire shouldn't I crave blood? I'm disgusting,” Mar wailed.

  Alex plopped down beside her. Her hair tickled Mar's nose. “Look at me.”

  Mar shifted toward her friend and groaned. “I'm seriously gross.”

  Alex gripped her hand, warming Mar’s frozen fingers. “You aren't gross. Look at me. I'm half elemental and half parthen. It doesn't mean I have all the powers of both. Obviously, because your mother was alive when you were born you took on her traits and not those of your father.”

  “Maybe.”

  Alex snapped her fingers. “You aren't sensitive to sun. I've never met anyone who loves to suntan like you do.”

  Mar sniffled, but perked up. “Right. And I fucking love garlic.”

  “Of course, you love garlic. You're Spanish. See. Whatever enabled your mother to conceive you must have altered how your vampire side presents itself.”

  “Pulling at strings, bestie.”

  Alex pulled Mar up. “Mar, you know this might mean you're immortal.”

  Mar punched the wall. Blood spurted from cracked and blistering knuckles. Bright red drops splashed against the stone floor. “Fucking vampires.”

  Chapter 16

  Five thousand—that's how many steps Neeren counted while pacing Mar's room, waiting for Collum to show up. Neeren checked in as her body guard an hour ago. Thankfully, Collum called in advance to adjust the booking. It’d taken all his self-control not to rip out the front desk staff’s throats, while they took their sweet-ass time confirming his identity. Today was the wrong day to test the patience of a man who'd never dealt with human paperwork before.

  Mar’s room smelled like coffee and bourbon. The scent evoked images of mahogany hair falling through his fingers. Clothing lay strewn around the room. Five pairs of stilettos were chucked haphazardly in the closet. Her makeup was spread across the bathroom—a brush lying in the sink. Her bedcovers rumpled in a ball.

  Maria was a slob. Neeren thought back to the stark order of his room. She'd hate it. No, she'd simply change it.

  Rain fell outside. The staccato beat of water on the hotel deck sounded like an erratic heartbeat. Light, then heavy, then light again. On the street below, people squealed in delight. Neeren hated their delight. Their naivety.

  Whoever took Maria hadn't even tried to make it look like she'd run off on her own. They wanted to be caught. He clenched his fists. It took all his control not to wish pain on an innocent. One wrong thought and the bellboy could end up dead. It was best if he remained in the room.

  Neeren perched on the edge of the bed, pushing a pile of black silk off to the side. He fingered the bubblegum pink lace bra and blouse brushing against his thigh. Who had she planned on wearing them for? Cold sweat covered his brow. The room was suffocating him. The thought of someone harming Maria was suffocating him.

  He rushed to the window, gripped the edge with claws he could no longer contain, thrust his head out the window, and gulped in humid air. The ledge crumbled under his grip. Concrete dust flittered to the ground below. Nausea made his stomach role. The last time he'd felt this helpless was after his father’s death. When he'd watched his mother curl up in a corner and slowly lose her soul. Neeren pushed claws through his hair. Despair chewed at his gut. He wouldn't lose Maria or his sister.

  Neeren snapped to attention as a thunder clap from behind the door carried through to the street. The dragon was here.

  Neeren rushed to the door, ripping it off its hinges in his haste. All the pent-up worry and anger gnawing at his gut exploded at the sight of Collum
Thronus. He smashed his fist into the man’s jaw. A satisfying crunch of bone on bone reverberated in the room. Collum’s head snapped back but the fucker remained on his feet.

  “You piece of shit. Give me a reason not to kill you right fucking now,” Neeren snarled through bared teeth. Muscles pulsed in his back, hands, and face. He was on the edge of turning and letting his panther loose.

  Collum looked at him with haunted eyes. There was no fight. No anger. Blood dripped out his broken nose.

  “I need you to help me,” Collum begged before stumbling into the room and falling to his knees.

  It was then Neeren realized Collum shouldn't have arrived for another three hours. He lifted the man off the floor and flung him on the bed. “Did you fly here in dragon form? Why didn't you come in a plane?”

  “Couldn't wait. We need to find them.” Collum gripped his hand. “I can't lose Alex.”

  Neeren recognized terror in his eyes. Felt certain it was mirrored in his own. He pulled his hand back. “I need you whole, Thronus. What do you need to regain your energy?”

  “Water. Food. Red meat. As much as you can get,” came the ragged reply.

  Neeren ordered room service. One of every entre on the menu. “I'll pay an extra five-thousand euro each, directly to you and the chef if everything is up here in ten minutes. The bloodier the meat the better,” he growled into the phone. “Don't even think of starting another meal before you finish this order.”

  He slammed the phone down, grabbed a pitcher off the counter, and filled it with tap water from the bathroom. Thrusting it under Collum's face, he growled again. “Start explaining. I need to know everything if I'm going to be of help.”

  Collum grabbed the pitcher and gulped half the water down. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Fixed Neeren with a stark and calculating stare.

  For the briefest moment Neeren felt as though he were being assessed. Measured.

  When Collum spoke, each word resonated with gravity. “The immortals know me as, The Guardian. In truth, there are half a dozen of us around the world. We are the keepers at the gate, my friend. The last defense. The holders of balance between immortal and human kind. Even those who think they know—don't. My power is legion above them all. Gifted by the Gods. Over the last thousand years, I quietly recruited the strongest, smartest, most moral among us and asked them to join me. If they agree they must vow to become a shadow. No one can ever know what they do. Ten days ago, I recruited Mar. Three days ago, I recruited Alex.”

  Stunned, Neeren leaned against the wall in the small room. He shoved itching hands in his pockets before he smashed the man's face again. Fury lanced his chest. The pitcher of water bubbled in front of him. “You asshole. You would sentence them to a living a lie.”

  “No.” Collum sighed. “I offered them the power to change the world.”

  Neeren studied the man in front of him. A man feared. Revered. Almost a God. All he saw was a man broken by the thought of losing his love. “They are not dark like us. They are light and life. You steal that from them with this request.”

  “And I believe you’re wrong. Their innocence makes them stronger than any of us.”

  A knock interrupted Neeren before he could reply. He pulled the door open and two bellmen pushed in carts heavy with food. He pulled a wad of bills out of his bag. Thrust money into their hands. Collum stopped him before Neeren pushed them out the door.

  “Come to me,” Collum called.

  The men's eyes glazed over. They walked to Collum on stilted legs. His voice turned to liquid oil. Hanging heavy and thick in the air. “You will forget what we look like. You saw old men, American tourists, in this room. Nothing else. Do you understand?”

  As they nodded mechanically, understanding crept in to Neeren's consciousness. The men left the room, chatting about Americans and the good tip they received.

  He studied Collum. “So, you have a few more secrets.”

  Neeren received another assessing look before Collum replied. “I do. Your sister is aware.”

  “Tell me.”

  Collum shoveled food in his mouth with little regard for decorum. “Mind control. I carry the power to make any immortal or mortal do exactly as I say. They can’t lie to me. Must follow my commands. If I want you to forget this conversation, you will.”

  A tug pulled at Neeren's temple. A tingle at the back of his neck.

  Collum's upper lip curled. “I can help you control what's inside you, too. If you want help.”

  “Stay out of my brain.”

  “I can't read your mind. Reading your emotions? Simple. You're strung tighter than a violin.”

  “I am in perfect control.”

  “You keep telling yourself that.”

  Neeren reached for calm. “I do not need to tell myself anything.”

  Collum shrugged. “Just saying. I've had two thousand years to learn. You're what a hundred and twenty-five?”

  “Sure.”

  “Look. We're family now. I'm offering my help. Take it or leave it. I don't much fucking care.” He shoved rye bread thick with butter into his mouth. Swallowed.

  “I do not need your help.”

  “You don't trust me yet. I get it. You will soon enough.”

  Neeren sneered. “And yet, still you have a leak. Someone you trust betrayed you, Thronus, and you had no clue.”

  Collum grimaced. “Touché.”

  “Why do you need soldiers if you’re so powerful? Why Alex and Maria?”

  “Because, a thousand years ago your grandfather reminded me I wasn't a God and told me I better make some friends before the world turned against me.”

  Nothing surprised Neeren anymore. Having grown up the way he did, sequestered the way he was, he had no expectations of anyone. “Domhall is one of you,” he stated rather than asked.

  “He was,” Collum said around a mouthful of steak. “Until the day your grandmother died. After anger and insanity took hold I couldn't trust him to make the right choices anymore.”

  “And Alex understands what you can do?”

  “She does. It’s also the reason I need her and Mar.” He paused.

  Neeren waited. He was good at waiting.

  “During the battle we fought on your island two weeks ago I sentenced the rogue elemental Taurin Gondien to one hundred years of living death by drowning. With each death, each rebirth, the cycle begins again. When he finally crawls back to earth? When one hundred years are up? I'll take his head.”

  Neeren whistled. “Sadistic.”

  “He is a vile creature. He killed your grandmother. I loved Kaylen like a sister. Everything wrought upon your family is tied back to that fucker. Domhall knew. I did it for both him and I. For all of us. But . . . it was revenge. Plain and simple.”

  Neeren sneered. “This doesn’t fit with your code of honor, I presume.”

  “No. It doesn't.” Collum's voice hung heavy, emotionless. “I invited your sister and Mar to join the guardians because I'm losing my morality. My conscience. I need them to keep me in check.”

  Neeren slumped beside him. His own demons breathing in his chest. “You have become a killer.”

  “I’ve always been a killer. I never used to find it satisfying.”

  An unexpected release of tension caused Neeren to smile. Don't worry, old man. You'll be fine.” He lifted one of Collum's chicken fingers. “I already own a slobbering bulldog named Daisy because of my sister. And Maria has me raving like a lovesick teenager over voicemail.”

  The two men grinned at each other for the first time since Collum entered the room.

  “You and Mar, huh?”

  “Yes. She is holding back.” Neeren chuckled at the irony. “On account of me being a killer. But we are inevitable I think.”

&nb
sp; Collum pushed his food away as his cell phone rang. Color returned to his face. He answered with a curt, “Tell me.” As he listened to the reply on the other end of the line his face darkened and the heat in the room rose by several degrees. “Tell Idris to contact Glenn. I want them both in Vancouver tonight. Neeren and I can handle things here. And, Carol . . . ” He blinked once. “Burn his house to the ground.”

  Collum hung up the phone. “We found the leak.” Flames ignited in his eyes. “He disappeared the same night as Alex. He’s the man who called me away from her for a fucking meeting.”

  Collum threw the tray across the room. “I should’ve fucking known. He's a vampire. One of the vamps we've been looking into must have gotten to him.”

  Neeren walked to the window. Flexed his claws. “How do we find him?”

  “Well, buddy. He used our woman as bait. He'll find me. The good thing is, he doesn't know who the fuck you are.”

  Neeren paused to study The Guardian of the Immortals. “Are you looking for morality, Thronus?”

  Collum pushed the tray of food aside and rose to his full height. The two of them barley fit in the small room. “I'm looking for vengeance. When you get the chance, I want you to kill that fucker any way you can.”

  Chapter 17

  “Lunchtime, kids.”

  A battle-scarred vampire slapped warped metal trays against Mar and Alex’s cage before pushing slop through the bars.

  “You'll need your strength for what's to come,” he warned before limping away.

  Mar staggered to her feet. “Wait. Where's my mother? I need to talk to her.”

  “Too late for talk,” he mumbled without turning around.

  “Help us,” Mar begged.

  His gait slowed and his back stiffened. “I don't help lost causes.” He pushed through the door.

  Alex reached for her hand. “We'll figure this out.”

  Mar squeezed Alex's warm fingers. Her best friend looked like shit. Red tangles plastered around her face. Last night’s mascara smeared on her cheeks. Her glorious emerald dress torn and muddied. Still, at that moment, she was the most beautiful person in the world.