The Devil's Soldier (15 page)

23

Eve had never been happier. Boaz was gone. Lucien was in bed next to her. The world was as it should be.

Her phone on the nightstand buzzed. She picked it up. A text message from Charlie read that they were all meeting at Bella's for dinner at 9:00. She glanced at the time on her phone. That was in five hours. She turned back around and rolled on top of Lucien. His arms came around her.

"Don't you ever sleep?" she asked.

"And miss a moment with you?"

She kissed him on each cheek and finally on his mouth. In between kisses, she said, "Dinner's at Bella's at nine."

"Where's that?" he asked, but his words were muffled because she was still kissing him.

She sat up, her long hair falling to the sides of her face and reaching Lucien's chest. "Downtown. Not too far from here, actually."

"I'd like to go downstairs first," he said. "I want to see what's been going on with Alana."

"Not until I'm done with you," she said and kissed him again.

***

"Hello, you two," the secretary said when Eve and Lucien walked in.

She was an older woman with strawberry blonde hair and a kind smile, but Eve's heart still stung whenever she saw her sitting in what used to be Sarah's chair. Eve still blamed herself for not being there when Sarah died.

Lucien pressed his palm to the small of her back as if he knew what she was feeling.

"Charlie's in the conference room with Liane and Alana," the secretary said. "Henry should be here shortly."

Eve turned the corner down the hallway to the conference room, but Lucien stopped her just before going in. "I don't think Liane should be a part of our conversations."

Not this again.

Eve turned around. "Liane has been through just as much as the rest of us. Why won't you give her a break?"

Lucien glanced through the door's window to inside the room. Eve followed his gaze. Liane was listening to Alana telling Charlie something. Her hands were folded in her lap, and her eyebrows were drawn together as if she was upset or frustrated.

"Her timing," Lucien said. "It feels off. Don't you think it was strange the way she just suddenly showed up?"

Eve had considered this at first, but after talking to her and seeing the fear of Boaz in her eyes, Eve knew she was telling the truth. "Liane was lucky she got away from him when she did. You need to let this go. Liane is staying, and I'm going to help her any way I can."

She opened the door before Lucien could say anything else.

"Sorry we're a little late," Eve said. "What did we miss?" She scooted into the seat next to Liane.

Lucien sat across from her next to Alana.

Alana groaned. "I hate repeating myself, and I don't want to do it a third time. Where's Henry?"

Charlie glanced down at his wristwatch. "He should be here by now. I'll go call him."

When he left the room, Eve asked Liane, "Did you get some sleep?"

"It's the first time I've slept in months. Knowing Boaz is finally gone and then being back with you, and of course meeting Charlie, who took me to breakfast this morning, by the way… Life couldn't be better."

Alana sunk into her chair, grinding her jaw. "I'm just going to talk because I can't stand to listen to anyone else. Tonight at the Harvard-Johnson center, the Vice President is going to be speaking to a room full of political whack jobs. With elections coming up, his schedule is tighter than a hangman's knot. I think my only chance to speak with him will be tonight. I've got an invite as Mr. Allen's intern."

"But how are you going to get close enough to actually speak with him?" Lucien asked.

"I won't, but I managed to find out his personal cell number. I'm going to send him a message and have him meet me in the bathroom or something. One thing I'm good at is pissing people off, so don't worry about my plan working. The VP is going to want to talk to me, especially when he notices I'm a vampire."

Charlie returned to the room.

"It sounds kind of dangerous," Eve said.

Alana stood. "I hope so. Where's Henry? I have to go."

"He said he would call you," Charlie answered.

"I'm beginning to think this Henry doesn't exist," Liane muttered under her breath.

"You're coming to dinner tonight, right, Alana?" Eve asked.

She had been trying hard to get to know Alana better ever since her boyfriend, Michael, was killed by Aiden's men, but Alana had an impermeable wall around her. The only person she ever seemed to talk to was Henry.

Alana shrugged and walked to the door. "Depends upon whether or not I end up in jail for accosting the Vice President of the United States. If I find out he's in any way a Boaz sympathizer, he's one dusted vamp."

"You can't kill him," Charlie said. "We need to find out what he knows."

"Alana's right," Lucien said. "The Vice President is in too much of a powerful position to be kept alive. If he's plotting with Boaz, then he must be destroyed."

"Seems awfully rash," Liane said. "Don't you agree, Eve?"

Liane was staring at her expectantly, her bright red lips pressed together. Eve looked at Lucien. His expression was all hard lines and flexed muscles.

Eve squirmed in her seat. "I'm not sure."

"How very noncommittal of you," Alana said, rolling her eyes. "Look, I'm the one meeting with the bastard, so I'm going to be the one who makes the final decision. And don't expect me to call to talk it out with you. If I sense deception, the guy's toast."

"Deal," Lucien said.

Eve shook her head. She didn't like how eager he was to kill anyone who
might
have something to do with Boaz. What if he decided Liane was working with him? That would really cause some problems between her and Lucien.

"I don't like it," Liane said, folding her arms to her chest.

Lucien turned so fast, he nearly scared Liane from her chair. "Then it's a good thing you don't have a say in the matter."

"Lucien!" Eve said.

Charlie dropped his fist onto the table. "Enough!"

Eve glared at Lucien, who was glaring at Charlie. The whole room felt like a pressure cooker ready to blow.

Charlie took a few deep breaths then turned to Alana. "Before you make any decisions, please just promise me you'll talk it through with Henry."

"Whatever," she said and left the room.

The secretary appeared at the door, glancing back over her shoulder at Alana. "What was that all about?"

"What do you need, Mary?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, um, this package just arrived." She handed him a brown manila envelope. "The courier said it was urgent."

Charlie took it from her and closed the door when she left. Before tearing into it, he said, "We need to work together. All of us have—"

He froze, and the color drained from his face. The envelope fell from his hands.

"What's wrong?" Eve asked. If she didn't know any better, she would have guessed that Charlie had just had a vision. He didn't get them often, but when he did, they were powerful.

Charlie cleared his throat and bent over to pick up the package. "I don't think this is a good letter."

Eve glanced at Lucien, meeting his gaze. There was more to it than that, and by Lucien's narrowed eyes, he agreed.

"What does it say?" Liane asked. She stood and came to Charlie's side.

Charlie's hands were shaking as he slipped his finger beneath the flap of the large envelope and jerked upwards. He reached in and removed a single sheet of white paper. He didn't say anything for several seconds.

"What does it say?" Eve asked.

Charlie inhaled deeply. On his exhale, he read: "There are consequences to the choices you make. What happens next is on you."

Eve swallowed the hard lump in her throat. It didn't go down well, and she coughed.

"Who is it addressed to?" Lucien asked.

Charlie turned the envelope over. His gaze slowly lifted to Eve's. "You."

Lucien jumped from his seat, nearly knocking the chair over. "Let me see it."

Charlie slid it down the table toward him.

"Who sent it?" Liane asked, her voice growing loud. "Not Boaz, right? Because he's gone, right?"

Charlie wrapped his arms around her. "Of course he is. We all saw it. This has got to be one of Boaz's followers who knows what we've done."

"I don't like it," Lucien said.  The muscles in his face were pulled tight.

Eve would've gone to his side, but she was frozen in her seat. Boaz couldn't have freed himself. There was no way!

Charlie released Liane. Color, a deep crimson, had returned to his cheeks. "Look, we don't even know if this threat is credible. Besides, we already have everyone on full alert. Let's just continue with the plan. Alana will speak with the Vice President tonight, and we will meet up with her afterwards at Bella's."

"We're still going to dinner?" Lucien asked, his
voice
full of disbelief.

"I don't see why not," Charlie answered. "Life has to continue. Besides, this is a celebratory dinner in a public place. Several Deific men will be there. I can't imagine a safer place."

"You're right," Liane said. "I can't let Boaz control my life any longer!"

Eve studied her, wondering how she was able to gather such strength. All Eve felt like doing was running away, but if Liane could overcome her fears after being held prisoner by Boaz, then surely Eve could go to one seemingly safe dinner.

Lucien turned to her. "Eve?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"This is foolish," he said. "Please reconsider."

"Liane's right," she said. "I will not fear Boaz's shadow. I have to start living."

She said the words as strong as she could, mostly to convince herself, but her insides still trembled.

"There you go, girl!" Liane said. "We will do it together."

Eve smiled at her, already feeling better. More than anyone else, Liane knew what it was like to be under Boaz's control.

"I have to go," Lucien said.

Before Eve could ask where to, he left the room, leaving her staring at an empty doorway.

24

Lucien hurried downstairs, taking the steps two at a time. It wasn't just the letter that had him worried, but Henry's lack of appearances, too. He must have suspected Boaz's cage wouldn't hold, but went through the motions to appease Eve. If Henry was right, and Boaz had somehow freed himself, then it was just a matter of time before Eve gave herself to
him. Boaz
would do whatever it took to ensure Eve had no other option.

Lucien wasn't going to let that happen.

He walked into the lobby of the Deific, nodding at the two guards behind the counter, and headed outside. The afternoon sky was overcast. It would rain soon, and by the looks of the cloud's edges, all black and sharp, it was going to be a raging storm. In the past, he used to love watching approaching storms and being a part of the chaos, but that changed when he had found a purpose in life.

He slipped into the closest alley and hid himself within the shadows. Eve and the others may not take the letter serious, but he did. And so he would wait and watch. He would open his mind and all of his
senses
to the supernatural world. If anything strange came within a city block of the Deific, he would know it.

A couple of hours passed. Lucien hadn't moved an inch in all that time, even when the storm had released its fury. All that was left of it was a slow trickle that cooled his skin. So far, he had only
sensed
a few minor Supernaturals—a harmless Aura, and two shapeshifters—but Lucien doubted they even knew they were shifters by the way they moved, which was way too human-like. One day, however, their life would change forever when some traumatic event shattered the world they knew.

Lucien's mind hummed. Another Supernatural was approaching, but he was familiar with this one.

Eve stepped into the entrance of the alley, her long hair lifting in the soft breeze, and peered inside. She was wearing a simple black dress to her knees. There was no way she could see him, but by her smile she could definitely sense him.

"This is how we first met. Do you remember?" she asked.

"I will never forget."

She sighed. "Come out, Lucien. It's almost time to go to dinner."

Lucien left the shadows. "I'm just keeping an eye on things."

"I figured as much, especially after that cryptic letter, but you don't need to worry. There will always be some kind of threat against the Deific and probably even me. You can't stop them all, and you can't stop living, either."

"There's only one threat I want to be rid of."

Eve took hold of his hands and rubbed the tops of them with her thumbs. "Boaz is gone. Besides, Charlie has already decided that tomorrow he's going to go back out onto the lake and scan it for the box. I don't have any doubts that he will find it right where we dumped it." She leaned forward and kissed him gently. "Let's have fun tonight."

Lucien couldn't help but kiss her back. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. It would make him feel better knowing the box had gone undisturbed, but until then, he would be on full alert.

He released her. "You're distracting me."

"You need it."

"Not tonight." He pulled her forward and headed back to the entrance to the Deific. "Come on. Let's get you off these wet streets. We can take a cab to the restaurant."

"Not necessary."

Lucien stopped moving when he rounded the corner in front of the Deific. A stretch limousine was parked out front.

Eve smiled. "Charlie got it for all of us."

Lucien scanned the street for any threats before he turned to her. "He likes Liane, doesn't he?"

"And why shouldn't he? Charlie deserves some happiness."

"Liane is not the right person for him."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Eve said and slipped by him to get into the limo. "Let's wait inside for the others."

"Am I dressed okay?" Lucien asked, glancing down at his black shirt and Levis.

She opened the back door. "Nope. That's why I have a change of clothes for you in here." She ducked inside.

He remained standing for a few seconds before following after her. She wasn't taking the threat serious. He had seen her do this before when she was afraid. Her way of coping was pretending the threat didn't exist. Fine. He would let her cope, but it didn't mean he had to pretend, too.

Inside the limo, she handed him a complete suit that had been lying on the seat.

"Who else is coming with us?" he asked as he began to get dressed.

"Liane and Charlie, of course. And Rick is coming also with a date."

"Who is he bringing?" Lucien asked. He was curious to see the type of girl Rick would date.

"Joanne, from accounting."

Lucien had never heard of her, but that didn't surprise him. He didn't know anyone from the accounting side of Deific, a place where only humans worked.

"Does she know about Rick and his vampire problem?" he asked.

Eve shrugged. "Only if he told her."

She reached up and perfectly tightened the loose tie around his neck.

Lucien breathed her in. "I wish we weren't doing this tonight."

Before Eve could answer, the car door opened and in climbed Liane and Charlie. Liane was wearing a dress similar to Eve's but red. Her hair was pulled up into a French twist, and a simple charm hung around her neck. Lucien squinted but couldn't read the inscription on its metal surface.

"Where's Rick?" Charlie asked. He slid into the seat across from Lucien.

"He should be here soon," Lucien said. "Is Alana already at the Harvard-Johnson Center?"

Charlie nodded. "She is supposed to check in with me in an hour."

The limo door opened again.

"—then the doctor said, 'you're having twins'! Haha! I never get tired of that joke!" Rick climbed into the limo.

His date, Joanne, laughed hard behind him. Her laugh sounded identical to Rick's.

The tinted window separating the driver's seat to the rest of the vehicle lowered. "Is that everyone?" the driver asked.

"That's it," Charlie said.

The window rose, and the limo driver pulled away from the Deific. Lucien remained silent, his eyes on the roads around him, while the others chatted happily. Every few minutes, Eve would squeeze his hand, as if encouraging him to lighten up.

He resisted the urge to shake his
head
.
Instead
, he looked at Charlie. Even though Charlie was smiling, fear glinted in his eyes. Charlie gave him a small acknowledging nod.
Good.
At least someone else was taking the threat seriously.

What should have been only a ten minute drive lasted almost thirty minutes, thanks to much of the traffic rerouted on account of the Vice President speaking only a few blocks away. But this inconvenience made it so the restaurant wasn't as crowded as it should've been on a Friday night.

By the looks of the place, it was a five star restaurant. The tabletops were covered in long white tablecloths, and at their center was a lit tea light floating in a water dish surrounded by real rose petals.  The walls were painted black and adorned with black and white landscaped art.

The tall male hostess led the six of them to a table in the center of the dining room. Lucien held out Eve's chair before she sat down. As he helped to scoot her in, he eyed each of the customers. All of them were normal humans, and none of them seemed to be taking any interest in Eve and their group. Lucien sat down, scanning the room once again.

"What's gotten into you, Lucien?" Rick asked him from across the table.

"What do you mean?"

"You're all mood and seriousness, a lot like when we first met." He turned to Joanne, who was sitting oddly close to him. "You see, Lucien, here, didn't know how to smile until he met me."

"I doubt you had anything to do with it," Lucien said.

Eve laughed. The sound of it made Lucien relax a little. It was good to see her happy. He hoped it could last an eternity. This thought reminded him again of how much he wanted to marry her, to be eternally together forever. Maybe he would propose tonight when he got home, despite not having a ring yet. All he had to do was get through the night.