“Don’t you need to blindfold me?” Vicky asked as they wound through a forest. She had no idea how close they were to the stronghold, but she suspected they weren’t far away.
“No.”
She turned her attention away from the trees crowding the road and to him. “Nathan—”
“It will be okay.”
“But your people—”
“Won’t know we’re there.”
Vicky glanced at where Jordan lay in the bed of the pickup, buried under tarps and tied to the bumper and cab of the truck. How many more snakes slithered inside Nathan’s stronghold?
“Which hunters can you completely trust?” she asked.
“Asher.”
“Is that it?”
He hesitated before answering again. At one time he would have said Logan too, without question, but Nathan didn’t know what to make of him since Kadence chose Ronan. Did he think Logan would turn against him and try to sway others against him too? No, he didn’t. But was Logan entirely on board for working with the vampires? Not at all.
“There are others I trust, others who wouldn’t turn against me, but there’s only a few I completely trust.”
“Would you have considered Jordan trustworthy?”
“Yes,” he reluctantly admitted. “I never heard him speak out against the alliance, and with only three hundred hunters residing in our stronghold, it’s impossible not to know everyone. Jordan and I were never what I’d consider friends, but he was an ally.”
“Did you hunt together?”
“Rarely. Jordan’s twenty years older, and we tend to stick with our age groups while on hunts. We all come up together in those groups, train together, and the bonds formed during that time are important in the field.”
“I see,” Vicky murmured.
When he turned onto a bumpy dirt road, the branches of the trees nearly kissed the side mirrors until he stopped in front of a massive gate. Climbing out of the truck, Nathan walked over to punch in his code and waited for the gates to swing open. He returned to the pickup, drove into the stronghold, and parked in front of the brick house.
“What do you plan to do with Jordan?” Vicky inquired.
“Learn everything I can from him.”
Pulling the emergency brake up, he slid his phone from his pocket and punched in the number he had memorized. He waited as Kadence’s phone started ringing. He’d considered calling Ronan instead, but Kadence knew the location of the stronghold and would have to be woken no matter what to come here; she’d be annoyed when she learned he called Ronan instead of her.
“Hello?” she asked groggily, not recognizing the number of his newest burner phone.
“Hey, Kadence,” he greeted.
She gasped, and he pictured her bolting upright as she realized it was three in the morning. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, but I have a situation I need your help with.”
“Where are you?”
“The old stronghold.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
“Bring at least Ronan and Declan with you, preferably more.” He didn’t understand it, but he’d come to realize that Declan had a way of reading people better than anyone else Nathan had ever met.
Her breath sucked in. “Really?”
“Yes, and use code five-one-three-eight, so you don’t have to break in like you broke out.”
He hung up before she could reply and called Asher next.
Kadence sat and stared at her phone for a minute as her brother’s words sank in. What had happened tonight to cause this change?
He’d made it clear he trusted her even though the hunters left the old stronghold after she became a vampire. Still, he never would have wanted her to reveal the location to Ronan and the others.
Whatever happened, she wouldn’t know the answer if she remained in bed. When she threw the covers aside, the book she’d fallen asleep reading thumped onto the floor. She set it on her nightstand before hurrying to get ready. Five minutes later, she left the room and rushed down the hall in search of Ronan.
He’d been on a hunt with Killean earlier. She usually stayed awake until he came home, but tonight exhaustion had won out. Sometimes, when he returned, Ronan liked to have a drink with the others before coming to bed, but there was still a chance he wasn’t home yet.
She descended to the marble foyer and strode toward the bar. She heard Ronan’s baritone before she arrived at the open wooden doors and stepped inside. At one time, this room was the exact opposite of the men gathered within it, because of that, it was the first one she redid.
Gone were the delicate chairs with spindly legs. Leather recliners, leather chairs, and a leather sectional sat in their place. The once red curtains on the windows were now wooden blinds currently lifted to reveal the bars outside the glass. The garish red window seats had been replaced with tan ones.
The oriental rug was gone, and the oak wood floors buffed to shine. She kept the oriental carpet because it was beautiful, but moved it into the library where she saw it often.
The bar on the far side of the room remained the same, but she’d hung paintings depicting scenes of meadows and forests on the walls. The whole room now had the air of a gentleman’s club instead of an old woman’s tea parlor, but she’d barely call those gathered inside gentleman.
Ronan, Killean, Declan, and Lucien sat facing each other in the chairs, their drinks in hand or on the glass table in the center of the grouping. Lucien puffed on a cigar while Declan twirled a lollipop between his fingers. Ronan sat with his back to her, and Killean stared broodingly out a window. Only Saxon was missing, and she suspected it was because he’d found a woman for the night.
Sensing her presence, Ronan turned toward her. A smile lit his face as his burgundy eyes warmed to a brown hue. Then, his smile vanished and his eyes became more crimson.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he rose.
“Nathan called me,” she said. “He wants us to meet him at the old stronghold.”
“For what?” Lucien demanded.
“He said he has a situation he needs help with.”
“It could be a trap,” Killean said.
Kadence glowered at him. “My brother would never do anything like that to me. It’s not a trap. He specifically asked for Ronan and Declan, so please, feel free to stay.”
Killean’s full lips compressed into a flat line. He’d been nicer to her since she became Ronan’s mate, but nice for Killean was the same as nice for a rattlesnake. He was polite to her because Ronan would beat him to a bloody pulp otherwise, but he didn’t hide his intense dislike for hunters.
She turned her attention back to Ronan. “We have to go.”
“You up for a ride?” Ronan asked Declan.
Declan flicked the lollipop into the trash before replying, “I’m game for anything involving intrigue.”
Ronan looked at Lucien and Killean. Lucien was already rising, but Killean turned to stare out the window again. Then, Killean placed his hands on the ends of the armchair and rose.
“I might as well cover your asses if you’re walking into a trap,” Killean replied.
“It’s not a trap,” Kadence insisted.
“Let’s go see what it is,” Ronan said as he walked over to stand before her.
Nathan dropped Jordan onto the floor of the prison. This was the first time the cell was used, as crimes against hunters were rare. There were fights, some came to blows, but nothing bad enough to warrant being locked away. Still, every stronghold had a prison just in case. Over the centuries, there were a few murders between friends and jealous spouses, or the occasional theft that warranted locking someone away.
Nathan didn’t bother to remove Jordan’s restraints as he stepped out of the cell and shut the door behind him. He stood with his hand on one of the bars while he watched the hunter.
“Are you okay?” Vicky asked from behind him.
Turning, he spotted her standing at the bottom of the stairs. The lantern on the wall cast shadows over her bruised and swollen face, but she already looked better than she had an hour ago.
“Yes,” he said.
“He….” She swallowed as she tried to think of the right words. “He betrayed you.”
“He did.”
“That can’t be easy to deal with.”
“I’m okay.”
“Has anything like this ever happened before?” she asked.
“No, but since my father died, a lot of shit has gone wrong, or differently than in the past. I know this alliance is the best thing for our survival, but I’m not sure my father would have approved.”
“You’re doing the right thing with the alliance,” she said.
“Am I?”
“Yes!”
He glanced back at Jordan. “Many hunters would disagree with you, and I’m not the leader my father was.”
“Just because you’re a different leader than he was, it doesn’t mean you’re worse, Nathan. The hunters can’t keep living in the Dark Ages.”
“Maybe not, but if our society completely unravels, then I’m not saving anyone. I’m looking for our long-term survival by aligning with the vampires, but we might not survive the short term, and if it falls apart, then it is my fault.”
“Nathan,” she breathed.
“I won’t let that happen.”
“I know you won’t. Why did you call Kadence?” She’d been so dumbfounded by the move, and his abrupt departure from the truck after the call, that she hadn’t questioned him about it yet.
“Because if I disappear one day, or end up dead with my death blamed on vampires, she and Ronan have to know it might not be that simple. If the hunters turn on me, they’ll also go for Kadence. Some already consider her a traitor. I was born to lead my people, but I will do whatever it takes to protect my sister, and so will Ronan.”
“That he will,” Vicky murmured.
“I’m going to keep you safe too. They have to know a hunter has gone after you. There may be more hunters who know about our relationship, or at least think they do, and they’ll see you as a target. If anything happens to me, Ronan and your family will be aware of the threat and guard you too.”
“I can take care of myself, and you’re in far more danger than I am.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You can’t go back there.”
He strode across the room and rested his hands on her shoulders. “I have no choice. I’ve never had one.”
She resisted telling him there was always a choice, but the words would be futile. “Ronan and Kadence will question our relationship.”
“I’ll handle it.”
Jordan groaned behind him, and Nathan glanced back to see the man stirring in his cell. “Come on, let’s go outside.”
Taking her hand, he felt a small, reassuring squeeze from her fingers as she healed further. He left the lantern hanging from the concrete wall burning and led her upstairs toward the steel door. Once an old root cellar, the prison had been updated to keep its prisoners restrained, but it had no modern amenities.
“What are you going to tell them about Jordan?” she asked.
“Everything, including that he attacked you. I mean to see this alliance work, no matter what it takes, and I will not withhold vital information.”
“Ronan will kill him.”
“No, he won’t.”
“What Jordan did breaks the rules of the alliance.”
“I know, and he will be punished for it, but I will be the one to hand down judgment on him.”
He opened the door at the top of the stairs and held it for her. Outside, the twinkling stars were the only illumination. The crisp breeze cooled her heated cheeks, sore nose, and battered body as she paused to inhale the fresh air. Clasping her elbow, Nathan led her toward the brick house.
“How long before they get here?” she asked.
“I don’t know about Kadence and the others; I’m not sure where Ronan’s mansion is. Asher should be here in an hour or so.”
Vicky glanced toward the closed gate. She stepped closer to Nathan when the wind howled across the clearing, cutting through the coat and sweater she’d stashed at Nathan’s place for her return to her hotel later. Dressing her hadn’t been fun, but she’d insisted Nathan do it before they left his apartment.
Nathan slid his arm around her waist, drawing her closer. “I’m going to keep you safe,” he vowed.
“And who’s going to keep you safe?”
“I will.”
She wanted to believe him, but a shiver of foreboding raced along her spine.