Defeat the Darkness (36 page)

Hunter wasn't sure, but he thought Devlin might have actually blushed.

“You're free to take them with you. We have your Guildmaster's human counterpoint in captivity, too. We'll be talking to him to see if there's anyone else we need to be looking for on either side of the barrier. I trust you'll let us know if you find out anything we should beware of.”

“Agreed. But how shall I reach you? Crossing safely at the portion of the barrier that you normally protect can be a problem for us.”

Hunter decided it was time he got involved in the conversation. “Berk, is it? My name is Hunter Fitzsimon, and I plan on living close by here on a permanent basis. We'll figure out a way for you to contact me.”

Larem moved up beside him. “He's a warrior of honor, Berk. I am proud to call him friend and Blademate. I would trust him with my life and yours.”

Berk studied Hunter for a second before nodding. “I will return in two of your days to work out the details.”

“Larem and I'll both be here. It might be a good idea if I leave some human-style clothing for you here in the cave. Then I can show you where you can find me in an emergency.”

“Until then, Hunter Fitzsimon.” Berk backed up a step. “Now if you'll help get the prisoners back across the barrier, I'll call in my men to take them back to our headquarters for interrogation.”

• • •

Hunter left the others to follow as they would, but he had a driving need to get back to Tate. Other than himself, there was no one better suited to protect both Tate and the prisoner than Trahern, but Hunter didn't care. She was his, and he wanted to be there for her.

As soon as she spotted him, Tate came at a dead run across the yard, shouting, “Trahern caught Mr. Kincade's partner, too. Are you all right?”

“I am now.” He squeezed her tightly. “God, Tate, I thought my heart would stop when I realized Kincade had you.”

“I was scared, but I knew you'd come.” She rested her face against his shoulder. “We make a great team, don't you think?”

His heart filled with something that felt an awful lot like hope. “Care to make this team thing permanent? With vows and rings and the whole shebang?”

“Can Mabel be my matron of honor?”

“Only if Larem can be the best man.”

Her smile vanquished the last shadows from his soul. “It's a deal.”

Epilogue

H
unter sipped his tea as Larem, Barak, and Penn studied the lists of dates and names he'd given them. Larem was the first to finish.

“There are more?”

“Probably. I've only had time to go through the most recent ledgers, but Kincade has been sneaking Kalith through here for years.”

“What are you thinking?” Penn asked.

“That we might want to track some of the Kalith down and see what they're doing. They've most likely built lives here in our world, but I don't like not knowing what they're up to.” He set his cup down. “And maybe if they've gathered in one particular area, I thought you, Barak, Lusahn, and her two kids might want to reach out to them.”

“What does Devlin think about the idea?” Barak poured himself some more tea. “Do you know what kind of tea is this? I like it.”

Hunter sensed Tate's warmth moving closer even before her hands landed on his shoulders. He caught one and brought it to his mouth for a quick kiss as she answered both of Barak's questions.

“It's Scottish breakfast tea. And I believe Devlin was only too happy to turn this project over to Hunter.”

Hunter laughed. “More because he thinks I should actually earn my salary, than from any respect for my ability to ferret these guys out. He forgets I'm a historian by training and damned good at research. I'm going to do it anyway, but I thought you guys might want to help.”

He braced himself for Penn to explode. To his surprise, he didn't. “I'm in, as long as you guys will continue to work with me on my left-handed sword training.”

“Not a problem. I've already converted the garage into a dojo. We'll all have to keep our skills sharp.”

Larem smiled, something he did more often. “Sounds good to me. Now, it's late. If you'll excuse me, I'm going back to the apartment.”

Penn and Barak stood up as well. “Yeah, and we've got a long drive back to Seattle. When do you want to get started on this?”

“D.J. promised to come back with Cullen to set us up with computers at the end of the week. When he gets that done, I'll let you know.”

Hunter followed his friends to the door while Tate gathered up the teacups and plates. Penn and Barak drove off, and Larem disappeared into the apartment over the garage. Lately he'd been dividing his time between there and the place he shared in Seattle with Lonzo. He was working on his ability to heal, using some
texts that Berk had left for him in the cave. Until he knew better what he could and couldn't do, he wanted to keep his studies as secret as possible.

Once they were all gone, Hunter remained outside, tempted to go walking in the silver light of the full moon. He rarely needed the walks to find peace of mind, but he still enjoyed the quiet of the Northwest woods.

He headed for the path through the trees at the back of the yard. As soon as he stepped into their shadowy depths, he knew he wasn't alone.

“What took you so long? I've been waiting for you.” Tate's voice was laced with laughter and heat. She sidled up to stand in front of him and laid her sweet hands on his chest.

“I'm here now.” He wrapped her in his arms, loving the calm her touch brought him. “What do you have in mind?”

“I've never forgotten that first night when you kissed me up against that tree over there, and I want to finish what you started.”

“I'm up for it.” Literally, but he didn't have to tell her that. She could feel the evidence for herself. “Are you sure that's the same tree?”

“Well, no,” she said between kisses, “but I figure we've got time to try them all. Eventually we're bound to get the right one.”

“I love the way your mind works.”

“And I love
you,
Hunter Fitzsimon. Now, let's get started—time's a wasting.”

“Yes, ma'am!”

 

Turn the page

for a sneak peek

at the next sizzling Talion novel

from

Alexis Morgan

Dark Warrior Untamed

Coming soon from Pocket Star

“W
ho the bloody hell are you?”

Piper looked up from her computer screen and studied the irate male glaring at her from the doorway. Her stomach flipped at the sight of him. He was, without a doubt, the guy they'd warned her about—Greyhill Danby. She'd been hired while he'd been in England, and she knew for a fact that no one expected him back yet.

“I suppose I could ask you the same question—but I'd like to think I would've been a little more polite.” Her smile wasn't meant to be nice; rude was always the best response to rude.

His eyes, an incredible shade of bright blue, narrowed as he walked into the crowded room. That fierce gaze wouldn't miss much. She was willing to bet he'd committed every detail to memory the moment he entered, from the painting on the wall to the number of buttons on her blouse. And he clearly didn't approve of any of it.

When he didn't respond, she continued. “Well, since you've obviously forgotten how to speak, I'll answer for both of us. I'm Piper Ryan, this is my office, and you must be Greyhill Danby.”

It took some effort to tear her eyes away from all that masculine intensity, but she managed. Barely.

“Now, since the pleasantries are over, you'll have to excuse me, Mr. Danby. I have work to do.”

Her fingers flew across her keyboard to make her point. She'd delete the gibberish she was typing after he left.
If
he left, which right now seemed doubtful. He'd widened his stance and crossed his arms over his chest.

She hit the save button and then looked up, sighing loudly. “Is there something else I can help you with, Mr. Danby? I really am very busy.”

His lips tightened. She'd definitely pushed too far.

“I can see that you're busy, ah… Miss Ryan, was it?” His eyebrows lowered as he stared at her. “And I'm sure whatever you're doing is important to someone, somewhere. However, since this is actually
my
office, you'll understand why you need to go do your little job somewhere else.”

Apparently no one had told him that they'd be sharing the space until the workmen finished remodeling the rooms upstairs into offices for her and Kerry Thorsen.

Thanks a lot, Sandor. You could have warned me.

She turned to face Danby directly. “I'm guessing that you haven't talked to Sandor since your return.”

He nodded sharply. “You'd guess right, although I'm not sure what he has to do with you usurping my office.”

Piper laughed, fueling the flames. Holding her hand up in apology, she finally managed to speak.

“Sorry, Mr. Danby, but with that British accent of yours, it sounds like this is 1776 all over again, and I'm one of those pesky American rebels. But I assure you, sir, I didn't dump your precious tea in Puget Sound. It's over there on the cabinet, right next to my coffee.”

He scrutinized the clutter with a slight sneer before turning back to her. “My advice to you, Miss Ryan, is not to get too comfortable here.”

He stalked out, taking most of the oxygen in the room with him. That was the only reason she could come up with for why she was suddenly so breathless. Yes, that had to be it. Slowly, the pressure in her chest eased, leaving her to figure out how she was going to share such a small space with that uptight jerk. Sexy, but a jerk nonetheless.

Turning back to her computer, she deleted the nonsense lines. She'd manage somehow. She always did.

Out in the hall, Grey pinched the bridge of his nose and wished he could rewind and try that whole mess again. Maybe he should take a lap around the rose garden—or half a dozen—before seeking out Sandor Kearn or the Dame herself.

Granted, neither one of them were particularly happy to have Grey around, but to stick a spy—especially that flit of a brunette—in his private office was too much. How was he supposed to work with her in there? She'd already turned his neat and tidy office into complete chaos.

What else had changed in the short time he'd been out of the country? Although Dame Kerry had told him to take his time moving to Seattle, he hadn't wanted to give her the
chance to recant her decision to appoint him as her Chief Talion and enforcer.

He'd worked around the clock to close up his flat in London and make arrangements to ship his necessities to the States. He did it in record time, and it was exhausting. It also didn't help that his departure had been delayed for over six hours because of weather, followed by a flight full of crying infants and rough turbulence.

So he was seriously jet-lagged and short-tempered. He'd only intended to stop by the Dame's home long enough to let her know he was back and to drop off a few things in his office. Which, as it turned out, was evidently no longer just his.

Exactly who was this Piper Ryan? And more importantly, how had she managed to worm her way into the Thorsen household so quickly? The last he'd heard, he was supposed to be in charge of security, which included vetting potential employees. Obviously someone had also usurped his job while he was away.

The most likely culprit was Sandor Kearn, Grey's predecessor as Chief Talion. Even though Sandor had happily relinquished the role, he'd probably felt obligated to continue his former duties until Grey returned. That was all well and good, but why hadn't he kept Grey in the loop?

The answer was obvious. Sandor had guessed how Grey would react to finding someone else ensconced in his office. And not just someone, but Piper Ryan. Her image filled his head, another reason to curse his gift of almost perfect recall.
Her dark hair looked like it had been cut with grass clippers with no intention other than drawing attention to the streaks of purple and bright pink that clashed with her bright red lipstick and nail polish.

Her dark eyes had a slight tilt to them, hinting at an interesting ancestry. And those full lips with that small mole at the corner of her mouth made him wonder—he cut off the thought immediately. Better not to go there.

He stepped out into the garden, breathing deeply to draw in the damp Seattle morning. It was the one thing his new home had in common with his old one. What London didn't have were the towering peaks of the Cascades and the Olympics that framed the Puget Sound area. Then there was the rather impressive Mt. Rainier, its snow-covered volcanic peak serving as a backdrop to the city itself.

He could come to like it here, provided the Dame and her Consort trusted him enough to do his job. If they couldn't, he'd be banished to serve the Dame at a distance, most likely from London or perhaps even Scandinavia. His skin crawled, remembering the sharp bite of Nordic winters.

Speaking of Europe, Grey needed to check in. Not that he wanted to, as tired as he was, but it was more politic of him to do so. Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed the familiar number. After ringing a handful of times, the call clicked over to voice mail. Considering his mood, it was for the best.

“Listen, you wanted to know when I got back to Seattle. Now you know. So far, no new developments. E-mail me if you have any questions. I might even answer them if the mood strikes me.”

He hung up, thankful he didn't have to speak to a man he could barely tolerate. A common interest forced him to be civil, but it wouldn't last past the resolution of the current situation. That was just fine with Grey. Plus, he agreed
with that old saying about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.