Or not. I realized as Nemcox stepped over Larissa’s dead body that I’d gotten caught without my sword. Hauling Gladys around can be a difficult endeavor. I live in an open carry state, but a chick with a silver sword running around the streets of Dallas still attracts attention unless there happens to be a handy comic book convention close by. I fit in well at those, right up to the point that I punch someone.

I had the added problem of having brought a kid into battle with my only backup being Casey. He was trying. Casey trained every day with the king’s warriors, but he wasn’t ever going to be a badass in the field. He was the best keyboard jockey around, but I couldn’t leave him to watch over Lee. Lee would eat his lunch and fast.

Nemcox was right there, and there was nothing I could do. He wasn’t even in his damn demon body. This was why I tried so hard to call him to my hand. The calling would force him into my circle in his actual body, his big, nasty demon body that I could then poke with my sword and hopefully kill. Not this time. He was possessing a human soul, so all I could manage was to kill some dude who was too quick to tow and Nemcox would find someone else to terrorize.

And somehow my wolf wasn’t pounding at the cage. Somehow I was calm. I’d looked at the situation, evaluated, and the wolf and I realized retreat was our only option, otherwise the people around us would get killed, and all for nothing. This was typically when the she-wolf decided she didn’t give a shit about the humans and my hands started getting twitchy.

Apparently getting well laid by an alpha wolf did wonders for me.

“You all right, darlin’?” Lee stared up at me with far too old eyes. “You need to stay calm.”

“I’m good.” Except I felt truly bad for Larissa. I eyed Nemcox. “Did you have to do that? She wasn’t doing anything wrong.”

“Oh, I suspect she was about to.” He frowned down at the body. “Loose lips sink ships and all that. Like I said, I’m only here to talk now that I’ve handled that particular problem. Can we agree to that, Hunter? I won’t gut your little friend there or tear out that one’s heart and you’ll not try anything foolish.”

Lee started to growl beside me. It wasn’t an intimidating sound. I glanced down at him.

He shrugged. “Worked better in the other body.”

Casey held a hand up. “Uhm, I vote for the not getting my heart ripped out of my chest. Is that one of those things that grows back…never mind. It sounds painful. Hard pass, Kelsey.”

I could spare at least one person. “I’m not talking to you while you’re wearing a meat suit. I don’t care what that dude’s done, the longer you’re inside him, the more he suffers.”

“Fine. I don’t particularly like wearing him anyway. He’s large and unattractive.” The man smiled and then a blank look came over his face and suddenly Larissa’s body was easing up off the ground and grinning my way. “Demonflesh. She’s actually more than a halfling. More like three quarters or so. I don’t need this flesh to be living to use it. It’s got another half an hour or so before it starts to rot entirely.”

Nemcox rose and turned to the landlord. “You’re having a terrible dream. Far too much cheap whiskey. Walk back to your apartment and sleep this one off.”

The man turned and walked away, his eyes totally unfocused.

“Is this better?” Nemcox moved into the room, shutting the door. If it bothered him that he was covered in blood, he didn’t show it. He smoothed back Larissa’s raven dark hair. “It certainly feels better, though you need to understand I don’t tend to like drag. I’m not one of those poor boys who wants to be a girl. It’s so messy being a girl. Now let’s talk about why you keep trying to kill me. I’ve been patient so far. You’re practically my sister-in-law. I don’t want to upset my brother by having to lop your pretty head off. It makes for terrible family reunions.”

Lee started moving and I had to grab the back of his T-shirt. Thank god my dad was small. I was fairly certain had I been dealing with Lee version 1.0, he already would have attacked.

It wasn’t hard to see where I got my anger impulse issues.

Still, I couldn’t let my father attack a demon. “Stop. This is not your fight.”

“Hell it isn’t,” he shot back, his eyes on Nemcox.

And Nemcox suddenly seemed totally interested in my dad. He stood there wearing Larissa’s body, but the eyes were his. They were dark, and I could see his demonic brain working out the problem. “Is that what I think it is, Hunter?”

I stepped in front of Lee, unwilling to leave him in the line of fire. “That is the king’s son and none of your business. You don’t want to piss off the king any more than you already have, do you? He’s not happy with how you tried to help execute him last year.”

“Well, it wasn’t like I would have enjoyed it. Sometimes one’s duty is onerous. And you stopped that, you minx.” He turned his head a bit, as though still trying to get a look at the boy. “And while that may be the king’s son, he’s so much more, isn’t he? How did you do it? Do you have any idea how well Heaven hides those old souls?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. You came here to tell me to stop hunting you.” I was more than willing to lie to get us out of there. “Done. My trainer already had this discussion with me.”

Nemcox leaned against the granite bar, glancing down at Larissa’s perfectly done nails. “I’m sure he did. That Marcus always was a practical one. It’s how he’s stayed alive all this time. Somehow, I don’t think you’re the same, though you do have a new glow about you. Did my brother finally figure out he could use that nasty old prophet’s sword in fun and inventive ways?”

Nemcox had not been a fan of his brother hitting the road with Jacob. “We’ve worked out a few things. Gray and I are good.”

“I know you won’t believe me, but I’m glad to hear it. We’re not too far from his contract being up,” Nemcox said. “I want you to know that you are welcome to join us. You’re part of the family, and an honored one. Which is precisely why you have to stop this ridiculous vendetta of yours. Tell her, wolf. It wasn’t my fault you died.”

Lee was right back to rage. “My daughter isn’t setting foot on the fucking Hell plane and if any one of you tries, I swear I’ll kill you all.”

He might not growl the way he used to, but Dad can make a threat.

It was also a mistake. I knew it the moment Nemcox’s pitch black eyes widened. Lee had confirmed something better left unsaid. “I knew it was you in there. Oh, how delightful and unexpected. Now that is a card I hadn’t counted on having in my hand. Don’t you love that? When you draw an ace you were certain was off the board entirely.”

I had no real idea what he was talking about, but Little Lee was definitely having more trouble with control than I was. I needed to get him out of here because I wasn’t sure Nemcox wouldn’t take him out if he had the chance. “I will take your very kind invitation seriously. Thanks a lot. And no more attempted murders. Got it. So, I’ll be on my way.”

Nemcox’s eyes narrowed. “You’re almost too calm. Not even a few hours in a virtual love nest with my brother should do that for you. That wolf inside you should still be rattling the cage. Unless…” He took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, I could see the judgment there. “You cheated on my brother?”

See, Heaven and Hell have a few things in common. Slinging the word whore around is one of them. “You know Gray has to have a host when he uses that sword.”

He seemed to think that through for a moment before his lips curled up. “Ah, of course. I wouldn’t have gone that way, but I understand. I would have thought he would use Marcus.”

“Marcus was unavailable.”

Nemcox’s lips curled up slightly. “Well, things happen for a reason I suppose. Once you’re happily ensconced in Gray’s new home, there won’t be any need for a host. You’ll only need to call out and your husband will be there. Can’t you see? He needs you as much as you need him.”

This was the true danger of listening to the demon. He could sound so reasonable. The idea of living with Gray made my heart twist. Of course, I reminded myself that our residence would likely be 666 Blood and Guts Avenue.

And that home would have no place for a baby she-wolf.

But I wasn’t about to have a family session with my demonic potential brother-in-law. “I care about your brother very much and we’re in a good place.”

The demon glanced up at me. “You do understand that I’m not the reason your dear papa is going to have to go through puberty again?”

“I know you were there.” I relaxed the tiniest bit because Lee seemed to have stopped trying to attack the demon with his nine-year-old hands. “I know you made the deal with Marini.”

“Did I?” Nemcox asked. “Or was it someone else? Have you thought about the fact that perhaps I was a mere broker for the deal and not the man behind it? Things aren’t always as they seem. People tend to make everything about themselves without ever looking at the bigger picture. Especially queens. Good lord, give a woman a tiara and two men and she thinks the world revolves around her.”

“I was there.” My dad didn’t seem to know when he should stay quiet and hunker down. He stood next to me, facing down the demon in a dead body, his hands fists at his sides. “I know exactly what happened and why. For you it was all about Neil. You turned us over so you could rape my friend in Hell.”

“I assure you, there was no rape involved,” Nemcox replied. “Well, nothing forcible, and if a few spells are used to enhance the pleasure, I say it’s all for the best. And you’re wrong, wolf. My precious Neil was merely payment for doing my master’s bidding.”

“Yes, for turning over Zoey,” Lee insisted. “For sending Zoey into that place so she could be raped and tortured.”

“You do like tossing out that word, don’t you?” Nemcox said with a sigh. “Zoey wasn’t the end result my master wanted, though he did see the upside. Without Zoey’s imprisonment, the king would have taken much longer and the war would have been bloodier. She was a side product he happened to have, and he used her to get the outcome he wanted. Think of it as a three-way trade. If country A has sugar to trade but no lines of communication to Country B who wants that sugar, and Country C has a desperate need for some companionship that only Country B can provide, they all get together and everyone is happy.”

I was drawing lines I didn’t like. If Zoey was sugar and Neil was companionship… “Who was Country B?”

Dark eyes stared at me. “Who do you think, Hunter? Who was the only one there who didn’t get out alive?”

Lee frowned beside me. “I was a guard. No one gave a shit about me except I wouldn’t let Marini take Zoey that night.”

“Oh, I assure you someone cared about you very much. Someone needed you dead because he figured out that only one soul in all the world could truly harm him in the end. Only one soul in all the world could ever stand up to his magnificence.” Nemcox’s voice was low and reverent.

Lee stepped back as though someone had physically smacked him. His face went pale and he shook his head. “Why? Why would Myrddin do that?”

I was confused. When all this was going down, I was in high school. “Wait. Some dude named Myrddin put a hit out on my dad?”

“Merlin.” Casey stepped up. “He’s talking about Merlin Satanspawn. Turns out he wasn’t merely a legend. Henri forced me to read all the historical documents regarding the last ten years. He thought it might be helpful for you. The king found and revived the wizard known as Merlin. He needed Merlin’s expertise to fix an issue with his heart. It was only as they were leaving the pocket universe Merlin was caged in that the former head of the Council, Louis Marini, set up a trap and kidnapped the queen and Dev Quinn and murdered your father. I read all of it, but I don’t think I truly believed it. He’s real?”

“Oh, yes, he’s real,” Nemcox replied with what sounded like adoration. “He’s real and he’s been learning this world. Someday he’ll come back.”

That didn’t sound good. “Come back here?”

“Come back to the king, of course.” Nemcox was back to playing coy. It was there in the wave of his hand, in the batting of a dead woman’s eyelashes. “Myrddin is tied to the sword king, you know that large ornate thing the king wields from time to time? That’s Excalibur, the real one, the one Camelot was built around. As Merlin mentored Arthur, so he will one day ease Daniel through his greatest test.”

“Why would he want the king’s guard dead?” My father had been important, but only because he was a guard and Zoey adored him. From what I understood, the king had wanted to fire him many times. And he’d been the queen’s guard. My uncle Zack had been Donovan’s right-hand man for years.

“I told you,” Nemcox insisted. “One of the great one’s skills is being able to see various paths. A bit like having prophecy talent. I acted as Myrddin’s focus while we were in the pocket world. I don’t know what he saw for sure, but I know he believed that the lone wolf would be his downfall. He and one other, another magician, but at the time he wasn’t born. I do believe he took care of that one as well.”

“He killed a baby?” I might be taking down a wizard.

“Nothing so terrible, dear. He simply sent the pregnant mother fleeing to another plane where her mewling offspring can’t harm his magnificence. You know when you think about it, he was actually doing it for the king. If Myrddin is dead, who would help him in his time of need?” Nemcox bit his bottom lip and attempted to look as innocent as a blood-soaked prostitute could look. “The king shouldn’t be angry with me. I was helping him. And look, you got dear papa back. So why are you after me, sister?”

“I think I would have preferred to meet my father when he wasn’t nine,” I shot back because my patience only went so far.

“She’s not coming after you,” Lee said, stepping up to the demon. “Not anymore. She has no problem with you so you should leave her alone. From now on, she’ll stop all attempts to call you to her. If she does that, can we make a deal that you’ll leave her be?”

“You aren’t making any damn deals for me,” I said quickly. “That was not a contract and I don’t agree to it.”

He was going to give me a heart attack. I suddenly felt so bad for his parents.

Nemcox had dropped to one knee, looking deeply into Lee’s face. A long moment passed and Nemcox gasped. “Good god. Is it true? Do you know what you are? Does the king know?”

Lee stepped back, his face going blank. “Leave her alone or we’ll both find out. You don’t want that, do you?”

Nemcox looked shaken, as though he’d seen some kind of a ghost. “Merlin has no idea what he did, what you could become. By allowing you to die and come back, he might have fulfilled the prophecy. He thought if he killed you then, it would end the threat. But your soul came back and… What fools we were.”

I got a chill. It started somewhere near the vicinity of my stomach and rushed out to every limb. This was one of those moments, one of those times when the world flipped and changed and nothing was the same. I might not understand what Nemcox was talking about, but I knew when that demon was serious. Something about Lee scared Nemcox. Somehow he thought this fragile, human version of my father was even more dangerous to his “great one” than he’d been as a strong and powerful lone wolf. It was obvious the demon felt loyal to the wizard. He’d helped kill my father once. We were in a vulnerable position. Would he do it again? Would he do it here? Or would he wait, biding his time and allowing us to forget the threat? Would he be waiting somewhere down the road to do the wizard’s bidding?

“I’m ready to make a deal.” I only had one way to ensure my father’s safety. I had one bargaining chip the demon wanted.

Me.

Nemcox’s head came up, his eyes lighting. “What?” He looked between us. “Of course, for my silence. You don’t even know what I know, but you’re smart enough to realize I’ll use it. I’ll find Myrddin and tell him. I’ll be true to my master. But I’m truer to my family. Yes, that is a smart play. Perhaps you’re more practical than I gave you credit for.”

“Kelsey, stop it. You’re not making any kind of deal,” Lee insisted.

I kept my eyes on the demon. “You say this Myrddin dude killed my father once. He’ll try it again, won’t he?”

Lee had a hand on my wrist, tugging earnestly.

“Oh, yes.” Nemcox ignored Lee entirely. “I assure you. Once I let the wizard know what’s happened to his plans, he’ll come after the loner again. He won’t do it in such a spectacular fashion since he won’t want to harm his relationship with the king, but he’ll find a way. It’s what he does.”

“I’ll talk to the king,” Lee swore. “In this life, he’s my father and he’ll believe me. I’ll tell him everything that was said here. He’ll know not to trust the wizard.”

“One of the things that the queen talked about was the wizard’s enormous influence over the king, and even over Devinshea.” Casey’s shoulders had gone back, his jaw tightening as he seemed to come to some decision. “When the king was in close contact, the queen felt the wizard had some power over him. Lee was the one who couldn’t be swayed by his arguments. The queen felt like her wolves were the only ones who weren’t influenced by Merlin.”

“The wizard is a tricky fellow. He’s gotten away with many crimes in the past. I’m afraid your best bet is for me to keep my pretty mouth shut.” Nemcox leaned against the bar, a smirk on his borrowed lips. “So let’s deal, Hunter. You know what I’m going to want, don’t you?”

It turned my stomach. I knew exactly what he would want. “You want my promise that I’ll marry Gray and live with my husband after his contract is up.”

In Hell. Far from Marcus. Away from Trent.

Now my wolf started rattling. I could feel her. The minute I started thinking about leaving Trent, she started to howl deep inside me.

“Darlin’, I want you to take a deep breath,” Lee was saying. His hand was in mine, small but reassuring. “You’re shaking. This is not going to happen. There’s no deal. Do I make myself clear?”

He was nine and he had a whole life ahead of him. I couldn’t risk it. I’d brought him along with me. I should have driven him right back home. I’d done this. I wasn’t going to let Nemcox talk and put out a hit on him. No matter what. “I need to see it in writing.”

“Of course,” the demon practically purred. “I’ll have a satan here in no time at all, dearest sister.”

“Gray won’t allow this,” Lee said. “And have you thought about the fact that she’s a Hunter? She needs contact with wolves or she gets violent.”

Nemcox smiled brightly. “That’s perfect because we love violence where I come from. A little isolation-induced insanity won’t bother us at all. And my brother will be grateful in the end. He’ll have his wife and family with him always. He won’t ever have to share her with a trainer or some random wolf. It will be as it should be. He will sit at the head of his household and she will be his obedient wife. Are you ready now?”

I started to nod my head when Casey stepped in front of me.

“I invoke the laws agreed upon at the last meeting of the Council and the Royal Guild of Demons. You are not allowed to contract with vampirekind without counsel present. The Council itself must be informed that Ms. Owens is contemplating signing a demon contract. By our own rules, set up by the queen herself, Ms. Owens must go through counseling, a class on contracts and how they work, and think about the contract for a full twenty-four hours before she would be allowed to even think about signing a contract.”

Nemcox got into Casey’s space, working that dead body like it was slightly snakelike. Definitely predatory and dangerous. “Ms. Owens isn’t vampirekind.”

Casey’s voice was shaking but he stood his ground. “According to the rules, I can request a trial to determine her status. I require a medical test. If she’s been taking vampire blood, she’s vampirekind.”

I got what he was trying to do, but this was my dad. “I’m not on vamp blood right now.”

Marcus’s blood should be out of my system.

“We’ll need a blood test to prove it,” Casey insisted. “Or I’ll have you both in front of the Council for attempting to violate the laws of this plane.”

“Or I could tear your heart out right here and no one has to know,” Nemcox threatened.

Casey didn’t move an inch. “And still your contract will not be valid. And still she will have friends who demand that the rules be enforced. You can kill me, asshole. No one’s going to care. But if you take the Nex Apparatus by right of contract, you fucking better be sure you dotted every i and crossed every goddamn t because everyone will care. You might want a war, but most of your kind doesn’t. Most of those upper-crust demons like the world exactly the way it is, and they don’t want their cushy torture palaces upended by a lengthy battle. We will go to war over her. The king will never let you take her unless you’ve followed every letter of the law. So if you want her, you better listen to me and do your due diligence before she signs on that line.”

Nemcox’s mouth opened and he hissed, a nasty, evil sound. He got right in Casey’s face, and for a second I worried I would see his second murder of the day. Then he backed up and looked over at me. “I won’t tell. Not until we work this out. I’ll send my requirements. Don’t fuck me over, sister. You won’t like what happens.”

Larissa’s body dropped to the ground like a doll whose strings had been cut.

I tried to breathe. I was in a trap and I wasn’t sure how to get out. I actually believed the fucker. If there’s one thing demons take seriously, it’s their contracts. If Nemcox said he wouldn’t tell the magician about my father’s soul still walking the plane, I believed him. But at some point he would tell.

Unless I found a way to kill him.

Casey’s body folded in two and he took a series of hyperbolic breaths. “Oh, my god. Holy shit. If I could pee I would have.”

Lee put a hand on the baby vamp’s shoulder. “You did good, son. You did good.”

And I wondered if I hadn’t just signed my own jail sentence.

 

* * * *

 

I pulled my Jeep into the parking garage and the first thing I saw was Daniel Donovan, standing in the middle of the space, that I’m-the-king-of-the-world-and-you’ve-disappointed-me frown on his face.

And naturally he wasn’t alone. My uncle stood beside him, his suit perfectly pressed and unlined face still managing to convey how angry he was. Then there was Trent, and I got the feeling he was the angriest of all.

Casey shoved his wrist toward my face for the tenth time. He’d been doing it over and over and I was ready to murder the persistent fucker. He’d opened a nick on his wrist and he kept trying to force me to ingest the blood that welled there. It was annoying and super gross.

I slapped his wrist away.

“It won’t do any good,” Lee said from the backseat. “We need to get more than a little in her. Probably at least a full cup. I know where Henri keeps a couple of bags of Donovan’s blood. We’ll force that down her throat.”

I slammed the car into park. “You’ll do nothing of the kind. Which one of you turned me in?”

“I texted my dad,” Lee said and then frowned as though he hadn’t meant to say that. “I mean Quinn. I texted Quinn and he managed to get hold of Dad. Donovan, damn it.”

Before I could think about what that meant, the passenger door was coming open and Casey was getting hauled out of the car by his neck. Trent was standing there, holding Casey up. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? You don’t touch her.”

Sleep with a guy once and he gets all shades of possessive. “He was trying to force vamp blood down my throat so I can’t sign the demon contract that’s going to save my dad.”

Trent dropped him immediately. “You trying to prove she’s vampirekind so no demon can sign a contract with her?”

Casey held his throat and nodded.

Trent whacked him on the back. “That’s smart. Don’t worry about it. I know where Henri keeps the king’s blood. We’ll force some down her throat. It’ll last longer. Give her a good dose of Donovan and it’ll stay in her bloodstream for months.”

“That was my plan,” Lee said, a frown on his face.

“You! You brat,” an angry feminine voice echoed through the garage.

“Shit.” Lee went a bit pale as the queen made an appearance. “Mom, I didn’t do it.”

The queen’s heels clicked along the concrete and she pointed one righteous finger Lee’s way. “You are grounded.”

Lee seemed to come out of his momentary fear. “You can’t ground me. I’m forty-seven freaking years old.”

“Holy shit.” Zack stared at Lee. “It really is you.”

Lee sighed and held up a hand. “Thank god, brother. I thought I was going to miss you. Hey, buddy, remember that time I looked the other way when you were seventeen and you brought that girl home. Yeah, I’m calling that one in. I need a beer.”

I was going to let the queen handle that one. I needed to talk to the king. He would see reason. He wouldn’t let the damn wolves force-feed me blood. And Hugo. Hugo was the academics’ law expert. I could get him to write a preliminary contract.

“Your Majesty, if I could have a moment of your time,” I started.

“Gray’s on his way,” Trent said.

“Do you even begin to comprehend how dangerous it was what you did?” The queen was down on one knee, her hands on Lee’s shoulders. The queen started in on Lee.

“What do you mean Gray’s on his way?” There were other things being said that I should probably pay attention to, but Trent knew how to draw me in.

“I mean he called me and yelled at me for a long time and he’s on his way. How dare you think I would allow you to do something like this?” Trent loomed over me.

“I don’t think I can give you a beer, man,” Zack was saying. “Maybe a root beer.”

Donovan was on his cell phone. “Yes, we have him. Calm down, Dev. He’s fine. Well, mostly. We have other problems to deal with. Get Hugo up to my office pronto. And take the warding off the roof. Gray says he’s found someone who can transport him here. I told him the safest place to do it would be the roof. I don’t want him messing up and appearing in someone’s shower. Marcus is going to meet him up there.”

“Allow?” I did not like that word. I stood up to Trent, which is hard to do since the man has about a foot in height on me. “You think you can allow or disallow something?”

Trent stared down at me. “I think you’re crazy if you think I’m going to let you go to Hell. Have you thought about the fact that without Marcus to balance you, you need me? Gray can’t do it on his own. Everyone knows that. He knows that.”

“Zoey, will you take our son upstairs? Dev’s waiting,” Donovan said, his voice deep as though the emotion of the day had gotten to him.

“I need to talk to you, Donovan,” Lee said.

Zoey had a hand on his elbow. “You can talk to your dad after he handles Kelsey’s problem. You do understand that this is all your fault. If you hadn’t run away like that, she wouldn’t have been forced to offer herself up to save you.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Lee pulled his arm away. “I won’t let you treat me like a child, damn it.” He stopped, his hand going to his head, and suddenly he was Little Lee again. I could see it in his eyes. He looked up and there was such confusion there. “Mom?”

Zoey got to one knee. “Lee? Baby?”

He blinked again and sighed. “No. It’s me. I’m back, but something’s wrong. I’ve got a headache. I need to talk to Donovan about something. Why can’t I remember? It was right there. Dad? Where’s Papa?”

Donovan picked him up. “I’m taking him upstairs. Someone call Henri and tell him to meet us. Trent, you don’t let her out of your sight.”

I wasn’t going anywhere. “I want to be with Lee.”

Donovan was already moving. “No, you’ll go to my office and you’ll talk to Hugo. Do you understand? Unless you want to promise me here and now you’re not signing a demon contract.”

I kept my mouth shut because I couldn’t promise him that. Someone had to protect Lee and I was the only one who could do it.

“Then you’ll talk to Hugo.” Donovan disappeared, the queen following behind him.

My uncle gave me a ferocious frown. “I have to go check on Lee and make sure the witches know something’s going wrong with him. If you try to leave this compound, you’re going to find out how fast I can go from the fun uncle to the one who locks your ass up. Am I understood?”

I gave him a jaunty salute and wondered if I could get lost at the bar on my way up to Donovan’s office.

“We’re going to talk about this later,” my uncle promised before turning away. He looked to Trent. “You let her get away and we’ll have a problem.”

“I have no intention of letting her get away or sign some damn contract. It’s not happening,” Trent vowed.

But there wasn’t anything they could do with the exception of shoving vamp blood down my throat, and I planned to fight that. I could even contest that in the trial that would establish my status.

I wasn’t going to think about the whole Hell part. I was only going to think about the fact that my dad was in trouble and I was the only one who could get him out. Nemcox wouldn’t accept anyone else.

“Do you want to explain to me what the hell you think you’re doing?” Trent asked. Even though he kept his voice down, the sound reverberated through the parking garage.

“Not particularly.” I needed to be cold, and arguing with Trent wasn’t going to keep me calm. Not when what my instincts told me to do was to wrap my arms around him and ask him to help me save my dad. There wasn’t anything he could do. He didn’t have anything the demon would want. “We should go up to Donovan’s office. Hugo will be there soon.”

Hugo would be pissed, but if he wouldn’t help me, I would find another lawyer. One who was willing to go against the king. Yeah. That was going to be easy to find. I wondered if a demon lawyer would be acceptable in a Council court. Probably not.

I started walking toward the elevator that would take me to Donovan’s office. That’s when something Trent had said before hit me. I turned on him. “What do you mean Gray knows that? What exactly does Gray know?”

I needed to understand what the hell was happening and why Gray and Trent were all buddy buddy suddenly.

“Gray knows that you need me. That he needs me. Marcus knows, too. Why do you think he’s had me take over large portions of your training?” Trent’s voice was tight, his frustration obvious.

“That was because he had some important things to take care of,” I replied. That was how Marcus had explained it to me. “And you don’t really train me at all. We’re in the gym together at the same time.”

“I was assigned to take over his duties, Kelsey.” Trent was in my space, overwhelming me. “Do you get that? I was assigned to take care of you, and part of that means not allowing you to do something as stupid as signing a contract with a demon. Consider yourself on lockdown, too. You can take this time and get to know your dad because I’m not allowing you out of here either. Maybe when Gray gets here he can talk some sense into you.”

“Assigned to take over what duties?” Suspicion played through my head and I did not like what I was coming up with. “Are you telling me Marcus assigned you to fuck me?”

Trent stopped, his body tensing as though ready for a fight. “I’m here in case you need me.”

I had to laugh at that. So last night hadn’t been a selfless act of volunteerism. He’d been instructed to fuck me sane, and Trent was always a good soldier. He was the upright guy who did what his boss needed and rarely varied from the path he’d been told to march down. Pretty much my polar opposite. I would do some stupid shit just because some authority figure told me not to. “Well, I hope you get a bonus out of it.”

I moved to the elevators and slapped a hand at the button. It immediately responded and opened for me. I got in, hoping to leave Trent to catch the next one. Naturally the wolf was too fast.

“You want to explain what that’s supposed to mean?” He moved into the elevator, crowding me.

The doors closed and we were all alone in a space that should have been big enough, if Trent hadn’t decided to take up all of it.

Still, I’m not one to let myself be intimidated. Or to give in to the almost overwhelming need to see how he kissed. He’d kissed me the night before, our mouths mingling in long communion. But it had been Gray I saw and felt, and now I wanted to know how much of Trent had been in that kiss. “You know what I meant. Marcus doesn’t want the job of putting up with my shit anymore so he’s found someone else. I hope you got a nice bump in salary because I’m a handful.”

He put a hand on the wall behind me as the elevator started moving. “You’re not a job, Kelsey.”

“A fun fringe benefit then. You know we didn’t hit the button. We’re not going to the right floor.”

“It wasn’t fun,” he growled my way.

Well, I had known that. I gave him my brightest smile. “Good news for you, buddy. I won’t need you again. I’m signing my contract and marrying my man.”

He stepped back, his eyes going wide. “What? You’re getting married?”

At least I had the upper hand in this instance. Except every word I forced out of my mouth made my wolf twitchy. I was doing exactly what Bris had told me not to do. I was shoving my wolf side into a cage and not letting her out. I had to be the human side of the Hunter if I was going to save my father. “Yes, that’s what the contract is about. I’m marrying Gray and part of our marriage contract agreement will include my promise to live with him permanently. Even after his contract goes into effect.”

He was quiet for a moment and there was an odd look of hurt on his face. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I love him.” There was so much more but I wanted to get on with it. I didn’t want to sit down and explain that it was hard to think about not seeing Trent again, that he had somehow taken a piece of me as well. I wasn’t the kind of girl who said those things. Hell, I usually didn’t feel them and I didn’t like the sensation. Especially not when I knew Trent had been ordered to get into bed with me. What felt like devotion to me was nothing but his job.

Trent shook his head. “It doesn’t make any sense. I talked to him. He didn’t mention anything about marriage. He was making plans for what happens when his contract is up.”

Wow, everyone was trying to take care of me and my wretched sexual needs today. “Exactly what plans does he have?”

“Well, they sure as hell didn’t include you marrying him, so I would like to know what changed.”

That wasn’t an answer. “What plans did he make, Trent? Plans I’m not involved in, by the way. That might have been an oversight on his part.”

Trent started to pace, not that he could get much of anywhere. Two steps forward, turn, two steps back. The restless behavior of an uncomfortable wolf. “He’s making plans to ensure that you’re okay. That you’re taken care of.”

“I can take care of myself.” A complete lie, but I was good at those.

He stopped, his eyes stark as he stared at me. “Since I spent the better part of yesterday with a sword in my gut, I will agree to disagree with you.”

“Won’t happen again. I’m a rip the bandage off kind of girl. I’ll do all the queen’s classes and then I’ll sign my contract and you won’t have to worry about me.” But I was already wondering if that same issue might not come up soon because the stress of the day was wearing on me. And my wolf was starting to understand that I wasn’t playing around. The rattling was turning into clawing and nipping. “I’ll go to the Hell plane. I’ve been told my particular brand of crazy will be accepted there.”

The elevator doors opened. My assistant Justin stood there, dressed in his best The Flash T-shirt and carrying his tablet and the thermos of blood his wife always sent with him. He smiled as he caught sight of me. “Hey, boss. I got caught up on paperwork last night and I talked to a new client.”

Trent turned on Justin and growled, the sound low and dangerous. “Not now.”

Justin stepped back. “I’ll take the next one.”

So no help from my office then. I reached out and pressed the button for the tenth floor. “Way to scare the vamps, buddy.”

He reached out and slapped the button that stopped the elevator. “I want to know why Gray changed his mind.”

I wanted lots of things, but I wasn’t getting them. There might be one thing I could goad him into telling me. “I want to know what Gray offered you.”

“He didn’t have to offer me anything.”

“But he did, didn’t he? What did he offer you? I’ll find out anyway.”

“I don’t care about the damn money,” Trent spat. “The money and the house are only ways to help keep you safe.”

With Gray, it would be a lot of money. Likely millions. He might have been a Texas Ranger at one time, the cop kind, but his bank account looked more like a left-handed ace pitcher for the other Rangers.

“Back off, Wilcox.” Because if he didn’t, I might do something I shouldn’t. He smelled so fucking good. He smelled like safety and sex and a home I hadn’t known I missed.

He shook his head. “I can’t. Do you think I can’t feel you? We connected on a base level last night. Maybe you’re too stubborn to feel it, but I do. Do you think I can’t feel how much your head is spinning right now?”

It wasn’t spinning, exactly, but there was a marked uptick in anxiety. I didn’t like small spaces, but beyond that, he was delaying me. If I kept moving, I didn’t have to think about it. I didn’t have to acknowledge that signing that contract meant giving up one of my children. It meant giving up half of myself, and all of my sanity.

What had Gray said? He’d said I should watch out for a trick and a trap. I wasn’t sure about the trick, but I’d been neatly trapped.

What was the path I was supposed to stay on? I only saw one and that was the one that led to Hell.

My hands started shaking. I tried to breathe.

Trent hit the button again and moved back into my space. “Baby, I can feel your need. Something happened last night. Something that connected us. You might not have felt it because you were so focused on Gray, but I was there, too.”

His hand came down, smoothing back my hair and sending a rush of pure energy through me. Calming energy.

I tried to shake my head because I didn’t need another connection. I was only going to be allowed one once I signed my contract. One connection, and I wouldn’t be able to see my mom or my brothers or Liv. I wouldn’t get to see Lee grow up.

I heard Trent curse and suddenly he was behind me, his arms wrapped around me. I felt the warmth of his breath on my ear. “Don’t fight me, bitch. I use that as a completely affectionate term. You’re my bitch and you’re so strong you can fight this. You just need some help.”

I gritted my teeth as his hand slipped under the band of my jeans and started moving toward my pussy. I could feel the growl in the back of my throat. There are times when I can almost feel my body shifting, as though my limbs are cracking and moving to another space, a space I understand and welcome. It doesn’t ever happen in reality, but in my mind I feel the change. Being near Trent made me feel that way. My instincts were twofold—to fight and claw and make him work for me or to get to my knees and give myself to the true alpha.

“I won’t take more than you want to give me, but I will give you everything you need,” he promised me. “Take it. I know you won’t believe this but you are my pack now. I’m on the outside with everyone else. It’s a pack of two. You’re the damn alpha female. This is yours. I owe you this.”

His fingers slipped over my clitoris and I was utterly lost.

I gave over to my wolf, letting her have her way. I’d forced her back and down for most of the day, so now she came roaring back. My hands went around, searching for his body, for something to hold on to. If I could have, I would have broken free and jumped the man. My need was that great, but he was stronger than me. My wolf thrilled at that. She loved the fact that he was so big and rough and he could handle me.

“Do you have any idea how good you smell?” His words rumbled over my skin.

I didn’t bother with a reply because I was far too busy rubbing myself against his hand like a horny teenager. I let my head fall back against his shoulder, nestling there.

“Yes, that’s what I want,” he whispered. “Let me take care of you. Let me be what you need.”

The hand that wasn’t down my jeans cupped my breast and I was completely surrounded by him. Not Gray this time. I couldn’t trick myself into believing I was getting worked over hard by anyone but Trent Wilcox, werewolf sex god.

“Let go, baby. Don’t fight me.” His fingers found my nipple, twisting to the point of pain. A nice nip that let my wolf know he was in control. As if that wasn’t enough to get me panting, he set his teeth on the back of my neck.

I shivered at the sensation. My wolf was ready to submit. No. I was ready to submit. I gave over and let him take control entirely.

He pressed down on my clit and my whole body shook. Pure pleasure washed over me and raced through my veins. I did feel the connection to him in that moment. I could feel the joy and satisfaction he got from making me come.

Except it wasn’t only about sex. There was something else there, simmering below his surface. While I could feel his cock hard against the small of my back, a sense of peace emanated from him.

He was happy to be here, happy to be with me. Touching me filled something inside him.

“That’s what I wanted,” he whispered as he eased his touch. He was still rubbing but lightly, as though he knew I needed a moment but didn’t want to lose our connection. I felt him kiss the lobe of my ear. “Do you need more? We can go to my room and I’ll take care of you for hours, Kelsey. Donovan will have to understand. I make the decisions now and I won’t let him come between us. You won’t think about anything but your next orgasm. We’ll hole up and cuddle and drink and eat and fuck for days. Better yet, let me take you away from here. We’ll go out into the forest and just be for a while. You and me. We need that time.”

But we wouldn’t get it because the elevator shifted and before Trent could react, the doors opened.

“Hey, something went wrong with the….” Casey was standing there, his jaw dropping when he realized what he was seeing. “Holy shit.”

Naturally Casey could override the elevator and put me in a position where I was caught with my pants down. Not down really, but with someone’s hand in them. Unfortunately, Casey wasn’t alone.

Gray was standing there and I remembered what Donovan had said. He’d said something about Gray finding someone who could transport him here. Gray was a dark prophet, but when it came to travel, he was as human as the rest of us.

His father, however, was not.

Papa Sloane stood there in his perfectly pressed suit, everything about him utterly human with the singular exception of his eyes. They turned a brilliant ruby red when he caught sight of me.

I worried for a moment that Gray’s father would kill Trent. I pushed away from him, thinking to try to save him, but the attack came from a different direction. As I started to open my mouth to explain, Gray growled and threw himself in the elevator.

A hand reached for mine, dragging me out as the doors closed. Marcus looked down at me, an almost amused smile on his face. “Well, you’ve done it now, bella.”

Yep. I’d fucked everything up. There was a horrible sound from the elevator and I hoped both men survived.