13
BRODERICK
She had fire. That was the best way to put it. Of all the things I sensed coming from this strange girl who sat in my kitchen, it was her inner fire that made her fearless And in all the ways I loved most, too.
“So you need help dealing with your old clan,” Serena said. “Is that it?”
“Not clan,” Damien explained. “Pack. But yes. That.”
The combination was rare. She had infallible confidence, plus the courage to back it up. And skill, too. I could sense that most of all. Damien had already hinted she had abilities that made her beyond special. I had only to concentrate in order to feel them, thrumming inside her, just beneath the surface.
But looking at her? It was so hard to concentrate…
“What were you there for again?” Serena asked.
“We were trying to retrieve something,” I said. “Something valuable and important.” I glanced at Damien. “Something that belongs to us.”
Serena grinned. “So you were sneaking in. Stealing something.”
“If by that you mean stealing it back, then yes.”
She looked thoughtful for a moment. It was a good look on her.
“Well whatever it is, why don’t you just ask your ex to get it for you? What’s her name again… Karessa?”
The word was still a knife to the back, even after all this time. I saw Damien look my way, expecting a reaction. My jaw flexed, but that was all I was giving.
“Karessa is… with them now,” I said tersely. In retrospect, I should’ve probably unclenched my teeth first.
Serena blinked once, then recognition dawned. “Oh, you mean with with? As in—”
“Yes,” Damien interjected, trying to be merciful. “Like that.”
In truth it hurt him too. I knew that. We’d both loved her, and we’d both suffered the same loss. Only he got over things much more quickly than I did. Probably because he hadn’t fallen as hard.
And she didn’t make him, I reminded myself silently. He was made before he came here, before he joined the pack. When it came to Karessa, they would never share that special bond…
“What about these guys who jumped me?” Serena asked. “Your ex brothers? Couldn’t they—”
“They’re the ones with Karessa now,” I said coldly. I thought saying it like that — laying it all out there — might feel somehow cathartic. It didn’t.
“They were like our brothers,” said Damien, stepping back into the conversation. “But not anymore. Not after everything we’ve been through.”
No, definitely not anymore.
Serena talked some more, asking more questions, demanding even more answers. I couldn’t blame her. She was at a grave disadvantage, and I could tell her superiors hadn’t briefed her properly. Either they were holding back to protect her, or they expected us to fill in the gaps. Whichever it was, it was lazy and annoying.
And then I’d look at her, and realize most of the problem was on my end. My heart raced just from the scent of her. My vision was almost blurred.
Goddamn it, Damien.
I’d been suppressing the feelings as best I could. Tamping down the compulsions, shoving them back inside me as strong as they were. Being this near her made it hard. Maintaining control was becoming nearly impossible.
I’d have to, though. If we wanted to succeed, we couldn’t have any distractions.
“If these were your brethren,” Serena went on, “and you weren’t excommunicated… why would they keep these things?”
“Out of spite,” I said. “Out of a false sense of betrayal.”
“And you didn’t betray them?”
The question was infuriating. I wanted to shove it back down her beautiful throat.
But I knew it was the compulsion talking.
“No. If anything, they betrayed us.”
She glanced to Damien for confirmation, and his body language backed me up. I was grateful for it. In that regard, we were both on the same page.
“So what’s next?”
I looked out the window. The sun was finally almost up.
“We go tonight,” I said. “After dark. After the pack has left the grounds, and gone into the woods to hunt. It’s our best chance of getting in, without being seen.”
Getting seen wasn’t the problem, really. But if we got the timing wrong, one of them would sniff us out long before we got there. She still didn’t believe that though. And I wasn’t about to confuse her further.
“You’ve got abilities,” Damien said. “Powers that can Xiomara said can help us.” She looked uncomfortable. I got that. We both did. “We’re allies now,” Damien went on. “So don’t hold back.”
Serena looked like she was about to say something, but didn’t. I couldn’t tell, really. I couldn’t even look directly at her.
“Help us retrieve what’s ours, and we’ll show you the vault,” I said. “The library of books left behind by your Order. We’ll help you retrieve anything you need, once we…” My throat began closing. I hated myself for it.
“Once we’ve dealt with Karessa,” I growled.
A long silence settled over the kitchen before she finally spoke again.
“And what do we do from now until dusk?”
“We rest,” I said quickly. “It’s too dangerous to go out, especially for you.” I threw Damien a dirty look. “And besides, none of us got much sleep last night.”
I enjoyed it as the two of them shuffled nervously for a bit. Rest was the very last thing I wanted. What I wanted was her. I knew she’d be wanting the same thing too, whether she realized it or not. It would happen soon if it wasn’t already. And it would be hard for her as well.
“Where exactly—”
I cut off her question the second as she began asking it.
“You in there,” I told Serena, pointing to Damien’s bedroom. “And the two of us in mine.”