Outcast (Hunter: A Thieves Series Book 4) Read online

  She’d missed the salient point. “I thought getting pregnant and raising a child was girls’ stuff.”

  “Nope. That’s woman stuff. Grown-ass woman stuff, and precisely why I’m dating a vampire. No fuss, no muss.” She winked over at her current boy toy, a vamp named Troy who looked like he should be guarding something somewhere. He had that look, the steely eyed one that said “I protect other people’s shit.”

  Since she’d broken off things with her longtime fiancé, my witchy bestie had been playing the field hard. At first I’d kind of thought she would date this guy on my team. She and Casey Lane had formed a connection I couldn’t deny. They’d gone out a few times as “friends,” but she’d cut things off abruptly and Casey moped around a lot now. He was the scariest of all classes of vamps—the millennial vamp. I can say that because I’m firmly in that generation. Look, we’re good at lots of things. I like my generation for the most part, but we can be whiny sons of bitches when it comes to love, and we do not stint on the heartfelt song writing.

  I took a slow sip of my beer and wished it had been served in a bottle. There’s nothing wrong with the bottle a beer was born in, but no, we had to have frosty crystal mugs. “I told you about my vision.”

  Liv’s eyes went soft and sympathetic. “Of course, you did, sweetie. But you’ve only been with Trent for a couple of months, and from what I can tell those men don’t get along. Have you thought about the fact that Gray might never forgive him?”

  Thought about it and dismissed the notion utterly because there was no way Nemcox was going to ruin my life from beyond. I wouldn’t let it happen. “In my vision, I know we were all together.”

  She moved us to the side, her eyes glancing around like she was looking for anyone who might be listening in. “Those visions you saw were only possible futures, Kels. Gray had a vision once, too. It was of the two of you getting married. I don’t think he saw Trent there.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe he was in the bathroom. Or going out to pick up pizza. He gets super hungry.”

  It wasn’t that I hadn’t considered everything Liv was saying. I simply didn’t want it to be true. I’d had my pick of all possible futures and settled on this one, so I was going to make it happen. I was well aware that there had been a time when I would have thrown my hands up and let fate decide, but I wasn’t that girl anymore.

  Hell, I was part Amazon, apparently. I was a warrior for the weak and oppressed. I’d learned I could fight for them. I was damn straight going to fight for me and the kids I’d seen and known I would love.

  “I don’t want you to get your heart broken,” Liv said.

  I had no intention of doing that. I glanced over and Trent was standing near the elegant bar with Neil Roberts and his husband, Chad. My uncle was leaning against the bar, saying something that had the other wolves laughing and Chad shaking his head as though trying to get wolf humor.

  Gray hadn’t shown up yet. He might not, and that made me sad. When Trent and I had gone up to my apartment to get ready, I’d hoped to find Gray brooding there. The apartment had been empty, though at least his backpack was still there and his clothes had been hanging next to mine. I hoped he would show up when it was time to go to bed.

  “How can you be sure he’s the one wolf for you?”

  Chad wasn’t the only one who didn’t understand wolves tonight. “Because I know. He’s my mate. When I’m around him, I feel peaceful.”

  “You didn’t at first. Shouldn’t your sniffer know?”

  Now that I looked back, I think his did. He’d annoyed me in the beginning because everywhere I turned, he seemed to be there. He’d constantly been sticking his nose into my business. Of course, now he was constantly sticking his nose in my business and that was way better. “I’m not the same as a regular wolf. I have to concentrate to get even half their sense of smell. I was afraid in the beginning and I shoved that part of me way down. That’s what Marcus was there for.”

  Speaking of the entirely gorgeous devil, Marcus strode in wearing a tuxedo that made him look scrumptious. I knew I shouldn’t think about him in that fashion anymore, but I’d had that man about a hundred different ways. I wasn’t going to jump him. I didn’t feel passion anymore. What I felt was a soft, warm glow when I looked at him. He was the high school boyfriend who’d always treated me like gold. It simply hadn’t worked out.

  He nodded my way, giving me a brief but warm smile before greeting the queen. Zoey Donovan-Quinn is one of those people who kind of glows. She was another person I started off a bit cool with and now pretty much adored. Of course, when you’ve shoved a sword from the Heaven plane through a chick, you tend to get close.

  One of the tuxedoed waiters stopped and Liv selected what appeared to be a vegetable tart. It was delicate and lovely, and I was sure Albert had made it himself.

  “You got anything with meat?” I asked.

  The waiter simply walked on by. I was going to starve to death. I prayed this bigwig person wasn’t Fae. If it was Dev Quinn’s mom who had shown up on short notice, I would be eating salads and fruits. I wanted a side of beef.

  “It hasn’t been long since you were with Marcus and you weren’t thinking of a family,” Liv pointed out, ignoring the way my stomach growled. “Have you talked to your brothers about this? How about your mom?”

  “I hadn’t even talked to the dudes I need the sperm from, Liv. What do you think?” Though I suspected my mom would dance a jig.

  I have a complex relationship with my mother. The truth is I was avoiding her because I hadn’t mentioned the fact that I’d met my bio dad a few months before. Oh, I was still going to dinner at her house every couple of weeks. Gray had started going with me, and I was pretty sure my mom had a wedding planner on speed dial. My brothers weren’t thrilled. Jamie was Gray’s bestie, but he worried about what would happen when Gray’s contract kicked in. Nate didn’t like Gray at all but talked about how cool Trent was all the time. I used them like a shield against my mom’s prying. How did I tell her I’d met the Lee Owens she’d had an affair and a child with? I couldn’t exactly explain to her that he’d been in a child’s body at the time and that his soul was still here.

  Really here. I caught sight of Little Lee creeping around the corners of the ballroom. It was obvious this was an adults’ only night since he was in his PJs.

  “I think you should talk to your mom,” Liv was saying. “She knows what it’s like to raise a supernatural child. It’s harder than you think.”

  “Oh, I think I get that kids are trouble.” Even the human ones. I glanced around to see if anyone else had caught sight of the little creeper. He moved behind the bar, but not before I watched him pull a walkie-talkie out of his pajama bottoms. It was good to know he was using my birthday gift to him.

  I wasn’t sure if I should drag him away and send him back to bed, or tell his parents so they could drag him away or send him back to bed.

  Or I might watch him and let him spy. He’d worked hard to get to this point. It seemed sucky to get caught now.

  “What did the guys say?” Liv asked, sipping her martini

  Trent hadn’t said much, just tried to prove that he was ready to go along with my plan. He’d had me halfway out of my clothes when he’d been called away by the king. I had ended up super frustrated and forced into a cocktail dress. Now I didn’t have dinner. The night was not going gangbusters. “Not much. I think I shocked Gray. Trent seemed pretty cool about it.”

  Liv sighed. “He’s a wolf. He finds his mate, he tries to impregnate her at the first opportunity. Gray is another situation altogether. Have you…”

  “Who’s the chick with Casey?” I needed anything to cut Liv off at the pass. I didn’t need another lecture on how my bio clock could fuck up my life. Casey walking around in a tux with a lovely young lady by his side was exactly the distraction I needed.

  Sure enough, Liv’s head turned, her eyes lasering in. “Her name is Meredith Kyle.”

  That was said with a
tight-lipped anger I rarely saw from my bestie. “You know her?”

  She turned away from the sight of Casey awkwardly dancing with the slender beauty. “No. I know of her. She’s a companion. Her vampire master was killed in the battle that made Daniel king. When she was freed, the king gave her the option of taking another vampire lover or going to college as a protected ward of the Council. She’s got a medical degree from Harvard and she’s studying under Henri now. I believe she’s auditioning lovers.”

  And Liv did not like that one bit.

  “Well, we all know this one doesn’t need to audition,” a deep voice said from behind me. “I believe our lovely Hunter’s bed is positively full.”

  I winced because my night just got worse. I turned and there was my future father-in-law, the Hell lord. Two visits in one day was not something I looked forward to. “Lord Sloane.”

  “Oh, Kelsey, shouldn’t we be on a first name basis? After all, we’re practically family.”

  “I would love to know your first name. Please do tell.”

  He chuckled, a dark sound. “Ah, I’m not so foolish as to tell you my true name, but you may call me David. It’s the name I go by on this plane. Only to close friends and family, of course. Now, the king tells me you’re taking Ms. Carey with you to deal with the rabid wolf.”

  “Yes, I’m going to back the Nex Apparatus up.” Liv stood beside me, her shoulders squared. I’d filled her in on our new job.

  Sloane raised a single brow. “I don’t see why she would need to take you. After all, she’s got my son to protect her and that mangy wolf to… I don’t know what he does besides assassinations.”

  “I’m quite good at taking care of what’s mine.” Trent put an arm around me. He was also good at knowing when I needed him.

  “I don’t go anywhere without my team, Lord Sloane.” I wasn’t about to call the man David. He didn’t even look like a David. He looked more like a Terrance, or one of those snooty names superrich people have. “It’s me and Liv and Casey. Trent and Gray are coming along for the ride.”

  And I was going to have to make that plain to my men. I was the boss. This was my gig. If they wanted to be the Nex Apparatus, they could be in charge, but then they would have to deal with everything that went along with it.

  Sloane straightened his bow tie. He’d dressed for the occasion. “I don’t think you’ll need a technophage vampire in the wilds of Wyoming, but then I can see how the witch might be useful. I don’t suppose you have any interest in helping my coven with prophecy spells. The ley lines in those woods are supposedly very powerful. There’s a treat in it for you.”

  Liv took a step toward me and Trent. It proved her excellent instincts. “I think I’ll pass since that treat is probably a swift journey to the Hell plane.”

  “Well, no one said you were foolish,” Sloane offered before turning to my wolf. “Going to Wyoming will be something of a homecoming for you, Mr. Wilcox, of course. You do have family there from what I understand.”

  I wrapped my arm around Trent’s waist when he stiffened.

  “Not at all,” Trent replied, his Boston accent thicker than usual. “My home is here.”

  “You’re not curious about your parents?” Lord Sloane asked.

  “My parents are dead.” Trent’s voice was flat, his eyes flinty.

  There was something about Lord Sloane’s eyes that made me wary. “Ah, yes. I did hear about the fire that took most of the adult members of the Haverford community. I always wondered if you did that. Someone spared the children. I wonder how they’ve grown. If, perhaps, they look to avenge their parents.”

  Trent had told me previously about how he’d set fire to the building his former pack had been in after they’d viciously murdered his wife. I rather thought those children should thank Trent, but I knew they wouldn’t. The children would have moved to other Lupus Solum communities and been raised there.

  Maybe he shouldn’t go with me. It struck me suddenly that Lord Sloane could find a way to get his revenge without violating his contract with the king. All he had to do was point some angry wolves toward Trent.

  “I suppose I’ll deal with whatever comes my way.” Trent’s voice was perfectly calm, but the hand on my shoulder tightened.

  “I’m sure you will.” Sloane glanced around the ballroom. “I don’t see my son.”

  “He had some errands to run before we leave in the morning,” I replied, unwilling to tell him the truth.

  “Well, it wasn’t to buy condoms,” Sloane said.

  Trent’s arm came down. “He told you?”

  Sloane smiled, a nasty expression. “Not exactly, but he did request to see his contract. He went over it with a satan this afternoon and was specifically concerned with his progeny and how the contract would affect any children of his line.”

  “See, I knew there wasn’t attorney-client privilege.” A satan was the Hell plane’s version of an attorney specializing in contracts. At least I knew what Gray had been doing.

  “That is absolutely none of your concern,” Trent said. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I have to leave in an hour. I would like to spend it with Kelsey.”

  Sloane flicked his wrist as though dismissing the matter. “Stay the night. I’m in a giving mood now that I know I might be a grandfather soon.”

  “That contract states plainly you have no claim on any of Gray’s children.” I wasn’t going to let that go. He needed to understand he wasn’t getting visitation rights to my kid.

  Sloane shrugged. “It’s always good to know one’s line shall continue. Good luck in Wyoming. I think that stray might give you more trouble than you’re counting on. Enjoy your brief parole, Wilcox. If you don’t present me with the head of that wolf, it will be your last parole.”

  “I think I can handle one wolf,” Trent muttered under his breath.

  Sloane straightened his tie. “I should go and make sure I’m ready when the big guy gets here. After all, it’s been a long time since he graced us with his presence.”

  Sloane bowed, a courtly gesture, and strode off to make his presence known to the king.

  I looked up at Trent. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” Trent stared after the Hell lord. “I think we should all talk though.”

  “I think we should discuss changing the makeup of the team this time,” I began gently. Sloane only said Trent had to present him with the head of the wolf. I could behead Wolfy McKillsalot, hop on my handy jet, and Trent could be presenting that head by tomorrow night with any luck.

  Liv shook her head. “He won’t let you leave him behind. You might as well not try. I’m going to dance for a while. We’ve got an early call in the morning. I’ll bring everything we need to locate a wolf.”

  She walked off and smiled up at her current date. He took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

  “I’m not being left behind, Kelsey.” Trent’s eyes were steady on me.

  “This could be a trap. He could have been talking to Lupus Solum all along.”

  “They wouldn’t give him the time of day,” Trent pointed out. “They don’t talk to wolves who aren’t in the religion. They certainly wouldn’t have an audience with a demon. You know they’ve turned down Daniel’s attempts to meet with them. Don’t think you can get rid of me. I’m going with you and that’s that. And now I don’t have to go back to the cabin. I can sleep in that comfy bed of yours. Did I ever thank Marcus for that? The man’s got taste.”

  “No, and don’t you dare.” I wanted them to get along.

  Trent’s expression softened, and he pulled me close. “Come on. Our family dinner was ruined by that wizard guy, but I happen to know Albert has a nice ham in the kitchen. What do you say we blow this ballroom and go eat with the servant class?”

  That sounded awesome with the exception of one thing. “Wizard?”

  Trent sighed. “Yeah, I’ve never met the guy but he’s apparently important to the king. He’s why I got called away from you. Some weird
Welsh name, but I just call him Merlin. You know the old stories. There’s always a bit of truth to them and the truth is Merlin is real and he’s connected to Excalibur. He called this afternoon and said he was coming tonight. I’ve never seen the king and Dev so up in arms about getting a party planned. I thought the queen was going to pull her hair out. I got the feeling she’s not real high on this guy. I’ve done my job and security is tight. We can safely eat and then sneak out after what will almost surely be an awkward introduction. I don’t get the society shit.”

  I didn’t really hear much of what he was saying because I was already running for Lee.

  The devil was coming and I had a promise to keep.

  Chapter Three

  I rushed to the bar, pushing my way past a couple of vamps I didn’t know. Trent was hard on my heels.

  “What’s wrong?” He stopped, taking a deep breath, and then growled and followed me. “That kid is going to be the death of me. Kelsey, it’s nothing to panic about. We all expect Lee to try crap like this. I even had one of the witches put a ward on the back exit so we could easily get to the kids’ rooms but they couldn’t come in. He probably overheard me and found a way around it. Smart little fucker. I’ll take him back to his room. I’m sure Rhys and Sean are up, too.”

  He didn’t understand. None of them did. I made my way to the bar, and to the surprise of the bartender, walked right around the back. Lee was pressed into a space where the bartender wouldn’t see him unless he looked down. His head was turned away from me, his eyes looking out over the dance floor.

  “Yeah, Casey’s dancing with the new doctor lady but he keeps looking at Liv,” Lee was saying into the walkie. “What should I do?”

  “You have to get them close together,” a feminine voice said.

  I realized Lee wasn’t spying for his brother and cousin. That was Mia Day on the other end of the line. Mia was the daughter of my therapist, Felix Day, and his witch wife, Sarah. As far as I could tell Mia was the only person in the world who could kind of, sort of control Lee. They were best friends.