rogue shifter 05 - caught between

Trembling, she lowered herself onto the edge of the marble fountain, closing her hand quickly around the pouch containing the small vial of blood and the ragged piece of blue fabric. Although cool spray dusted her shoulders, she ignored it, her awareness narrowing to block out everything but the soft velvet beneath her fingers. Routines were continuing on schedule around her as if nothing unusual had taken place, but her life had been forever altered by the contents of a small velvet bag and a few private words spoken in a forest clearing less than twenty minutes ago.

To convince herself that this was true and not some dream, she opened the bag once again. Her hand shook as the scent shattered her senses, but she dug into her reserves and forced herself to remain composed, understanding that falling apart would destroy any chance she might have to set things right.

When she'd first opened the bag, she'd only felt curious, never expecting to be horrified by whatever it contained, but looking at it now, a scrap ripped from his shirt and stiff with his blood, and a vial of blood taken in violence, she saw it for what it was. A wake-up call.

She leaned back, picked up her legs and wrapped her arms around her knees, feeling compelled by instinct to hold herself tightly in control and not lose herself to grief. Having already experienced events that had changed her short life dramatically in mere seconds, she'd grown more practiced at facing a new future, although this one would be terrifying in comparison to her relatively simple and ordered life of twenty minutes ago.

Yet promises had been made on both sides, and she was astonished, under these circumstances, to feel a strange new sense of excitement stirring in her blood. If what she'd been told was true, and she now believed that it was, then the tragedy could be reversed. The gift of foreknowledge, as painful as it was, would give her time to prepare.

She took another long breath to organize her thoughts. The unexpected visitor had been very clear. The death would be unavoidable, and afterward, her choice would be obvious. She would need courage and a shrewdness not common to her, but for this goal, she'd do anything.

She heard a sound, so she turned to see who approached. The young female spoke to her in Seelie Fae. "I am sorry to bother you during your time off, Bridgett, but Lady Dinestri needs you."

"Thank you, Mirrane. Please tell her I'll be right there." She'd answered in the same language, the ease in which she'd learned it a gift she'd taken for granted in the past. Watching as the young fae nodded and then walked back through the garden, she wrapped the blood soaked cloth around the glass vial and placed them back into the small bag. She tucked it into the pocket of her jacket, along with two sprigs of mint she'd plucked from a nearby shrub to help hide the scent.

Bridgett cleared her mind and built her mental wall, making it as strong as possible so her fae employers couldn't read what she'd have to keep hidden there. Not that they went into her mind, but if they sensed a change in her, they might. Keeping this secret would make these next few weeks difficult , but in the end it would be worth every second.

She stood, dusted off her clothing, ran her fingers through her hair and went back to work.

CHAPTER ONE

It was 1:00 AM on a clear, late August night when Garrett and I pulled up alongside the villa in Carmel, California that had once belonged to Eleanor Howard, Garrett's maker. Garrett had wanted to drive part of the way, saying that it would make sense to have a car at our disposal, so we traveled the ley lines only as far as San Francisco, and then rented a Porche to drive the last two hours. The ride down the coast had been scenically lovely in the moonlight, but I'd mostly stayed quiet to give Garrett the space that I sensed he needed to prepare himself emotionally. He looked a little paler than usual and although he'd fed before we'd left, his skin was cool to the touch.

I was beginning to wonder if this had been such a great idea. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed him to go, but I'd wanted so badly to have some time together
away
from all the craziness back at home. Plus, I was curious about the villa and I was determined to learn more about Garrett's time with Eleanor, something he rarely spoke about. It should have occurred to me that spending time here might be anything but relaxing for him.

The chaos surrounding our lives the past two weeks had kept both of us tense and on our toes. There'd been trips to the doctor to make sure that little Charlie was developing as he should, walks along the beach with Ethan, to keep me in shape and relieve some of my anxiety about becoming a mom, and even some weapons training with Kyle, our resident modern weapons expert and another member of Rogues, Inc. Garrett and his friend, Rob, a black leopard shifter, had formed our unique band of paranormal crime fighters, and although we were relatively new to the game, we'd already been successful at putting away some serious badasses.

In addition, our property in Crescent City was currently a hotbed of construction projects, mostly organized by Aaron and his werewolf pack. The 'Vamp Villa' next door was just about finished and Garrett's nest of vampires along with Flynn, a teenaged lion shapeshifter who was training to join the team, would be moving in sometime within the next couple of days.

A suitable tree had been found in the woods behind our house and had been converted into a magically protected residence for four tiny pixies, who'd pledged their loyalty to me and my son and would be moving in three days before I gave birth. The lovely little female, Sinlae, seemed to be magically prescient, so at least I'd have a heads-up on when to expect Charlie's imminent arrival.

And of course, my old room across the hall from Garrett's, had been turned into a nursery. Besides filling it up with all the usual baby equipment, I'd asked Ashlyn, a fae artist, to draw murals on the walls. I hadn't seen them yet, since she was still working when we'd left and I wanted to be surprised, but I was totally psyched.

Garrett parked the Porche at the end of a twisting driveway, near a set of stone stairs that led up to what looked like a walled garden. Extending his hand he helped me out of the car, then without releasing me, turned to look up at the main house. I watched his face as he took in the graceful lines of the enormous manor. His normally vibrant sapphire eyes had darkened and I noticed tiny lines etched across his forehead, as he seemed to lose himself to his bleak memories.

Feeling his pain, I suddenly felt guilty and selfish, unworthy of this amazing male. I wrapped my arms around his waist, snuggling closer and sending out my love with my energy. He sighed with resignation as he draped an arm over my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. This was not a place that held happy memories for Garrett.

On the outside, it was lovely. Architecture wasn't my thing, but the influence was definitely Spanish, with a tiled roof, pristine pale stucco walls, arched walkways and a large garden with various sculptures and fountains surrounding the house. The view of the ocean and the coastline from the driveway level was spectacular in the moonlight, so I imagined it must be even better from the front garden or upper floors. I had to admit, I was a little bit surprised that it was so elegant, based on what I knew of Eleanor and her taste for death and violence. There was nothing gloomy or ominous about it at all. Of course I hadn't yet seen the inside.

Liam and Kellaine arrived in a shimmer of light further down the driveway, then walked up to greet us. They avoided car trips when possible, preferring to travel the magical rivers known as ley lines to get here. They were both dressed casually in jeans and tee shirts, but no one would ever think them an average couple. Both possessed an alien beauty, their bodies lean and unusually graceful, their violet eyes glittering in the moonlight like crystal amethysts somehow lit from behind. They smelled of life magic and pulsed with more power than a nuclear plant. These two could imagine you dead and you would be—just like that. Good thing we were friends, right?

With wide eyes and big smiles, they looked the outside of the property over the way Garrett and I had, commenting on its beauty. I smiled back in agreement, but Garrett continued to look anxious. He'd spent over one hundred years on and off in these rooms listening to the screams of Eleanor's victims and smelling their blood as it pooled on the floors. He'd shed plenty of his own blood here under Eleanor's ministrations. I felt his grip on my shoulder tighten as if he'd read my thoughts.

I knew a few facts about what had happened in this place and most of it made modern horror movies sound pretty tame. Garrett's mother, father and sister had died inside these walls along with countless other innocents, all because of Eleanor's desire for power and her penchant for inflicting pain. Garrett had been turned here against his will from a peace-loving cheetah shapeshifter into a blood-addicted newborn vampire. He'd been tortured by Eleanor or her enforcers when he didn't obey her orders to kill or feed from innocents, and he'd spent a century torturing himself for the rare times that he was forced to do as she'd commanded.

Sensing our need for privacy, Liam took Kellaine over to the edge of the property to look at the lovely view of the ocean in the moonlight, but Garrett's feet remained glued to the driveway, refusing to take a step toward the house. I sent to him mentally,
"We don't have to stay. I shouldn't have suggested this trip."

He sighed.
"No. I'm ready for this. It's past time."

"What can I do to make it easier?"

He released me and turned, smiling halfway.
"Stay close tonight?"

"Velcro—that's me."
He pulled me against him again and took in a huge breath of my scent to steady his nerves. I giggled, my voice muffled against his chest. "
And aromatherapy too."
He laughed and pulled away, his eyes brightening as they lost the haunted look they'd carried during the drive. I touched his face and ran my fingers down his jaw line.
"She can't hurt anyone ever again. Even if she haunts these hallways, she can't do any harm."

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