Chapter Nine

Regan

 

All I could see was the vampire’s broad-shouldered silhouette as Carter and I rounded the corner of the gardens and plunged between the stalks of towering sunflowers and something else Mrs. Rossi had called Heliconias. Their blue petals glowed in the darkness. I used them as a reference point to keep from getting lost in the labyrinth of tropical fauna. Up ahead, the stalks shook as the strange vampire passed through.

Carter was right on my heels. Neither of us made a sound and I was grateful that if anyone had come with me, it was him. He was one of the few who could move as silently in human form as he could as a wolf.

The stalks fell away and we entered the grove of trees that lay beyond the gardens. Mrs. Rossi had pointed them out on the tour but we hadn’t come this far back. She’d said it was a mix of cherry and pear trees—I’d wondered then why vampires even cared about growing human food. Now I knew it was to keep their “staff” alive.

Without the low branches to track the vamp’s movements, I slowed, careful to keep his pale flashes of skin in sight as he darted among the trees.

Carter caught my hand in his and I startled. Now was so not the time for hand-holding. But he brought a finger to his lips and motioned me quiet. Then he let go of my hand and pointed to himself and then out to the left. I nodded and pointed to myself and then to the right. He nodded back and we split up.

My pulse thrummed in my ears. The urge to shift was strong as I left Carter behind to circle our prey. It would’ve been so much easier to catch him had I been a wolf. His scent alone would’ve made him easy to find. I wouldn’t even need to rely on watching for branches swaying. But I couldn’t risk being found in wolf form on vampire territory. Not with the treaty in place. They’d only see it as a threat, or worse, as a betrayal of our agreement. If I was going to start a war, I’d rather not do it in vamp-ville while my dad sat upstairs getting drunk with the king and queen bloodsucker.

I darted around trees and underneath low branches, keeping to the arc I knew Carter would follow. It wasn’t long before I caught the distinct scent of undead. My hackles rose but I bit down on the growl building in my throat. I knew I was close if I could smell him.

Something moved from behind a narrow tree trunk and then the man appeared in front of me. Reflexively, I jumped back out of reach and heard my breath catch as I swallowed my scream. I didn’t even have time to swing out before Carter materialized behind the man and grabbed his arms, pinning them behind his back.

The man grunted but didn’t struggle against Carter’s hold. I stared at him, suddenly unsure of the situation. It had all been too easy.

“Let him go, Carter.”

“What? Are you crazy?” Carter asked, eyes wide in the darkness. “He’ll run off.”

“No, he won’t,” I said, forcing myself to straighten and relax my shoulders. I fixed my gaze on the man. His smooth jawline, broad shoulders, and razor-sharp eyes. He stared at me right back, completely at ease despite the fact that he was captured and outnumbered.

“How do you know?” Carter demanded.

“If he was going to run off, he wouldn’t have let himself get caught in the first place,” I said.

The man’s eyes glittered in agreement.

Carter frowned, considering my words. Finally, he let go of the man’s arms. He walked over to stand next to me, watching the vamp warily. I could feel the tension still pulling his muscles taut and knew he wasn’t completely convinced.

The vamp seemed not to notice. He shook his arms out and then brushed the hair out of his eyes.

“Why did you let us catch you?” I demanded the moment our eyes met.

“What makes you think I let you?” he asked. If he hadn’t been a vampire, I would’ve called him friendly. His stance was relaxed and open, the opposite of someone prepared for assault. Still, I didn’t let my guard down. He’d correctly predicted danger not hours before Charlie was targeted. He wasn’t off the list of suspects just yet.

“The stalks moved when you passed. That was careless,” I said.

“Very astute of you.” Instead of offense at my tone, his eyes sparkled with some private amusement.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I demanded, hating the discomfort I felt underneath his study. It wasn’t threatening—it was much more personal than that.

“You are so like her,” he murmured.

“Like who?” I asked, but I already knew.

“Your mother.”

My eyes narrowed. I felt suspicion wash over me anew. Not because I didn’t believe him—but because of how intimate his voice had become when he spoke of her. Unease rippled through me. “You have no right to talk about her …” My chin rose and I added, “Unless you’re here to confess to her murder.”

Carter moved to my side and adjusted his footing. I knew he was ready for whatever attack my words provoked.

The man drew a deep breath and blew it out slowly, purposefully. “I could never hurt her,” he said quietly. “I told you the last time we spoke, we are on the same side, you and I.”

“I saw you following me and Charlie that day in town.” I was bluffing my way through, but he didn’t deny it, which I took as admission. “How do I know it wasn’t you with the heart, too?”

His expression hardened. “I followed you through Paradise to protect you. There are rumors, quiet talk. I fear whoever killed Myra will not stop until they’ve done the same with her legacy. Those fears were confirmed at the Test of Strength.”

His words sent a ripple through me. Rumors? From where? My people or his?

“Charlie isn’t Myra’s daughter,” Carter pointed out.

“But she’s willing to broker peace, just like Myra did,” the man said. “Which makes her a prime target. Your people want war with us. They couldn’t get it with Myra as alpha so they removed her.”

Despite their callousness, I didn’t like that his words made sense. I didn’t want to believe him. If he was telling the truth, I was after someone much more dangerous and traitorous than a rogue vampire murderer. And I couldn’t be angry he’d just called my mom a sort of roadblock, not with the pain of her loss so evident in his expression.

“They went after Charlie because she’s easier to rattle than me,” I said finally. The man nodded and my shoulders fell. This was real. He wasn’t lying. I pushed them back again, determined not to let him see me affected. “Who are you?” I demanded.

“My name is Valentino.”

My eyes narrowed. “I’ve never seen you before. How did you know my mother?”

He hesitated a second before explaining, “Your mother and I were friends many years ago. Before the war between our people escalated to violence.”

“Our history with your kind has always involved violence,” Carter shot back.

Valentino shook his head sadly. “Not always. The catalyst, yes, involved death. Thill’s parents … but it was an accident. A misunderstanding. We are a peaceful coven. You’ve seen the way we feed and live with humans. We respect life. When the pack settled here and realized we weren’t the threat they thought it was too late for Thill to admit his mistake. Discord remained. Strife always at the surface. But no violence. We had no quarrel with you, but the pack elders couldn’t be reasoned with. Thill was determined, and so we have been at odds. But not war.”

Valentino eyed me and then looked away, his gaze lost in the grove of trees behind me.

“What changed?” I asked, caught up in the story of politics before my time. It had always fascinated me even when I’d been little and pushed out of the room before secrets were spilled.

“Your mother,” Valentino said after a beat. He turned back to me and then Carter. “Myra wanted peace, and for a time, there was hope that goodwill would last. Relations were …. different then. I was ambassador for the Rossi family. Myra and I became friends. Times were easier and for a while we thought…” He shut his eyes, anguished by some memory I couldn’t reach. “Someone else on the council found out about your mother and I. Someone tried to do her harm. I intervened, which exposed our friendship. I was removed from my position at the main house. Sent here to the orchards. Myra married shortly after. I heard she had a baby so I stayed away. The peace talks died and the fighting began.”

He sighed as if the story itself was a heavy burden. “A year ago, I was walking through the forest. A familiar path of ours. I found a grove of plants I’d never seen before and, standing inside it, your mother.”

“I don’t understand. So you rekindled some sort of secret friendship with my mom? How would that get her killed?” I asked.

“It was more than that,” he said and his voice gentled the way people did just before they delivered horrible news. Beside me, Carter’s fingers fluttered against mine, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t. Dread was winding its way along the outer reaches of my heart. I thought I knew what was coming—and I didn’t want to hear it.

But Valentino had clearly come here to say it. “Myra and I were in love.”

My throat closed up. My hands and feet went numb. I vaguely felt Carter’s arm come around my waist and the pressure increase until he was all that kept me standing. After a moment, I gasped. Air rushed into my lungs fast enough to make me dizzy.

“Regan? … Regan?” Carter’s voice in my ear was low and insistent. “Should we go?”

Valentino hadn’t just seen my mother that single day in the woods, I realized with sickening awareness. He’d kept seeing her. They’d had an affair. And it had gotten her killed.

“I know this is a shock, but I promised your mother I would do whatever was necessary to keep you safe. For a time, that meant staying away, but now…I think you need to know the truth. Someone found out about us and they killed her.”

My temper flared. It was either that or let the grief and betrayal drown me. I glared at Valentino with everything I had. “I don’t need your protection,” I spat.

His face hardened again, the same way it had when he’d said that he loved my mother. Not angry, just protecting himself from the pain. I hated that he could do that and I couldn’t. “I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for her,” he said.

I blinked, speechless. I didn’t know how to respond to that.

“So you’re not the one who left the bloody heart in Charlie’s room backstage?” Carter asked. But it was more speculation than question and I realized he believed Valentino’s story too. That made it worse.

“No.” Valentino shook his head and a frown creased the corners of his mouth. “I didn’t even know the details of it until tonight. I only knew there was a disturbance. They kept it quiet. To protect you, I think.”

“And to ferret out the traitor,” I murmured, my mind working faster as I finally processed things beyond the hurt of my mother’s lies. “But there’s a hole in your theory. A vampire bit her, drained her of blood,” I said. “And they didn’t get in without help.” I turned to Valentino. “How did you get into my room?”

“When was he in your room?” Carter demanded, and I winced as I remembered I hadn’t told him that part.

“I jumped,” Valentino said with a shrug. “Same way I left.”

“But my mother’s window wasn’t open,” I said, thinking back to the little I remembered of the night she’d been killed.

“Brent and the other house guards didn’t see anyone coming or going,” Carter added.

Valentino opened his mouth then closed it again, shifting gears before saying, “There was the hidden hallway.”

“The … how did you know about that?” I asked, my tone sharp—mostly because I was embarrassed I’d forgotten. I’d only been inside it once during a game of hide and seek and Mom had yelled at me so bad for it, I never went inside again. Besides, it hadn’t been used in decades. Probably sealed for all I knew.

“I used it myself,” Valentino said and I decided I didn’t need to hear this after all.

“Never mind,” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest.

“But someone would have tipped them off that your mom was alone, right?” Carter said. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t know your dad was out. My dad was gone that night. And you too. Rare for her to be so alone. Someone had to have sent a message.”

I sighed, hating that we were pointing fingers at our own. But he was right. It made sense. And the heart—no vampire could have planted that. Not without a werewolf noticing.

Behind us, voices spilled out into the night, coming from the direction of the house. Carter’s hand tightened around my waist. I didn’t shake him off. My feet felt steadier now that the initial shock had worn off, but his hand there was comforting.

“We need to get back,” Carter said quietly.

I ignored him and looked at Valentino. “I’m not saying I believe you, but if I did, which vampires would be trying to hurt Charlie and I? I need to know where to look on your side too.”

Valentino shot a glance toward the house, then back at me. “I don’t know. I’ve been out of the loop for too long,” he said.

Somewhere in the garden, someone laughed. A rich, deep sound that I suspected belonged to Mr. Rossi—if he was capable of a good mood. My muscles tensed.

Valentino darted a glance over my shoulder. “It’s not safe for us to be seen here,” Valentino said. He took a step back, toward the encroaching forest.

“How will I find you again?” I asked.

“When you need me, I’ll be there,” was all he said. Then he turned and ran.

“Should we go after him?” Carter asked.

Inwardly, I screamed yes! This man dared to defame my mother’s memory by claiming that she could love one of them—a vampire. Yet he’d looked so sad for her. It was like looking into a mirror and seeing my grief reflected in his eyes. I wanted to chase after him, pin him down, and force him to tell me everything else he knew about his people and who would have hurt her. But the party was moving through the gardens.

I shook my head reluctantly. “No, we should get back inside before we’re missed.”

I turned to walk back the way we’d come, but Carter’s hand on my hip pulled me to a stop. “Regan…” He looked down at me, his eyes searching mine. I knew he was looking for some sort of reaction to everything Valentino had said.

I squeezed my eyes shut. The temptation to let him see my confusion, my pain, was strong. But I couldn’t put into words what I was feeling. Not yet. It was too fresh. I knew if I tried, I’d lose it—something I refused to do on vampire territory. “Carter, don’t. I want to talk but … not now. I need some time to think.”

He nodded. “Later, then,” he agreed. And I knew he meant it.

We made our way back in a wide arc, careful to keep clear of the small group near the pond including Blaine and my dad.

I blinked against the lighting as we got closer, adjusting my pupils after the complete darkness we’d left behind. Most of the bulbs out here were soft white, but a yellow beam slanted through the corner of the yard, reflecting from above. My gaze followed it until I found the window it spilled from.

Two stories above my head, the curtains were pulled back in what must’ve been a bedroom. Two figures stood locked in what appeared be a heavy embrace. Their arms were wrapped so tightly around each other it was hard to decipher where one body ended and the other began. Until I caught sight of the halo of soft brown hair pinned ornately to the female’s head. I stopped walking and squinted at the red fabric of the dress, momentarily shocked into confusion at the sight of Charlie kissing someone.

For a second, I felt embarrassed at witnessing such a private moment. But then confusion took over. Who the hell could she be kissing? We’d left any eligible bachelors behind in Paradise.

As soon as the porcelain cheekbone flashed into view, I knew.

“You have got to be kidding me,” I hissed.

“What is it?” Carter followed my gaze and stared at the couple in the window. “Is that Charlie?” I barely heard him over the buzzing in my ears. “And Owen Rossi?”

My answer was a growl.

I took off for the house at a sprint, not caring who saw me. I managed to hold my wolf at bay but only because if I shifted, doorknobs would be a problem.

I no longer cared about the treaty. As far as I was concerned, Owen had just voided it.

I slammed into the house and up the back stairs. I heard Carter calling me as he tried to follow. I didn’t answer. All I cared about was getting to Charlie. And stopping Owen.

Upstairs, I counted the rooms until I found Charlie’s. I flung open the door and they sprang apart. Charlie stumbled, but Owen caught her from falling. Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths and she looked confused then alarmed, but I ignored her.

I zeroed in on Owen across the room and stalked toward him as he stepped sideways, trying to get between me and the door. His expression was a mask of neutrality. It was infuriating.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I demanded.

“Regan?” I heard Charlie calling uncertainly.

“Shut up,” I called over my shoulder. I didn’t turn from Owen. “You’re dumber than I thought,” I said to him. “Ballsy, but utterly stupid.”

“You don’t want to do this,” he said. I detected the warning underneath his calm exterior. After everything I’d learned tonight, it only made me angrier.

“You have no idea how wrong you are,” I hissed. “I want to do this very much. And now that you’ve voided the treaty, I can.”

“Voided the treaty?” Charlie echoed, her voice shrill with panic. “Regan, what are you talking about?”

Instead of answering her, I lunged at Owen. He dodged me and I ran into an end table. The stained-glass lamp crashed onto the floor and shattered. I leaped toward him again and my hands closed over the fabric of his shirt. I yanked. Buttons popped and his shirt came untucked as he danced away.

I moved to attack again but Charlie jumped in front of him, flinging her arms wide to block his body. I pulled up short and glared at her. Owen watched me over her shoulder, the coward—using my sister who was, no doubt, entranced with his vampire guile—as a human shield. I was going to kill him.

“Move!” I yelled.

“No. Regan, stop, please. I can explain,” Charlie insisted.

The pleading note in her voice took me back. I stared at him over her shoulder. “Don’t tell me you’ve convinced her you actually care about her? That’s a hell of a trick, Rossi. You’re sick.”

“He does care about me, Regan. And I care about him, too. Please stop and listen,” she pleaded. Tears glistened on her eyelashes, and she reached out to grab my wrists in both of her trembling hands. “Owen and I have been seeing each other for a few weeks now. I didn’t want to tell you because—”

The rest of her words were drowned out as I shoved her aside and reached for Owen’s throat. I saw nothing except his face and neck—and my hands reaching for his esophagus.

Something crashed behind me just as I felt hands yanking me back. My fingers brushed Owen’s skin, my nails leaving shallow scratches, and then he was out of reach.

“Argh!” I struggled against whoever held me, but couldn’t break their hold. I knew then it wasn’t Charlie holding me. I’d have broken free by now if it was. “Carter, let me go!” I demanded, still kicking and struggling as he dragged me toward the door.

“Calm down.” His words were punctuated by grunts and heavy breaths as he did his best to restrain me.

“Owen won’t hurt me,” Charlie said as she let Owen pull her to her feet, but I barely heard her. I was so consumed with the sight of her hand in his. Carter tightened his grip on me, and I wondered if he saw the contact, too.

“You’re going to bring the cavalry if you keep this up,” Carter said in my ear.

“Let them come!” I yelled. “He’s playing with her. For all we know he was going to eat her.”

“Regan, you bring them running and Charlie could get punished just as easily as him. Do you want the vamps blaming her for this? In their territory? Or worse, our own pack disciplining her? We both know how that could go for her.”

I hated it so much that he was right. I let out another growl before giving up on fighting his hold. He didn’t ease his grip, though.

“I’m done,” I snapped. “You can let go.”

Instead of releasing me, he slid his hand into mine and held tightly. His way of making sure I didn’t go back on my word. Still, it felt a lot like something else. Something I didn’t want to show Owen and Charlie. I grimaced when my attempts to pull away were unsuccessful.

“Now, Charlie,” Carter said, “you want to tell us exactly what’s going on here?”

Charlie’s brow rose at the sight of our joined hands, but she didn’t comment. Instead, she took Owen’s hand in her own again and sent me a tremulous smile. I rolled my eyes. She evidently trusted Carter’s ability to restrain me.

“It’s like I said before,” she began, her voice shaky. “Owen and I have been seeing each other for a while. I didn’t say anything for obvious reasons. But he’s not using me and he’s definitely not hurting me. So, you shouldn’t hurt him,” she said, giving me a pointed look.

“Huh. So this is consensual then?” Carter asked, as if that made it okay.

“Don’t encourage them,” I hissed.

“It is,” Owen told Carter, ignoring me. He met Carter’s gaze and something passed between them. The buzzing in my ears, which had dulled to almost nonexistent, roared all over again.

“This is ridiculous!” I turned my glare on Charlie. “If it’s true then you’re a traitor to your own kind,” I hissed.

Her expressions ran the gamut. First shocked then hurt. It settled on some combination of betrayal and anger. “A traitor?” she echoed. “A traitor?”

She took a step forward only to have Owen yank her back. He seemed unwilling to let her cross the invisible line we’d created between us. She was on his side. The knowledge made my cheeks burn with rage.

“You can’t betray a pack that isn’t yours,” Charlie hissed. “You think I owe you some sort of loyalty, but loyalty is earned, through respect. Of which I’ve had absolutely zero. You want me to call you family, to abide by your rules and stupid prejudices, but then you ignore me the moment your pack starts to suspect you see me as equal. Which you don’t. I’m a liability, nothing more. You’ve made that clear in the way you babysit me rather than accompany me anywhere. So don’t stand there and judge me. Or him. You know nothing about either of us and the little I know of you makes you a hypocrite—and someone I’m ashamed to call my sister.”

I opened my mouth and closed it again. Owen was watching me with a smug look on his granite face. I ignored him on purpose, but I couldn’t meet Charlie’s eyes either. Not now. Is that what she thought of me? After all the progress we’d made? And more importantly, why did it bother me so much? She was the one in the wrong.

Carter was right, though. If I ratted them out, it would only hurt Charlie. The most Owen would get is a slap on the wrist. And Dad seemed too set on the treaty going through to really care. But Sheridan and the others in the pack—they’d punish Charlie. More than they already had by shunning her. As much as Charlie hated me, I couldn’t let her be hurt. So I protected her. Again.

“Come on, Carter. We’re done here,” I said. Carter hesitated and I gave him a hard look. “Are you coming?” I asked.

“Regan, I think…” He winced as if bracing himself before finishing. “We should tell them.”

“What? Absolutely not,” I said, knowing full well what he meant. And furious that he’d suggested it.

“We need help figuring this out. Someone on their side would be perfect, and Owen’s clearly not going to do anything to hurt Charlie if he’s in l—”

“Don’t say it,” I hissed and Carter fell silent.

“Tell us what?” Charlie asked.

I didn’t answer. Mentally, I plotted all the ways I planned to kill Carter.

“Do you know something about the heart?” Charlie asked.

Owen caught my eye and I was shocked to see concern knitting his features. His hand wrapped protectively around Charlie’s shoulder. I clenched and unclenched my fists and then blew out a breath. God, I hated when Carter was right. We’d found our ally—his motivation to help us was airtight.

“The vamp that followed us that day we went shopping,” I said slowly, purposely avoiding Carter’s gaze. “Carter and I ran into him earlier. He told me some things about my mom and about the pack. It’s a long story—”

“We have time,” Owen put in, his words too earnest for me to argue.

As quickly as I could, I relayed my conversation with Valentino. First in my room and then tonight. Charlie’s eyes grew wider and wider the longer I talked. Carter moved in beside me and hovered there. I wasn’t sure how to feel about his protective stance, so I ignored him. When I was finished, Owen was the first to talk. Charlie wiped at a fallen tear and I ignored that too.

“Valentino. I know him. He works in the orchard,” Owen said.

“He used to be on your father’s council,” I told him. “An ambassador of some kind.”

He nodded, assessing me shrewdly. “I remember that. No one talks about why he stepped down.” He frowned. “It seems if we’re going to solve this, we’ll have to work together.”

I grimaced. “It seems that way, yes,” I said in a clipped voice.

“Regan, I’m really sorry about you mom,” Charlie said, stepping free of Owen’s touch and coming toward me. I realized her intention too late. I let her pull me into a hug, my arms awkward as they came around to pat her back. Charlie pretended not to notice my stiff response and squeezed me quickly before letting go. “Thank you for trusting us with all this,” she said. “I know it was hard for you.”

Her words made my eyes water.

“You’re right,” Carter said, stepping in when I didn’t answer. “We’re placing a lot of trust in you both.” He flashed a pointed look at Owen. “And we’re asking for that same trust. We won’t say anything about what we’ve seen here tonight if you’ll agree to help us.”

“You want us to coordinate our investigation,” Owen said.

It wasn’t a question, but Carter nodded. “What happened to Regan’s mom and what’s happening now with the threat against Charlie are related. We need to find the connection.”

“I agree.” He flicked a look at Charlie and then back at Carter. “I overheard my father talking to Mr. Vuk earlier. They’re going to hold the second round of the contest tomorrow—here. They think it’s safer. Now that we know differently, we need to be on our guard.”

“Tomorrow?” Charlie echoed. I tensed and she and I shared a worried look. “But when were they going to tell us?”

“When it came time to appear,” I said grimly, realizing this is how they wanted it. “We don’t get the luxury of preparation. Not for this one.”

Charlie stared at me and then nodded slowly. “I read about this in that book you gave me. They’re going to test our knowledge,” she said and her shoulders sagged as if in relief. Although I didn’t know why. The element of surprise, no time to study—not that I knew where to begin—didn’t make me feel good.

“This is good. You girls will be made to stand in front of everyone,” Carter said. “No one’s going to mess with you in plain sight like that. Too risky. Owen and I will keep watch. Take note of who attends, who doesn’t. Who looks overly pissed about the whole thing.”

Owen nodded, eyes glittering. “I’ll speak to Valentino tonight. Have him nearby as well. We’ll find them.” His voice left no doubt what he’d do when we did. For once, we were on the same page.

I nodded. “Good. We’ll talk again tomorrow.” I stepped forward until I was only inches from the pale-faced monster my sister had inexplicably fallen for. I ignored how much that fact made me think of my mom and Valentino. “If you do anything to backstab us on this, to hurt my sister, I’ll kill you,” I told him.

Charlie gasped, but Owen was unmoved. “If Charlie comes to harm, I won’t stop you,” he said.

I was prepared for him to snap back with a threat of his own. Not to agree with me. His martyr attitude took the fight out of me. Suddenly, I was exhausted. To hide it, I turned on my heel and stomped away.

“Good night,” Charlie said in a small voice. I didn’t reply.

Carter grunted a response and followed me to the door, close on my heels. I had a feeling he was waiting for me to try and fake him out, double back, go off. But I didn’t. I was done. With all of it. Valentino. My mom’s killer. Vamps. Charlie and Owen. At least for tonight I was going to pretend it didn’t exist. That I wasn’t about to lie down in a bed that reeked of the creatures I hated most, in a room decorated by the mother of the boy who was trying to steal my sister.

I was going to pretend I was home, resting up for the ceremony that would make me alpha to a pack that already belonged to me in ways that couldn’t be described on paper instead of a contest in which I’d be forced to do to Charlie exactly what she’d accused me of tonight: putting her down in front of the pack.

And when this was over, and I was alpha, my first order of pack business would be to kill my husband, Owen Rossi, treaty be damned. I just prayed Charlie would forgive me for it.