Chapter 17
Slinking down the long hall with Fena’s hand in her own, Briel turned to look down at her sister and pressed her forefinger to her lips in a silent command to be quiet.
She’d awakened feeling better and found a dome covered tray of food on a folding table beside the bed. It hadn’t housed the soup she’d expected, but she did eat the entire plate of lamb chops, stuffing, green beans, and a buttered roll. Everything had been cold by the time she’d woken up except for the can of Coke beside the plate, which had been piss warm. Still, she’d polished it off with all of her food, and then, because the house was silent and it was dark out again, she ventured out of her room to see if Tyce had told the truth about Fena’s room.
She’d guessed on which door to try first, the one on her right or the one on her left, and had gotten lucky when the one on her right revealed a tiny Fena sleeping in a gigantic bed in a room that was exquisite even if it was half the size of Briel’s own.
Covering Fena’s mouth, Briel had woken her gently and told her they were going on an adventure. She’d made Fena wait while she scoured the room for the girl’s shoes and coat, delighted to find both in a closet near the door. With Fena dressed, they tiptoed through the hall and down the stairs. The front door was just at the bottom of the steps, and honestly, Briel was surprised at how easy it was to make it through the large house undetected.
At the door, she peeled back one of the curtains on either side and peeked out into the night. It was dark as sin, and she couldn’t make out much in the waning moonlight. Snow, snow, and more snow. Remembering the drive from the airport to Apex, Briel knew they were basically in the middle of nowhere, which meant she and Fena would never make it on foot. Luckily, by the grace of God, there was a bowl sitting on a stand beside the front door that was full of several sets of keys.
As quietly as she could, she picked up a set and hit the unlock button while Fena fidgeted beside her. In the darkness, nothing happened, so she set down that set of keys and grabbed another. She was three sets in before lights on one of the vehicles parked out front flashed.
YES!
Turning, she looked at Fena and pressed her finger to her lips again before reaching for the doorknob.
The door opened without so much as a click, and internally she mocked Tyce and his ‘sort of’ military base. Thinking she was home free, she jerked the door open.
All hell broke loose.
A loud alarm blared to life causing Fena to scream and cling to her leg. The house was flooded with lights, both inside and out, and the doors that lined the corridors on both sides of her slammed open as half-dressed men carrying weapons rushed her.
“Ghaaaa!” Unsure what to do, she shoved Fena behind her and shot her hands into the air praying no one shot her.
In seconds, she was surrounded by eight men, all with weapons, all pointed at her. She recognized a few from the hotel in DC and the jet , as well as the drive back to Apex. The men she recognized were quick to lower their weapons. The rest followed suit when Tyce snarled from the top of the stairs in a tone that threatened violent retribution, “Get those fucking weapons off my family!”
My family?
All weapons were swiftly lowered, and Briel watched wide-eyed as most of the men melted back into their rooms. The one she knew as Conn remained. She didn’t know the man, and she certainly didn’t like him, but she seriously had to fight the urge to hide behind him as Tyce narrowed hard eyes on her and slowly descended the steps like a beast stalking its prey. There was a lethal grace to the way he moved, and she would have been mesmerized if she wasn’t so worried.
Still clad in his black fatigues, he looked like a damn Navy Seal and had the build to match. Damn, he’s sexy. Her emotions warred with her logic as she watched him stalk slowly toward her.
His tone was mocking as he asked, “Going somewhere, my Sweet?”
She wanted to confront him, to scream and fight, but Fena was clutching her leg so damn tight. Clearing her throat, she gave him a pointed look. “I was…just taking Fena up to bed.” It was an obvious lie, but she didn’t know what else to say. She was basically asking him, without words, to permit her to take Fena back up to bed.
Tyce’s eyes dipped behind her, and his stern expression fled. He smiled down at the scared little girl, and it looked so genuine that Briel felt relieved even though she knew it was just for show.
“Fena, are you tired, sweetheart?”
Briel felt Fena nod against her back before asking tiredly, “Can I go back to bed now?”
Tyce’s smile faded, and he gave Briel a severe look full of admonishment. “Yeah.” He reached around Briel. “Come on, I’ll tuck you in.”
Briel could only watch as Tyce carried Fena up the stairs, turning at the landing to take her sister back to her room. She didn’t move for long minutes. Something about the look Tyce had given her had made her feel hollow. She dissected her reaction, and was shocked to realize she felt bad for disappointing him. She snorted and shook her head sadly. Fucking Stockholm syndrome? Really!
Beside her, Conn cleared his throat. “All the doors and windows have triggers. All the vehicles have tracking devices.” He looked down and pointed to an object attached to the baseboard. “There are floor sensors throughout the house. The second you left your room, he knew. Don’t try to run again. We Walkers enjoy our sleep just as much as you humans do.”
His tone pissed her off. First, because the way he enunciated ‘Walkers’ and ‘humans’ made it sound like he thought her a prejudiced a-hole, and secondly, because she didn’t want to be kept here in the first place.
“And what would you do?” she snapped. “If you’d been kidnapped?” She lifted her hand to the halo around her throat. “Oh, and let’s not forget the whole ‘collared like some stray dog’ part. You’d just accept it?”
He shook his head. “Women make no sense.” His eyes dipped to the halo she still tugged on. “And that dog collar makes you more powerful than you’ll ever know.” He jerked his head toward the stairs. “That man rules here and he’s choosing you. It’s an honor.”
Briel’s jaw clenched. What? Choosing her? Clearly, Conn had no idea what was really happening. Briel jammed her finger in the direction of the stairs. “An honor I didn’t ask for.” Whatever in the hell that meant! “I don’t even know him! I don’t you, I don’t know this place! All I know is that my father is dead! And his death had something to do with Skin Walkers. Tyce told me about your mission and its objective, and I’m sorry, but Monroe StoneCrow lied to you all. I don’t know where any safe house is. I’ve only ever heard the word Megalya uttered once.” She held up a single finger, repeating, “Once!” Lowering her head, she sagged as defeat filled her. “I can’t lead you all to what it is you’re looking for, and that terrifies the shit out of me. Tyce has already been mislead by Monroe, and I don’t want him thinking he’ll get information out of me. Because, Hey! Guess what? I. Don’t. Have. Any! And it makes me sick, because once he realizes I’m of no use to him, what then? I have nothing to give him. What I do have is a five-year-old little girl who depends on me. She’s expecting me to get her through this safe and sound.” Suddenly, hysterical tears filled her eyes. “I don’t know how to make that happen. If Tyce, or you, or someone would just tell me what it is you people want from me, something that I can actually give you, I’d do it gladly and be on my way.”
“Your heart.”
The feminine voice that spoke the words carried down the hall, and as Conn stepped to the side, Briel saw the woman from the hotel, the one who’d pretended to be the maid. The one who had trapped her, dragging her into this totally screwed up mess. She was wearing a black slip with matching satin ballet slippers on her feet, and Briel couldn’t help but feel the femininity of her seemed out of place in this bastion of testosterone fueled masculinity.
“Briel,” Conn began, as he held out a hand, fingers closing around the woman’s before he pulled her into his body and looped a hand around her waist. “This is Aries, my Angel.” Dipping his head, he brushed his lips against Aries’ forehead. “Aries, this is Briel, Tyce’s Angel.”
Briel wanted to protest the statement but didn’t. Why bother? No one here listened to her anyway.
“Did she wake Wynter?”
“Naw. Our baby’s still asleep.” Aries tore her eyes from Briel and smiled up at the man holding her. “Love, why don’t you leave us so Briel and I can talk?”
Conn smiled and kissed Aries fully on the lips, and they held like that long enough that Briel fidgeted in discomfort.
When they finally separated, Conn beamed down at Aries with such adoration and affection that it caused a twinge of yearning inside Briel.
“Make it quick, beautiful.” He pecked her on the lips one last time and disappeared down the hall, rifle hung loosely at his side.
Aries motioned with her arm down the hall. “How about coffee and cookies? They’re chocolate chip and walnut. Fena helped me bake ‘em. She said they’re your favorite.”