The hurt in Cerys’s expression was enough to bring Saeed to his knees. Rage gathered like storm clouds, constricting his chest and causing his muscles to grow taut. The urge to tear the mage’s throat out made his hands twitch. He splayed his fingers out on the tabletop and willed them not to move. It was too soon to act and there were far too many unanswered questions.
Cerys belonged to Rin. Saeed had seen it throughout millennia with the aid of the Collective. How had he come to own her, though? A female as strong-willed as Cerys would have never bowed so easily. She was anything but subservient. Which meant the mage held some leverage over her.
What?
Saeed wouldn’t rest until he uncovered that secret. She could never truly be his until she was free. Without the tether, however, there was no guarantee she could be his, free or not. The mystery of it all infuriated him. He’d had a taste of her blood—sweeter than any ambrosia—and Saeed could safely say his interest in her had grown far beyond obsession.
“Like Mikhail Aristov,” Rin began, “my territory is expanding.”
Saeed’s eyes slid to the left and Cerys visibly relaxed with Rin’s attention finally away from her. If he could give her some small measure of comfort by occupying the mage he’d do it. Anything to earn her trust. He was going to need it if he ever expected her to believe that she was his mate.
“The West Coast is vast,” Saeed said. “And rapidly growing. There are many cities for you to conquer. I certainly don’t see any reason for you to limit yourself to Seattle.”
Rin chuckled. “Exactly. But I’m not interested in conquering anything. I only want a piece of the action.”
Saeed leaned forward in his chair. “I admire your ambition. You are a male after my own heart.”
Rin regarded Saeed. He seemed relatively unimpressed with the compliment. “I doubt that,” he said dryly. “But if you truly are interested in separating yourself from Aristov, I can use you.”
“What do you have in mind?” A male as ruthless as Rin would no doubt have zero qualms about using Saeed to his full potential. He doubted he’d be driving the mage from one night club to the next or shaking down lower-level criminals for money. He already had a formidable right hand in Cerys, which begged the question: what could Saeed possibly offer him?
Their server returned with Cerys’s food. She grabbed a napkin and tucked in with gusto, all but forgetting the others at the table as she sated her hunger. A twinge of guilt tugged at Saeed. He’d taken her blood. It had no doubt weakened her. She seemed as ravenous as she had the night of their first meeting. Did she rarely have an opportunity to eat?
“Cerys has been at my side for millennia,” Rin said. “A more powerful and intimidating creature you’ll never meet.” He glanced Cerys’s way with something so akin to affection that it caused a hot wave of jealousy to rise in Saeed’s throat. “But as formidable as she might be, even Cerys has her limits. I need someone who can pick up the slack. Someone dangerous and just as intimidating to keep an eye on her when she needs backup and make sure my property remains in pristine condition. What could possibly be more unnerving than one of the only few vampires on the planet?”
Saeed’s concern for Cerys threatened to drown out everything around him, including Rin’s words. His control slipped by a few degrees and with it the voices of the Collective made an unwelcome appearance in his mind. Saeed gave a violent shake of his head, drawing the attention of not only Rin and Cerys, but others nearby. He decided to capitalize on his own weakness. “I am dangerous,” Saeed agreed. “And also quite mad.”
Rin’s expression grew serious and a moment of silence stretched between them before he broke out into obnoxious laughter. “Oh, you’re fucking mad all right,” he agreed. “But it only makes me like you more.”
Of course it did. The city was already abuzz with talk of the crazy vampire who’d abandoned his coven in Los Angeles. He was an outcast. A dangerous variable that no one wanted around. And Rin was an opportunist who wouldn’t waste a second to exploit Saeed and the fear he generated.
“As long as we’re on the same page.” Saeed could conduct business in a civilized manner, and he was sure Rin would appreciate that. “I don’t like surprises, and I’m sure you don’t either.”
“Oh I love surprises,” Rin said with a smile. “When they’re someone else’s.”
Of that, Saeed had no doubt. Rin had incredible self-control, and he was well practiced at showing only the parts of his personality he wanted others to see. Right now, he was wooing Saeed. Charming him. Inviting both his trust and camaraderie. Respect would come later, as would fear. Saeed had known many males like Rin, and they were all the same.
“I can help pick up the slack. Whatever you need.”
Rin’s smile grew and his expression became greedy. No doubt he saw a cash cow in Saeed. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
For the most part, Cerys kept her attention on her food. She showed no outward interest in Saeed’s conversation with Rin, but he knew she was listening. She ate with gusto, making short work of her French fries before she tackled the burger and onion rings. A few moments later, their server returned and set a shot of tequila and a wedge of lime in front of Cerys. Without preamble, she downed the shot before sucking on the wedge of lime. Something had her agitated. It vibrated from her in palpable waves that pricked at Saeed’s skin. He wished he knew what was wrong so he could eliminate the source of her distress.
Saeed needed to be careful. Already he showed too much interest Cerys. He wasn’t eager to encourage Rin’s suspicion. He needed his guard down so Saeed could slide in and claim the prize for himself.
“I’m curious,” Saeed said. “Why you’d need me at all. Why you’d need her at all.” He glanced Cerys’s way for a brief moment. “You’re obviously not without power of your own.”
Rin’s dark gaze narrowed. A spark of magic singed the air with the tang of sulfur and caused the fine hairs on Saeed’s forearms to stand on end. “Careful Saeed,” he warned. “No one likes a brownnoser.” Beside him, Cerys let out a soft snort of amusement. Rin turned his attention to her and his scowl darkened. “You have something to add?”
She looked up from her food at Rin, her own expression devoid of humor. “Nope,” she replied. “I think Saeed is doing a good enough job fucking things up on his own.”
She thought he couldn’t handle Rin. Saeed planned to prove her wrong. “On the contrary,” Saeed said. “I hardly think pointing out the obvious is a gratuitous compliment. Neither do I think it’s complimentary to ask why I should do something for you that you could clearly do yourself.”
The mage’s eyes narrowed. “Let’s get something straight right now. The extent of my power and how I choose to use it is none of your business.”
Rin’s response didn’t surprise Saeed in the slightest. There was no doubt he was powerful, but that he didn’t flaunt that power piqued Saeed’s curiosity. The mage had ego to spare, which made Saeed think he might have some fatal flaw. Something Saeed could exploit to his advantage.
“Understood.” Saeed had pushed and Rin pushed back. Now it was time to back off a little. “I’ve served someone else’s interests many times over the course of my existence. I’m not opposed to doing it once again, but only because it furthers my own agenda. I’m content to ask no questions but one: what will my compensation be?”
Rin placed his elbows on the chair’s armrests and steepled his fingers in front of him. “Sliding scale,” he said, right to the point. “Depending on what you do and how well you do it.”
Saeed swallowed his annoyance that Rin chose to continue to be vague. The bastard couldn’t help but beat around the bush, and Saeed wished he’d hurry up and get to the damn point. “Fair enough. When do I start?”
“Tomorrow night,” Rin replied. “You’ll be working with Cerys.” He leaned toward Saeed and pinned him with a deadly stare. “That female”—he jerked his chin in her direction—“is my most prized possession. Any harm comes to her, and you’ll suffer for decades before I finally allow you to die.”
Rin’s protectiveness of Cerys made the hackles rise on Saeed’s neck. He’d die before he let any harm come to her but Rin didn’t need to know that. Saeed would protect her from anyone and anything, including the mage. Including himself if need be. “I’m fairly certain she can take care of herself,” Saeed said. “But believe me when I tell you she has nothing to fear from me. And as long as I’m in your employ”—Hell, as long as he walked this earth—“I’ll do whatever is in my power to protect her.”
“That’s good to know,” Rin said. “Loyalty is hard to come by. It’ll be a while before I believe I’ve earned yours, but until then, I’m willing to give you a chance.”
Of course he was. Because males like Rin wanted only one thing. Power. And they didn’t care what they had to do or who they had to use to get it.
* * *
Cerys hated to be talked about as though she weren’t even there. And it happened more times than she’d like to admit. Rin saw her as a thing. A tool to be used at his disposal. A mindless pet. Something he was required to feed and provide a roof for. Offer her a pat on the head every once in a while and in exchange, he expected her total obedience. Something he never would’ve gotten from her had she not been his hostage.
She took another monster bite of her cheeseburger while she pretended to keep her attention focused on her dinner. She dunked an onion ring in the little dish of ranch dressing and tore off a bite of that as well. For some damned reason she was hungrier than usual. Probably a result of blood loss.
Damn vampire. She sure as hell hoped he didn’t think she was an all-you-can-eat buffet. He’d caught her off guard when he’d accepted her challenge and drank from her. It wasn’t going to happen again, though. No matter how good it might’ve felt.
“And as long as I’m in your employ I’ll do whatever is in my power to protect her.”
Cerys looked up at Saeed’s words. The somber tone of his voice seemed to be for her ears alone, as though to let her know he spoke the vow directly to her and the words themselves were simply an assurance for Rin’s benefit. Gods, he unnerved her. His presence in the city wigged her the fuck out. She wanted him gone, and yet some hidden part of her knew that if he were to leave, she would mourn his loss. Why? Who in the hell was he? There was more to Saeed than met the eye, and Cerys was determined to find out exactly what that was.
Saeed wanted her to believe he’d come to Seattle for her. And though Cerys doubted the truth of it, she’d sensed no deception in his words. She’d walked this earth for thousands of years but she hadn’t lived in a long damned time. Saeed made her feel as though she could reclaim everything she’d lost. And that blossoming seed of hope his mere presence had managed to plant endangered Cerys’s very existence.
She needed to get Saeed out of the city before she became as crazy as he was rumored to be.
“You’ll start tomorrow night.”
Cerys’s gaze slid to Rin and her lip pulled back in a sneer. He wasn’t wasting any time in putting her back to work it seemed, and now she was getting a sidekick. “I work alone.” All eyes at the table turned to her. “And I don’t need protection.”
Rin’s answering laughter only served to further annoy her. “I don’t recall giving you an option,” he replied. “Or did you conveniently forget who makes the rules here?” As if he’d ever let her forget. “Why use me at all then? Why not let the vampire do your dirty work and you can put me on a shelf for a while.”
Rin clucked his tongue at her. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were jealous of Saeed.”
Cerys let out a derisive snort. “Good thing for you, you do know better.”
Rin’s eyes narrowed at the insinuation. From the corner of her eye, Cerys caught Saeed watching their exchange with interest. His brows drew down sharply over his dark eyes and a groove cut into the skin above the bridge of his nose. She didn’t know what he thought about her open hostility toward Rin and frankly, she didn’t care. She’d learned to accept her lot in life. Had gotten used to living in an empty, emotionless state without her soul. Saeed’s appearance in the city had only managed to stir up a desperate longing she’d taken centuries to squash. She had as much use for him as she did Rin at this point. She just wanted to be left alone to wallow in self-pity.
“Rin!” A voice shouted from beyond the partition that closed off the VIP lounge from the rest of the club. “Rin! Come on, man. I just need a minute!”
Gods. Cerys rolled her eyes. Instances like these were becoming more and more frequent. Especially with the way Rin had been sending her out to make collections lately. As a race, the fae didn’t believe in the devil, but if there was one, his name was Rinieri de Rege.
Rin held up a hand to the security guard at the VIP entrance and crooked his first two fingers to allow his petitioner entrance. He could pretend all day he was humble and nothing more than a business savvy male making the most with what he had. But Cerys knew better. Rin thought himself a king, and he loved to lord his power over others.
Cerys recognized the male who rushed toward their table in an instant. Guilt welled hot and thick in her throat, and she took a sip from the glass of water beside her in an effort to wash it down. She put her head down, focused her gaze on the half eaten burger and onion rings still on her plate. If Rin had an ounce of compassion, he’d order her to leave. But she knew that would never happen. He didn’t have to live with the consequences of her actions. He didn’t give a shit what anyone thought or felt about her.
“Rin.” The desperation in the male’s voice stabbed through Cerys’s chest. She racked her brain for the male’s name … Ulrich, she thought. An unfortunate fae who’d fallen victim to Rin’s tricks and had been forced to pay the ultimate price. “You have to know I would never intentionally fuck you over. Shit went south, I’ll admit that. But give me the opportunity to make it up to you. Tell your enaid dwyn to give me my soul back. Please. I’ll do anything.”
Saeed sat up straighter in his chair. His gaze went to Cerys, and no matter how hard she tried not to meet his eyes, she was powerless not to. She brought her head up to the side, careful not to draw Rin’s attention as she looked at Saeed. He studied her with an intensity that stole her breath and caused a lump to form in her throat. The vampire might’ve been crazy, but he wasn’t stupid. It wouldn’t take him long to figure out what she was and what she’d done.
“Yes, you will do anything.” Rin’s tone remained cool and calm. “Anything I ask, anything I want, anytime I want. From now until I have no further use for you.”
For all his apathy, Cerys wasn’t entirely certain Rin had ever had a soul. It was good and intact though, its inky black aura surrounded him, and it did him little good. He was as cold and heartless a creature as she’d ever encountered, and she hated him with every fiber of her being.
“I’m losing my mind.” Ulrich raked his fingers through the length of his silver white hair.
Some fae were far too beautiful, far too otherworldly to pass as human, and they wore a glamour to protect the truth of their identities. Ulrich was one of those creatures. Tall, lithe, eternally youthful, and flawless. His hair shone like silver strands and the tips of his ears formed tiny points. This was a private club however, and a glamour wasn’t necessary. As shaken up as he was, Cerys wondered if Ulrich would even have the presence of mind to glamour his otherworldly form if he’d needed to.
“It’s like I’m me, but not me.” His voice cracked with the words. “I’m a fucking shell.” He went to his knees at Rin’s side and was still a good foot taller. It soured Cerys’s stomach to see what had once been such a proud, refined male reduced to a blubbering beggar. “I’m not going to be any use to you like this. I can barely function.”
Rin picked up the glass in front of him and swirled the last little bit of bourbon that remained in the bottom. He brought the edge of the glass to his lips and took a long, over-exaggerated sip before leveling his gaze on the fae. “You knew what you’re getting yourself into,” he replied. “It’s not my fault if you can’t handle the consequences of your actions.”
Leave it to Rin to place the blame on his victim. What an asshole. Cerys couldn’t bring herself to look at Ulrich, and so she continued to give Saeed her undivided attention as she wondered what he might possibly be thinking about her right now. No doubt he assumed she was just as sadistic as her master.
“You bitch!” Ulrich stood in a flash of motion and grabbed Cerys by the arm. He jerked her from her chair with so much force it made her teeth rattle. He spun and slammed her against the partition, bracing his large hands on her shoulders. “Give it back!” He lowered his face so close to hers that their noses touched. “Do you fucking hear me? Give it back to me or I’ll kill you!”
Gods, she wished he would. If anything to give her respite from her own tortured existence. Before she could respond, Saeed intervened. He grabbed Ulrich and threw him down onto the tabletop. Rin didn’t even flinch. He simply sat there with a self-satisfied smile on his smug face, watching as it all went down. Saeed bared his fangs and let out a low hiss that coaxed chills to the surface of Cerys’s skin.
“If you threaten her again,” he seethed, “you won’t have to worry about your soul, because I’ll kill you. Understand?”
Ulrich didn’t speak, he simply nodded his head. Cerys was sure the male was as shocked as everyone else in the city to see an honest-to-gods vampire. Saeed released his hold and Ulrich rolled off of the table onto the floor. He scrambled to his feet and shot one last accusing glare over his shoulder at Cerys as he rushed out of the VIP lounge and through the club.
That one look summed up everything she felt about herself. The world truly would be a better place if she was no longer in it.
“Excellent,” Rin said to Saeed. “I see a very fruitful future with you, Saeed.”
Damn it. That’s exactly what Cerys was afraid of.