Authors: Kimberly Frost
He shook his head. “When I was a lot younger, Lysander had me help him carve a house into the top of a mountain. When you’re ventala, and you work construction at eleven thousand feet for fourteen hours a day, your body either accommodates or collapses. After the first few days when I thought my heart was going to explode and my muscles were going to burst into flames, I got used to it.”
“How did his house turn out?”
“Imagine if Michelangelo and the Mad Hatter designed the Bat Cave.”
She laughed. “Explain that,” she said, giving his arm a squeeze.
He opened the trunk and pulled out his bags. “The front juts out over a cliff, so in the living room you feel like you’re going to free fall down the side of the mountain. There’s an arched door on the roof, but most of the time he goes in and out through the enormous windows.”
“Like Peter Pan.”
He nodded. “There’s a lot of wood and glass and exposed stone. He can create just about anything with raw materials. A throwback to his endless life. He’s been a carpenter, a stone mason, a sculptor, and a lot of other things, apparently. The detail work defies description.”
“It sounds incredible.”
“He has a lot of time to kill between killing demons.”
She smiled. “I was hoping you’d be impressed by the retreat center, but maybe you won’t be. The Mad Hatter wasn’t available, so we had to use architects and landscapers.”
“How about ES? Were they consulted?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Of course. Why?”
“There’s just the one road providing access up here?”
“Yes, but if there was a bad snowstorm while muses were in residence, we’d be perfectly fine waiting things out until the road could be cleared. We have our own cell tower and generators. There’s fresh water, as well as a helipad.”
His gaze swiveled from side to side as they climbed the stone steps.
“What is it?” she asked.
He shook his head, but she could tell he had more to say. She didn’t press him with more questions for two reasons. The first was because she wanted to see his reaction to the retreat center. The buildings had lovely sloping curves painted in soft whites so they were in perfect harmony with their environment, and the generous use of windows allowed light to pass through many of the common areas unobstructed, adding to the communal sense of people in sync with each other and nature.
The other reason Alissa didn’t ask Merrick questions was that as soon as they emerged from the wooded path, she spotted the two men in the Etherlin she could trust the least, Troy Rella and Theo Tobin, sitting together in deep conversation.
He’s going to regret not getting on a plane,
Merrick thought when Alissa stiffened at the sight of Tobin sitting at a round stone table with Troy Rella.
“Don’t forget I’m Mills,” Merrick murmured to Alissa as the other two men watched them approach.
She didn’t glance at Merrick, but the slight incline of her head acknowledged the warning. He needn’t have worried. As always, in public she was grace under pressure.
Tobin rose from the bench seat with a word to Rella and hurried to the path. Merrick paused when Alissa did.
“Hey, Alissa. I need to talk to you. I found out something new since we talked last night,” Tobin said.
She didn’t answer at first, and when she did, her tone was frosty. “You seem to be really chatty lately, Mr. Tobin.” Her gaze slid to Rella and then back to Tobin.
“Just a casual conversation about press photos,” Tobin said quickly. “Listen, I’ve seen your itinerary. You’re pretty booked up until dinner, but I’d like to get together after.”
“It’s a possibility,” she said.
“Unless your schedule’s too full,” Merrick said. Mills wouldn’t have interfered, and Merrick knew he should stay silent, but he didn’t want her spending time with Tobin or staring at the guy’s bruised face.
“You know, Mr. Tobin, I’d better see—”
Tobin stepped forward, and Merrick resisted the urge to shove him back.
Leave him,
he warned himself.
Mills wouldn’t overreact; if you do, it’ll look suspicious. Besides, you don’t want her seeing you get violent.
Not ready to let it go, Tobin pressed on, and despite the fact that he whispered, Merrick heard what Tobin said. “They’re interested in Phaedra’s Legacy. They think it passed to your mother and you.”
Phaedra again. That needs investigating,
Merrick thought, watching Alissa’s eyes widen.
“That’s not possible,” she said to Tobin, lowering her voice. “We’re not descended from her line. She died childless.”
Tobin shrugged and stepped back, saying in a normal voice, “There’s definitely more to talk about. We can meet in the glass house, and I’ll get some shots of you among the blooming flowers and plants. There’s a security briefing, so we’ll stay close. Hate to have ES getting twitchy.” Tobin looked at Merrick, and after a moment, his head cocked. “No ES blazer? Easton won’t like you being out of uniform.” Tobin studied Merrick’s eyes, which appraised him coolly. “I thought I knew all the ES guys who rotated on bodyguard detail for Miss North.”
“Actually, this is Mr. Mills. He’s a consultant.”
“ES is using security consultants in the Etherlin?” Tobin asked.
Merrick forced himself to look away. Normally he never lost a stare down, but he recalled Victor’s observation that his killer instinct was apparent in his eyes. Tobin’s curiosity could prove dangerous.
Glancing at Rella didn’t allow Merrick to relax. Rella’s focus on Alissa was hawklike and hostile. Rage dripped into Merrick’s veins, and he calculated the distance between them. He and Rella locked eyes, and Merrick saw something he recognized, a darkness.
Bring it
, Merrick willed, but Rella kept his seat.
“I asked Mr. Mills to come,” Alissa told Tobin. “He’s been a valuable consultant on the West Coast, and I’m hoping to have a lot of travel in my future,” she said. “I’ll need a security
officer with experience scouting and securing locations, and it will be convenient, once he knows my routine, for Mr. Mills to continue with me in the Etherlin as well. That’s why he’s here, to get some exposure to ES procedures in the Etherlin.”
Merrick forced himself to look at Alissa. Serenely beautiful, she radiated control. He swallowed the urge to fight with Rella, a little surprised at the depth of that hunger. He was no stranger to violent impulses, but concern for a woman never provoked them. Until her. Everything had changed. He would have to deal with that.
“And will he be working for you or for the EC?” Tobin asked.
“Well, both of us. My interests always run parallel to those of the EC, Mr. Tobin. You know that,” she said with a smile.
Smooth as satin.
“Sure, of course. I guess he’s ex-military? Special Ops?”
“How did you know?”
“He’s got that look to him.”
It’s in your interest and Alissa’s for you to put Tobin at ease.
But the easy charm Merrick often relied on would not come. Tobin had been party to Alissa’s abuse, and now had the fucking gall to worm his way back into her life.
Destroy him,
the vampire instinct said, but the strategist in him quickly countered.
No. Would you risk being separated from her over Theo Tobin?
“You can take the man out of training, but getting the training out of the man isn’t as easy. Fortunately my skills have served me well in the private sector, too,” Merrick said, forcing a friendly tone into his voice. “And speaking of a flexible skill set, you’re obviously known for your candid shots of the muses, but I bet you’re a good choice for shooting the retreat center. You’ve got a good eye for architectural aesthetics. I remember seeing some excellent pictures that you took of the Etherlin.”
You didn’t even choke on the words. Good job,
he thought.
It’s just like you were a famous enforcer once, instead of a guy too mesmerized by a girl to think straight. Plus, you’ve made an opening you can use. Now go get the name of the asshole who exploited her when she was a kid.
Tobin nodded and smiled, acknowledging Merrick’s compliment. “Thanks. Yes. Unfortunately, ES thought that was a security risk, so I don’t shoot the muses’ homes anymore.”
Don’t let the opening close. Get in there.
“I liked the way you composed your street shots,” Merrick said. “There seemed an obvious hierarchy to the grandeur of the houses. The homes of the Etherlin Council members dwarf their neighbors’ places. That council member you were talking to, Rella, his place was what, four stories?”
“Yeah, good memory, but he’s actually one of the few. Most of the council members have large houses and estates, but not four stories. Rella inherited his grandmother’s place and moved into it when he made the council.”
“He looks young. How long ago did he join the council?”
“He was only twenty-three when he took the Rella seat about twelve years ago—”
Which would’ve made him twenty-four when she was fifteen. That fits. Now, who else is in the running with a four-story place?
“I’m so sorry to interrupt,” Alissa said.
She sees where you’re headed with this,
Merrick thought, sorry his questions were about to be shut down, but not surprised she’d caught on quickly. He knew she was smart; it was one of the things about her that he liked most.
“We really should get settled in, Mr. Mills, so I can check my schedule,” Alissa said.
“Of course,” Merrick said with a quick glance back at the stone table. Rella was gone, but Merrick would catch up to him soon enough.
When they were out of Tobin’s earshot, Alissa said, “You did a good job with the friendly bodyguard routine just now. Flattering the work of anyone who’s creative goes a long way.”
Merrick nodded.
“I had no idea you knew so much about Etherlin architecture. I thought I was the only thing in the Etherlin that interested you.”
You are.
He didn’t answer. She was starting her own fishing expedition, and he was trying to decide whether he would let
her have the truth about the fact that he was still after the name of the guy who’d exploited her.
“I’m surprised you remembered seeing pictures of everyone else’s houses and decided to talk to Theo Tobin about them. What made you ask about Troy Rella’s place?” she asked.
So she’s coming after it, then. Despite Tobin, she’s not afraid to challenge you. Good.
“Ileana Rella and her forebears are the muses of architecture. It wasn’t a stretch to guess that Troy Rella would live in one of the biggest houses in the Etherlin,” he said.
“Why did you ask when he got on the council?”
Merrick’s gaze slid to Alissa’s face, and he raised his brows slowly.
She stopped walking and glanced around before continuing in a low voice. “I asked you not to pursue that.”
“You did, but threat assessment is part of being a good bodyguard.”
“Right, so you’re not going to act on the information? You’re telling me that you’re just gathering data?”
“You know,” Merrick said, the corner of his mouth curving up. “If you want something tame, don’t keep a lion for a pet.”
“James,” she said softly, making his pulse beat to the batting of her lashes.
“Don’t try it,” he said, but he didn’t mean it. The pull of her voice made him want to give her anything that was in his power to give.
Fuck,
he thought, trying to steel himself against the urge. She was after another ‘I won’t kill a guy even though he hurt you’ promise, and if he gave her that, he’d regret it later.
“James,” she repeated, her voice a caress.
In the past, he’d never understood Samson or any of the men of history or legend who abandoned good judgment for the sake of a woman. He understood now.
He swallowed, and his muscles tightened reflexively.
She’s five foot six and sweet as peaches. Are you going to let her bring you to your knees? What’s next? A job as a florist?
“People who hurt you aren’t entitled to your protection, Alissa. I’m not going to let you tie my hands with promises.”
“Do what you want,” she said, her voice going as cool as the snowcaps. “If you’d risk bringing this relationship to an end before it really gets started, that’s certainly your prerogative.”
He clenched his jaw. He didn’t like being threatened. But he liked the thought of losing her even less.
This is what it’ll be with her. The better she knows you,
the more intense the tug-of-war will become between what seems right to her and what feels right to you. Think you can handle that?
He should’ve followed the lead with Tobin when she wasn’t around. Next time, he’d be more careful. Next time. He wanted a lot of those. “Extending the animal metaphors, I guess it doesn’t make sense to fall for a dove and then expect her to be a vulture.”
Her expression softened, twisting the arrow through his heart.
“I’m used to having to compromise, even when I shouldn’t,” she said. “I suspect you’re not used to compromising, even when you should. Maybe we’ll meet in the middle, and it’ll be good for both of us.”
Maybe,
he thought,
but even if it doesn’t turn out to be good, it won’t matter.
After the kiss next to the guardrail, she could name the place; he’d meet her in the middle. He’d meet her anywhere.
Despite the tension when they’d first arrived, Alissa felt strangely elated to have Merrick nearby. He blended into the background, talking casually with ES officers during a series of staged photographs in various parts of the retreat center that featured her, Cerise, and Ileana.
When they finished, she completed the tour by taking him through the lounge area and into the private libraries and studies. She stopped in the main library to show him the portraits of the former muses, relating her favorite stories and memories of them, but she stopped when she recognized the antique walnut cabinet that had been in the Dome’s library.
She hurried to it and tried the doors, unsurprised to find it locked.
“I’ve asked permission for full access to my mother’s journals, but the EC hasn’t granted it yet. When this cabinet was in the Dome, it held several original muse journals.”