STEP (The Senses) (40 page)

He walked to the door. Idiots should have gone after Rayne and left him in the bloody alley. He threw open the door and took one
step before Keir’s voice made him hesitate.

“Liam
has her. He wants to meet.”

Okay, this could be good or bad. His jaw clenched and his hand tightened on the doorknob until it broke off in his grip. He threw it across the room and it bounced off the lounge chair then fell to the floor. He spun on his heel and gave a quick perusal of each Senses watching him with grave expressions.

Damien stood in the corner, his face a mask of stone, pale skin and eyes staring straight ahead as if he was in another zone. Kilter wondered why he was here and not with Abby.

“What?” Beating a few vamps was nothing compared to a Master of the city with all his rats to contend with. He couldn’t possibly tackle him on his own
, no matter how much he thought he could. The problem was the Senses didn’t trust him and vice versa.

Did they care enough ab
out Rayne to start a war with Liam and a Lilac? Would they leave her there if the fight risked lives? Would they give up on her just like they had him? If Liam hid her somewhere . . . what if she—

“Stop with the ‘what ifs’,” Keir said. “I can see the questions steamrolling through that big head of yours. We don’t leave one of ours. Period. I don’t know exactly what happened with your past and I don’t care. This is now. What we do. These men and women around you. We risk our lives to protect humans. What we do for one another is much more. We would and will sacrifice our souls. Not because we have to, but because we want to.” Keir didn’t let up, his tone strong and demanding. “There won’t be any cowboy stunts like what you pulled in Newfoundland.”

“Yeah, well, Ryker got out, didn’t he?” Kilter said, but after the words left his mouth he actually felt bad saying that snarky remark.

“Liam is highly intelligent and knows everything that goes on in this city. We handle this delicately and we handle it together,” Keir stated.

“Delicate? No way. I don’t do delicate.” Kilter walked out the door of his bedroom—or rather Keir’s guest bedroom. He cursed under his breath as he heard several footsteps following him. “Christ almighty,” he yelled. “I don’t need any of you at my back. Get the picture.” They were goddamn badgers on his heels and it felt . . . it felt suffocating. He’d walked alone for so long doing whatever he felt like because not a soul would tell him otherwise. Even Ryker and Hannah never said shit about what he did. Now suddenly they were stepping on his toes and wanted him to follow along like a lost puppy. No way in hell.

“No, actually we don’t,” Jedrik said giving a grin and standing his ground like a football player braced for the hut.

Tye blocked his path to the stairs and Kilter thought of the night he was sent to Rest because he attacked his own kind. He couldn’t afford to make the same mistake. Not with Rayne’s life in the balance.

Tye stepped up to the plate. “Listen
, buddy, we have to earn your trust, that’s a given. So give us the opportunity. You trust Rayne, don’t you? Well, that’s because you gave her the chance. So, do the same for us. We’re on the same side here.”

Did he trust Rayne? Shit yeah. She’d given her life for him. She hadn’t betrayed him like Gemma or Ulrich
, and he hated to admit it, but neither had any of the Senses standing around him.

Balen came bursting out of the door
of the bedroom beside the one he’d been in. “She’s made contact,” he said.

Kilter shoved past him and strode across the room to where Danielle lay pale and quiet on the bed. Her eyes were closed and he could smell the sweat pouring of her skin. It took a lot to keep focused and find another Senses.

Balen sat on the bed beside his mate and caressed her cheek. “Little one, can Rayne tell us anything?”

Danielle was silent for a few minutes and Kilter felt like a pot of boiling water on the edge of toppling over.
Please, let her be okay. Let me do this right.

Danielle’s eyes flashed open and Balen helped her sit up against the plush white pillows. “She’s in a large apartment. She says there are at least twenty vampires around at any given time. Liam and the Lilac are planning something. They want someone. She doesn’t know who.”

“Is she well?” Kilter asked, his impatience unable to keep under control.

Danielle nodded. “She speaks clearly, but she has not spoken of what has occurred, nor do I think she will. She was careful with what she said. I’m uncertain whether Liam can intercept our telepathy.” Danielle took Balen’s hand and turned her full attention to Kilter. “She says to not give him Abby. No matter what Liam says, don’t give him Abby.”

“Fuck that,” Kilter said as he began to pace beside the bed.

“Did she say anything else?” Anstice asked
, coming sit on the opposite side of the bed.

Danielle swore beneath her breath and her body stiffened. “Yeah, she did. Oh crap, Kilter.” He abruptly stopped pacing and turned to stare at her. “She said to tell you that she wants nothing to do with you. That she . . .” Danielle looked to Balen and he squeezed her hand. “She says she loves Roarke.”

Several of the Senses scoffed, but Kilter remained still as stone.

Tye cursed three times and then slammed his fist into the wall. “Buddy, it’s lies. She says this to protect you.”

It was Damien’s voice that caught all their attention for he hadn’t spoken a single word. “Do you love her?” he asked in a broken voice.

Kilter didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“And you would give your life for hers?”

“Of course,” Kilter said.

“And you would let her go if she asked it of you?”

Now wasn’t that the question of the century. Would he? Could he let go of this remarkable woman
who had fought back to the surface from an eating disorder, from abuse? This woman who he’d grown to love, who’d shared passion with him and made him laugh and subdued his crassness. The woman who’d trusted him. She trusted him.

She was lying.

“No,” he replied. Yeah, he’d let her go if she loved another, but he knew without a doubt that she didn’t love Roarke. He’d give her anything she wanted—except this.

And she was lying to protect him and the others. She knew he had trust issues and was attempting to throw him off by using it to get him to stay away. Not going to work.

Damien gave a slight nod as if he had been reading his thoughts. “You love her,” he said with a slight twinge of surprise.

“Frig
, man, didn’t think you had it in you,” Jedrik said.

Waleron appeared in the room, not by his usual way, instead he walked down the stairs. He glared at Damien and his eyes flashed with disapproval. “Why are you still here?”

“I’m going with you tonight,” Damien announced.

Silence.

Waleron finally spoke. “Abby is a vampire, Damien. It is too late for her. You know this. Trinity has agreed that Abby should be—”

“No.” Damien’s violent reaction put everyone on alert.

None of them needed Waleron to say it aloud, they all guessed what he was about to say. They were going to use Abby as the lure to obtain Rayne. But Abby’s gift was too much of a risk to have in a vampire’s hands.

Waleron remained silent and everyone held their breath, Kilter included. He knew the option would not sit well with any of them. Waleron had no intention of leaving Abby and her ability in the hands of Liam. No, Waleron would never give a vampire that much power, meaning—

Damien went psychotic, his eyes wild and crazed. He began to call to Simian, but Tye and Keir were already on him, pinning his body to the floor as he kicked and shouted with fury.

Waleron approached, his long strides casual as if there was nothing wrong with Damien’s crazed state of mind. Kilter took in the sight and he immediately saw the familiarity of the situation. He knew Damien’s fear and anger—had been there himself—and he knew what would happen if he continued to fight his own kind. He’d never cared about the others, not in a really long time, but seeing Damien’s expression of pure horror had him feeling sympathy and compassion.

What the devil was happening to him?

Kilter made certain his telepathy was shielded against everyone except Damien.
“Don’t make the same mistake I did. Fuck it up and you will be put in Rest.”

“
Abby.”

“You’
re no good to her in Rest. You care for her, then stay out of Rest. I will keep you informed on what Waleron’s plans are.”

Damien ceased his struggles as Waleron raised his hand. Damien glanced over at him and Kilter saw the agony in his rebellious mind.

“Get your ass on the plane now, Damien,” Waleron stated.

“I will say goodbye to Abby,” Damien demanded.

Waleron hesitated, his eyes pensive as he watched Damien, and Kilter knew Waleron was attempting to read his mind. He hoped Damien was smart enough to put up double shields or Waleron would fry both their asses.

Waleron gave an abrupt
nod. “Your Scar will be covered.” He looked at Tye. “Accompany him. We leave in two hours.” Then Waleron turned to Delara and everyone tensed. She’d remained quiet the entire time, making no move to interfere or speak. Kilter noticed her pale complexion and the haunted look in her eyes. He wondered what had gone down between the two. “You will come only because Liam has demanded your presence. But I expect you gone when this is over.”

Delara opened her mouth
, about to say something, her expression filled with pain and horror at what Waleron was saying. The friction between them—and it wasn’t the usual sexual electricity—was catastrophic. Everyone in the room felt it, tasted it or scented it. Kilter had never seen Delara so meek and fearful before, nor had he seen Waleron so livid with Delara, and that said a lot because Delara had pulled some crazy shit.

Delara lowered her gaze from Waleron’s and gave a subtle nod.

Every face in the room was stunned into silence, except Jedrik who was stupid enough to protest Waleron’s obvious order that Delara leave Toronto.

“What the goddamn hell are you talking about?” Jedrik looked at Waleron, who gave no answer. Jedrik turned to Delara. “Sassy? What does he mean?”

“Leave it,” Waleron said in a cool tone.

Jedrik opened his mouth to retort and Waleron raised his hand and slammed Jedrik with a bolt of energy, sending him across the room and right through the drywall into the next room.

Delara turned and ran up the stairs.

Kilter was realizing that he was not alone in the tribulations of his life. Delara was self-destructing with her choice of sex partners
, and Damien, a women-hater, was trying to protect a witch-vampire who was going to be killed tonight.

Christ, he was selfish thinking he was the only one hurting from his past and present situation. Everyone had pain and hurt and emotional manure to dig through, he’d just been selfish and only thought of his own.

Tye waited by the steel door, staring at the floor as if trying to appear invisible. Wasn’t working. Damien could smell his tension and the sweat emanating from his pores.

The steel plate over his shoulder to keep his Scar from emerging felt heavy and cold against his skin. He didn’t object
to putting it on knowing Tye wouldn’t let him near Abby if Simian was able to rise.

He approached the steel bars. The rest of the room was like any other except supported with steel walls. They tried to make it as comfortable as possible for those
who had to be contained. A private washroom in one corner with all the luxurious amenities, a couch and lounge chair with a coffee table. One wall had an assortment of books, and there was a large plasma TV on the wall. Over in the far corner was a king-size bed with white satin sheets and big fluffy pillows. It was there that he saw Abby except she wasn’t on the bed, instead next to it, sitting on the floor, knees pulled up to her chest, face hidden by her hair as she pressed her cheek against them.

“Abb,” he called. She made no movement, her eyes staring listless
ly at the hardwood floor. His heart fractured at the sight. Desolate. Alone. Everything inside him wanted to force his way to her and hold her in his arms, stroke her hair, tell her everything was going to be all right.

But it wasn’t.

“Abb, honey, you have to listen to me.” She remained unmoving and he swore beneath his breath with frustration. A vise gripped his guts, tearing, ripping him apart, sparing no sympathy. He linked his hands around the bars. “No matter what happens tonight, I want you to remember that girl in the grocery store. Okay? Remember who you are.”
Please, Abby. Please remember,
he begged. “Remember the woman I met in the grocery store.” He wanted to tell her that he’d help her, but Tye would overhear. “Peaches, Abb. Don’t forget the peaches.” She stared, comatose, eyes rimmed with red, not a flicker of recognition. “Abb, don’t give up on me. On you.”

He closed his eyes, forehead leaning against the bars, anguish suffocating his every breath. If he knew he could get away, he’d rip apart this place and take her away. Force her to remember who she was. Because somewhere inside
the mind now filled with bloodlust still lived Abby.