Hammer Down: Children of the Undying: Book 2 (18 page)

“Where do you think I got the idea for it?” She certainly wasn’t carrying anything like that around in her truck.

“Mmm, I take it all back. The network is a wonderful place.”

His voice slurred more with every sentence, and she realized he was staying awake for her benefit. “I’m pretty tired.”

“Yeah?” The heavy weight of his hand settled in the middle of her back, just above the bandages. “Wanna stay here?”

She wanted to, and that meant she really shouldn’t. “I need to be where my crew can find me quickly.”

For a fraction of a second, the weight of his hand increased, pressing down, holding her to his chest as if he couldn’t quite bring himself to release her. The moment passed before she could draw another breath, and his fingers traced up her spine before falling away. “What about your crew? The other two, Tanner and Ruiz?”

“What about them?”

“They’re welcome to stay too, but I didn’t get the impression either wanted to. Especially not Tanner.”

It was the perfect opening, and Devi found herself oddly reluctant to take it. “Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you.”

“Something about Tanner?”

The tiny hint of tension in his voice couldn’t be her imagination. She raised her head. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head too fast. “No. Nothing. Ask your question.”

He sounded almost jealous. “We still have cargo on the trucks. We had one more delivery, and Tanner and Juliet want to make it. I can’t send them out alone, though, and I’m not leaving right now.”

Realization swept over his features. “So they need help? I think I could get some volunteers. There are more than a few warriors desperate to get out of here.”

“Just a few, and they don’t need any special training. They’ll be paid,” she added quickly. “It’s hard to justify defaulting on this contract because I—I don’t want to leave right now.”

“I understand.” His thumb swept over her cheek, and he smiled. “I’ll check tomorrow. Trip did—
does
—a lot for the soldiers. He created custom training programs and scenarios for them and built special areas for the halfbloods so they wouldn’t have to link up to the Global and deal with the ADS. I think when I tell them what you and your people did, I’ll have more volunteers than you can handle.”

“Any humans? I can’t run the risk of sending Tanner and Juliet out without the ADS.”

“Mmm. Plenty of human soldiers. But even the warriors can handle ADS when they have to. We’re used to it.”

But they shouldn’t have to. “My crew could make this run with their eyes closed. All they need is backup.”

“I know. It’s just…” His voice trailed off, and his finger curled in a lock of her hair, a playful, absentminded touch. “I’ve never met a hauler who liked life better underground. Halfblood warriors are like that too. The ADS might hurt, but staying underground day in and day out hurts more. So let us worry about it, unless you’re trying to say Tanner and Ruiz need humans because they don’t like people like me.”

“No.” If anything, Juliet had shown a particular acceptance of halfbloods. “Ruiz is fine with it. And Tanner… Well, he doesn’t trust anybody. It’s not personal.”

“Then I’ll pick out the best suited. How many? Four or so?”

“Four,” she agreed absently. “Do you need to ask the council first?”

“No. The soldiers are mine.”

A sudden thought made her sit up straight. “You think they’d like to get out more?”

He smiled, drowsy but amused. “I think
like
would be putting it mildly.”

They could get contracts from anywhere, as long as they still had unrestricted access to the Global network—and her cities. “We could run the trucks while we’re here. Maybe increase your trade.”

“Make this your home base for the time being?” His smile widened. “Oh yeah, I think that would make a lot of people happy.”

That smile tore through all of her defenses, made her want to promise him the moon. “It should help with the council’s decision to let us stay for a while, right? If we’re contributing.”

“Yes.” His eyes rolled up as he sighed. “They’re not bad people, but they’re as self-involved as anyone else. Our city is growing faster than our resources, so trade… Trade is good.”

“I don’t blame them, you know,” she murmured. “If having us here isn’t an asset, then it’s a liability. That’s harsh, but it’s reality.”

“And here I thought halfbloods were supposed to be the cynical ones.” Some of the tension was back, evident in the set of his jaw and the way his body stiffened. “It was easier that way. When I got to be the cynical one.”

She’d hurt him, and she wasn’t even sure how. “What did I say wrong?”

“Nothing.” It was too quick, and he seemed to know it. His fingers slid back into her hair, stroking gently. “Nothing, I promise. Like I told you before, trouble was already here. I’m still working out how to deal with it.”

She wished she knew how to help, but it was beyond her. “I should go, let you get some sleep.”

She thought he might protest again, but instead he nodded and eased upright, bringing her with him. “Get your clothes. I’ll walk you back to your room.”

Devi dressed quickly. It was silly to blush after she’d already been in Zel’s bed, but being so exposed outside the heat of passion left her feeling vulnerable. “I’ve been dancing around the question, but there’s something I have to ask.”

Zel swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his pants. “Ask anything.”

“Is it a problem?” She pulled her shirt over her head. “If I stay, will it cause more trouble for you than if I go? I need to know the truth.”

He didn’t answer at first. He shoved his legs into his pants and dragged them up, then ran a hand through his short hair before sighing. “Honestly? I don’t have a damn clue.”

But he wanted her there anyway, there was no doubt about that. “Take my suggestion about the trucks to your council and see if it helps. We can deal with things from there.”

“We’ll make it work.” His smile was tired, but real. “And after that, we’ll find you and Cache better rooms.”

Devi moved without thinking, stopping in front of where he sat to thread her fingers through his hair. “You don’t have to walk me back. I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Sure you will.” He caught her hand and twined his fingers with hers before coming to his feet with enviable grace. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to walk with you. You can waste time arguing if you want, but I learned manners from a scarier woman than you.”

“I know, I met her.” Though she hadn’t seemed scary so much as determined, and that much of his mother Devi could see in Zel. “Come on. Let’s go so you can come back and rest.”

Chapter Fourteen

It happened exactly as he’d predicted.

The first tedious minutes of the council meeting were wasted in chiding Zel for not convening regular council meetings. He sidestepped that by introducing the topic of Devi’s crew becoming full citizens with all rights and privileges that entailed.

Pandemonium.

He endured Hailey’s exasperated glare and let the angry, agitated voices of the assorted council members settle into a meaningless hum as they fought to see who could express his reservations with the most volume—and who could tie those reservations to a favored pet project.

Fifteen minutes later, Zel rapped his knuckles on the table to catch everyone’s attention. The querulous old man who represented the interests of the artisans was the last to fall silent, seemingly dedicated to his tangential rant on the decline of the quality of their imported clay.

It was hard to see how Devi could possibly be responsible for crumbly clay, but Zel used the topic as a convenient segue. “Roman is right. We’ve had a harder and harder time recently getting reliable shipments for trade. You all know what sort of haulers we’re forced to deal with. That’s why I’ve asked Devi and her crew to consider making Rochester their home base. In exchange for protection and shelter, they’re more than willing to make our trade needs a priority. We’ll be the only outcast settlement in the Midwest running two of its own trucks.”

Silence. Blissful, uninterrupted silence. Zel held his breath.
One…two…three…four—

“With unlimited access to clay we could—”

“—
clearly
more important to address the lack of textiles—”

“—wouldn’t need textiles if I could keep sheep—”

“If Jonas gets sheep, I want cows. Goats’ milk changes the taste of so many recipes—”

“—don’t know what you think the sheep will eat if we don’t get new parts for the hydroponics systems—”

Lorenzo leaned over and whispered, “Now that you’ve dangled your new girlfriend in front of them like a carrot, I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“He’s trying to send me into premature labor, obviously.” Hailey had one hand on her bulging stomach. “I was going to fake contractions to get them to stop talking, but at this rate I won’t have to.”

Zel was only three-quarters sure she was joking. He lowered his voice, though he could probably shout himself hoarse and not get the council’s attention. “We can let them talk themselves around for a few more minutes, then tell them to organize a list of needs for review.”

Despite his light words, Lorenzo looked uncharacteristically grave. “And hope Devi doesn’t decide after this that the best place for her business is back in the city after all.”

He wasn’t about to share the fact that he’d had Devi in his bed, not when an unacceptable amount of his attention was already devoted to how to get her back there. “If that happens, we’ll deal with it. But I don’t think she’s straying far from Cache right now, and Cache won’t leave Trip.”

Lorenzo conceded the point with a nod. “Not right now, she won’t.”

Zel hesitated before leaning closer. “If it comes to a question of character, would you stand for Cache? You’ve been in her head, and the council will trust you.”

“Is she really the one they’ll be most concerned about?”

Tension shot through him, and it was a struggle to keep from curling his fingers around the table until it bent under the pressure. “If they have a problem with Devi, I’ll handle it. But she’s not the one who’s going to be playing in the heart of our network.”

“And I don’t know if you’ve realized it, but Cache trusts Devi enough to follow her orders blindly. If total access to our network is what Devi wants, she can easily get it.”

Hailey slapped Zel’s arm and shot Lorenzo a glare. “Enough. This is a discussion for private, and may I remind you both that I am fully capable of vouching for Devi’s reliability?”

It would take a bigger fool than Zel to remind Hailey that her judgment was considered compromised, especially when he still wasn’t entirely sure her threats of premature labor had been a joke. “You’re right.”

Lorenzo wasn’t as quick to concede. “The council will accept my recommendation about Cache, but they’ll want to meet with Devi.”

They’d have to meet with her, if only to make trade arrangements, but the knowledge grated on Zel. For the first time his own people seemed like a threat—not the direct threat of a challenge from a fellow warrior, but something darker. More insidious. Even the cantankerous old artisan stirred gusts of irritation that could spin into a whirlwind of rage with little provocation.

The storm raged close to the surface today. Dangerously close, and there was nothing he could do to contain it short of giving in to the instincts born of demon blood.

Instinct wanted Devi. Safe, under him, her body his to pleasure as he wished.

Zel had seen the strength in her. She’d been aggressive in bed, challenging and ready to take what she wanted. It turned him on more than he was comfortable admitting…but he wasn’t just a man. He would never be just a man, and the tempest inside him fed on challenges.

Fingers brushed his arm. “Zel?”

Hailey.
He identified her voice and the soft feel of her power. With his demonic instincts roused, he could taste the summoner blood in her, the heritage that made her vulnerable to demons and their offspring. For years that weakness had been muted, suppressed by her bond with her husband, but the mark of his magic was fading now, which meant Zel had a heavily pregnant second-in-command whose mind could be overpowered by any halfblood.

One more problem to add to the never-ending list. “I’m fine.”

One look at his face, and Lorenzo rose to dismiss the council. “We’ll reconvene in three days’ time. Make inventories of what you need, ranked in order of necessity and importance, and we’ll collect them for consideration.”

In an irritating turn, no one argued with Lorenzo. Instead, they milled about and filed out, grumbling quietly.

Lorenzo was infuriatingly businesslike. “They’ll be even easier to deal with once they see results from the runs, and Devi should have plenty of volunteers for them. Hell, I’d go myself if you could spare me.”

“Zel.” Hailey again, and this time her voice held a world of worry that scraped his nerves. “Are you all right?”

He had to get away from her. His chair scuffed across the floor, and he rose and measured the width of the room in four long strides. “We haven’t discussed your mark.”

“I don’t have a mark,” she replied in a steady voice. “I’m a widow.”

Zel pivoted and looked at Lorenzo. “Can you feel the difference now?”

He tipped his head in a slight nod of acknowledgment. “I can, but I’m not sure what it has to do with the matter at hand.”

It didn’t, except that noticing it at all was a symptom of the real problem. “I thought I had it locked down. I’m not so sure anymore.”

Lorenzo snorted. “Because we all try to fool ourselves, Zel. There’s no locking it down. You can hold the demon in for a while, but he’ll always break free.”

Zel had
never
given in to the true madness of the maelstrom. That implied a lack of control, which was intolerable. No, he’d always held a comfortable truce with the darker side of his nature, an agreement that the violence stayed locked up tight until he could use it. In the past, it had meant going out of the compound. Solitary hunting trips, where he fought and killed and reveled in the viciousness of his true nature.