Mortal Defiance

“I’m going to request that extra help be sent here. Obviously, the dark gods are trying to find ways to circumvent the rules of the bargain.”



“What about the people at risk? Shouldn’t we warn them? Get them out of town?” Frowning, Ree tugged on the hematite necklace around her neck. “They aren’t safe here.”



“No one is safe, Ree.”



“Yeah, but the Dark Ones are targeting certain people. The people with that little bit of extra are in way more danger and should be guarded.” Looking around the room at her friends, she could tell they were in agreement. “Are there Guardians that could help? Maybe they could find reasons to get the families out of town.”



“Yeah, what about a sweepstakes? You know, ‘Congratulations! You’ve won a four-week stay at a Grecian villa!’” Weylin’s announcer voice filled the quiet room.



“That might work! People love free stuff.” Rubbing his chin, Bryce leaned back in his chair. “I mean, money isn’t an object for the gods, right?”



“I don’t think that’s an option.” Shaking her head, Sophie continued to check the weapons on her table.



“Why not? I think it’s a great idea.” Ree frowned at the older woman and wondered why her mentor wasn’t trying to find a way to protect the humans.



“It would risk alerting the humans to what is really happening. That is something the gods frown upon.”



“Frown upon? We’re talking about their lives. Sorry to point this out, but they’re going to figure out something is pretty wrong when the person in the elevator next to them sprouts fangs and tears into their neck.” Standing up, Ree paced across the room. “Better for them to be warned ahead of time.”



“I agree with you, Ree. But you have to consider what would happen if people started spreading the word. If anyone believed them, the entire world would be in a panic.”



Spinning around on one foot, Ree looked at Sophie seriously. “They should be in a panic. They’re all on the verge of becoming a buffet.”



Faster than lightning, Sophie jumped across the room, her hand over Ree’s mouth. Feeling her eyes widen, Ree tried to step away, but the Guardian held fast. “Do not say such things where the gods might hear you.” A thick accent mangled the words the Greek woman spoke. “The gods need you, but you cannot question their judgment. To some of them, you’re nothing but a tool. If you get out of line, they will not hesitate to bring you in line with their plans.”



“Take your hands off of her.” Paden’s growl slid over Ree’s shoulder. “You’re scaring her, Sophie.” He placed a hand on Ree’s shoulder and gently pulled her back against his chest. Sophie let go, but the intensity remained in her eyes.



“I’m sorry, Ree, but you have to understand—the gods do not want the humans to know about them. Their biggest goal is to win this war and let the world continue, oblivious.”



“Wouldn’t they benefit from the general masses’ knowledge? I’ve read that the gods get their power from the people that worship them.” Sitting on the edge of his seat, Bryce looked torn between acting on Ree’s behalf and trusting Sophie.



“Fiction. They have found other ways to retain their power, and I would rather not know the means.” Sophie stepped away from her and shook her head. “I will ask for help monitoring the area, but I can’t guarantee they will even allow that to happen.”



Paden took a step backward, gently pulling Ree with him. “Okay, so you ask and we’ll do our best to keep them from getting anyone else.”



Nodding her head, Sophie seemed lost in thought. “Yes. Tonight, however, we need to gather more information to present to the gods.”



“And how are we going to do that?” Ree leaned into Paden’s chest, accepting the comfort she found there.



“We watch. We need to know if they are still using the darkling’s club. If they have moved on or changed tactics, then we need to find out what else they are working on.”



“What if we see them? Are we going to try and take the Dark One out?” Ree was surprised to see that Weylin had only been a few moments behind Paden in his attempt to get her away from Sophie.



“Della was the last name I knew her by, and I would suspect she hasn’t bothered to change it over the years. And if you see her, the only thing you are to do is to get the hell out of there. Understood?”



No one responded out loud, but from the corner of her eyes, Ree caught glimpses of the others nodding their heads.



“We’re going to have to face her eventually.” Ree knew there was no denying the inevitable and wanted to know how they were supposed to handle that moment.



“You have a lot more training to do first.” Roland and Melanie stood inside the door, both grim-faced.



Chapter 16



That night, long and uncomfortable and spent in the freezing air, provided no leads or sightings. The gang had broken into groups to spy on Scott’s club before realizing there were no Dark Ones out at all. Ree didn’t sense a single cold spot or the spine-tingling sensation that meant there was something unnatural around.



“Maybe they decided to spend the night in? Call for a pizza delivery guy or something?” Weylin pulled his skullcap lower and shivered.



“Maybe.” Snorting, Roland pulled some lint off his dark T-shirt, for all the world looking as if it was springtime. The cold winter air didn’t seem to bother him in the least.



Ree had given him his jacket back before they left the shop. Now she was regretting that. While it wasn’t raining, the mist had permeated her sweater and left her shivering. Maybe I can get the gods to send me a leather jacket of my own. Heh. I wonder how I would go about putting in a request for that, Ree thought to herself.



“Okay. We’re calling it a night.” Sophie looked toward River Street, her face calm and completely at odds with the frustration she was radiating. “Ree, you have to be home soon. Roland can drive you since he’s guarding your house tonight.”



Roland nodded his head at Ree, his smile causing her to blush. Paden’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything. His jealousy was like a hot tide sliding between her friends. Ree knew he had to go home to see his family. He had received several calls from his parents asking where he was and when he would be home. No one could blame them for feeling overprotective after the recent death of their niece.



Pulling her new cell phone out of her back pocket, Ree checked the time and felt her heart stop. She only had fifteen minutes to get home before her father grounded her for life.



“I have to go right now. Or I’ll be under house arrest for the next year.” Ree started jogging back toward the antique shop, where all the vehicles were parked. The world shifted as someone swooped her off her feet and ran with superhuman speed.



“Can’t let you get in trouble on my night, can I?” Grinning roguishly, Roland looked down at her and winked. Ree couldn’t help the skip in her heartbeat as she looked into his sapphire eyes.



It only took moments for their group to reach the shop. Slowing, Roland opened the door and walked in, still carrying Ree in his arms. “Shall I carry you upstairs and help you change?”



“No, no. I’ve got it.” Scrambling out of the Dark One’s arms, Ree almost fell but managed to catch herself on the stair railing. Roland’s chuckle and Paden’s growl of frustration followed her as she took the stairs two at a time. Quickly yanking her clothes off, she threw them on the floor and grabbed her uniform. As she pulled on her tights and skirt, she noticed something sticking out from under the shirt still lying on the bed. Her eyebrows drew together as she threw her shirt on and saw that a gorgeous brown leather jacket lay on the bed.



Pleasure chorused through her veins when she reached out to touch the soft animal hide. Picking up the jacket, she noticed her initials embroidered on an inside pocket. Ree looked around the room briefly before smiling to herself and running back down stairs where the others were waiting. She shoved her arms into the jacket as she ran for the door where Roland stood. Waving over her shoulder, she darted through the door when the Dark One held it open.



His BMW was already idling; the heater had thankfully warmed the cold leather seats. Pulling out of the parking lot like he was driving a race car, Roland made the car’s tires squeal. Ree grabbed the bar on the car door and hung on for dear life. It was only minutes before Roland pulled his car up to the curb at Ree’s house. They hadn’t spoken since leaving the shop, and Ree had divided her attention between the clock on the dashboard and silent prayers that they didn’t wreck. Now that she was home and had a few minutes before she was late, she wondered what she should say.



“Uh, thanks for the ride.” She unbuckled her seat belt and offered him a tentative smile. “I appreciate you getting me home on time.”



“Anytime, Ree.” Half-lidded eyes met hers, and she knew that he was considering something. “Shall I drive you to Sophie’s in the morning? Or would you rather let the girls pick you up?”



“Probably best if I ride with the girls so that my parents aren’t suspicious.”



“Well, then. I will see you tomorrow morning.”



“Should I leave the window unlocked?” Blushing, Ree looked down at her hands. “You know, in case you need to come in for something? That way you won’t accidently wake up my parents?”



“That would be… appreciated.”



Grabbing the handle, Ree opened the car door and stepped out. “Thanks.”



“Nothing to thank me for, Ree. I am happy to help you.”



Smiling, Ree closed the door, ran to her house, and jammed her key into the lock. The door opened before she had finished turning the lock and she almost fell into her father.



“Cutting it close, sweet potato.”



“Sorry, Dad. It took longer than we thought.” Ree took her jacket off and hung it carefully on the coatrack. Sitting on the bench near the door, Ree pulled her shoes off and checked to make sure the sequined flowers were unharmed.



“Well, try to keep it down. Your mother is finally getting some sleep.” Turning, he headed down the short hallway toward the kitchen. “I’ve got some leftovers on the counter. I wasn’t sure if you had eaten.” As if to answer him, Ree’s stomach growled loudly. Chuckling, her father pointed at the barstool in front of the kitchen island, where there was fried chicken and mashed potatoes.



“So, how was work?” Picking up one of the spoons on the counter, Ree scooped a heaping amount of potatoes into her mouth.



“Actually, I stayed home with your mother today.” Leaning on the island across from Ree, her father grabbed the other spoon and helped himself to some of the potatoes as well. “I guess we should be grateful for her odd cooking obsession. These potatoes are delicious.”



“Yeah, but Dad, you can’t take off a lot from work. What about tomorrow?”



Grabbing some chicken from the platter, her father put a piece on a plate and pushed it toward her. “You let me worry about my job. I have some floating holidays I haven’t used and your mom needs me more right now.”



Ree pulled a piece of chicken off and popped it in her mouth. She couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her as she chewed. Silence descended on the kitchen as they polished off the leftovers. When she was finished, Ree rinsed her plate in the sink before kissing her dad on the head.



“What’s that for?” Smiling, her father turned to look at her.



“Nothing. Just love you.” Ree shrugged.



“Love you, too.” Standing up, he grabbed the platter off the island and headed for the sink. “Go on to bed, I’ll take care of the rest of the mess.”



“Thanks, Dad.” Grateful to skip the cleanup, Ree grabbed her backpack off the ground and headed for her room. Pulling the rubber band out of her hair, she walked into her room and almost screamed.



“What’s gotten into you?” Roland was lying on her bed, her favorite book open next to him.



Closing the door behind her, she fumbled with the lock and took a deep breath before turning around to face him.



“What are you doing?”



“Reading. I can’t tell you how grateful I was to find you reading something that didn’t have a half-dressed man on the cover.” Holding up a book with a man carrying a sword and a woman wearing a medieval dress on the front, he smiled. “I was a little worried it might have a unicorn or two, but thankfully not.”



Snatching her copy of The Princess Bride out of his hands, she put it back on her nightstand and walked over to the window. “I locked this before I left this morning.”



“You did.” Tucking his hands under his head, he stretched out on her bed and she realized he wasn’t wearing any shoes.



“Then how did you get in here?” Tearing her eyes away from the definition of his chest under his black shirt, she kicked her own shoes off and went to her dresser to get some different clothes.



“Talent.”



Turning around, she raised her eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. A self-satisfied smirk played along his mouth as he studied her. She could feel how relaxed he was, which was at complete odds with the nervous thrumming of her heart.



“In other words, you aren’t going to tell me.”



“Where’s the fun in that?”



Shaking her head, Ree unlocked her door and turned to look at the Dark One sprawled on her bed. “I’m going to go take a shower. I guess you’re still going to be here when I get back?”



“Unless you want me to come with you,” he replied.



Heat suffused her cheeks and she shook her head. “No, you better stay here.”



“As you wish.” Winking, he leaned back onto the bed, making himself comfortable as she fumbled with the door handle.



Chapter 17



Wiping the fog from the mirror, Ree looked at her reflection and grimaced at the circles under her eyes. Running around late at night was not agreeing with her sleeping habits. Sighing, she arranged her wet hair into a braid and threw on her nightclothes before grabbing her toothbrush. With Roland in her room, she couldn’t imagine a reason to not sleep well.



Spitting out toothpaste, she snorted and wiped her mouth on a towel. Well, maybe that isn’t exactly true.



He was still lying on her bed when she got back to her room. The overhead light was off and a soft glow from the bedside lamp filled the room. He was so still, she wondered if he was asleep. Walking across the room to her laundry hamper, she quietly dumped her clothes and pondered what to do next. A floorboard squeaked under her foot as she walked to the rocking chair in the corner. She froze and looked at the dark-haired guy on her bed. Something soft and sentimental clouded his eyes as he looked at her, a gentle smile tugging the corners of his mouth.

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