Black Bird (Nevermore Duet #1)

CHAPTER 35

BLOOD BARGAIN

The end of his pen tapped loudly against a stack of paperwork he’d tried his best to concentrate on, as Captain Foley sat unusually late at his desk at the 12th precinct. He sighed deeply and ran his palm across his bare head. It was damp with sweat. The pen dropped, rolling across the stack and stopping where it met his name plate at the edge. A pair of worn black shoes appeared in his line of sight at his doorway. Foley glanced up.

“Do you ever sleep, sir?” Jenkins asked, leaning against the door jamb. Foley scoffed, shaking his head.

“About as much as you probably do, detective. You got something for me?”

“I’d reckon this is semi-lucky. Could I borrow you for five minutes?”

Foley followed him to his desk, surprised to find Rhaena Northwood sitting there as she leaned into the monitor and clicked away with the mouse. Her attention shot up as he approached, and he caught the slight tension in her face before she tried to pass it off, pretending it never happened.

“Evening, sir,” she nodded.

“Gloves.” He nodded back. “What are we lookin’ at?” He peered over her shoulder, and she backed up a video feed from a camera that looked to have been placed on the back side of a building he didn’t recognize.

“I went to question the staff at the coffee shop where Vintorri’s apartment is,” Jenkins started, “the traffic cams in the front of the building really didn’t have much to give us a lead. However, when I spoke with the owner, he told me he had a camera installed in the back entrance due to an attempted robbery a few years ago. He mans them himself.” Jenkins pointed at the monitor. “Take a look.”

Foley watched as a blue sedan pulled up and turned their lights off. No one got out. “Now watch.” Northwood sped up the feed, stopping it just as a lone figure emerged from the passenger side, masked, and snuck just out of clear view of the camera. Moments later, the same figure returned, forcing a stumbling, half-dazed redhead past the frame and into the waiting car. They sped out onto the street and disappeared.

“Well, that looks like our girl …” Foley sighed, shaking his head. “Any luck running that tag?”

“I take a lot of pride in my skill with finding a runner,” Jenkins shrugged, “but I’m ashamed to say, they got us this time, Cap. I can’t make out a single number on that plate. I’ve checked the feeds from other traffic cameras, but they’re smart. Somehow, they avoided all my lucky ones.”

He watched Northwood’s shoulders sag. “I’m sorry, detective. I know this is difficult.”

“Foster’s still working on it,” Rhaena breathed, turning in her chair. “She went to check rental car spots around that area. Maybe it wasn’t even their car, and they thought they’d be safe. We’re gonna find her. I don’t care what it takes.”

“I know you will.” Foley clapped her shoulder and offered her a slight smile. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and when he pulled it out, his brows lowered. “Excuse me for just a minute.”

Both the detectives turned back to the monitor, and he made himself scarce down the hallway, lowering his voice.

“This is Captain Foley.”

“Captain, it’s Brent Stratford.”

“Mr. Stratford. I hope you’re not about to tell me you’re calling to offer me real estate.”

Stratford quieted for a moment. “Actually, now that you mention it … that could be a possibility. But no, sir. That’s not why I was calling.”

“Oh, did she pass? I’m sorry … that was terrible timing on my part. My apologies—”

“No, no … it’s fine. I—I’m calling to let you know … that I’m about to violate a restraining order. I was um … giving you an opportunity to arrest me.”

He wasn’t sure what to expect from this call … but it definitely hadn’t been that. Especially not from one of the top lawyers in the city. “Stratford, why would you tell me something like that? I don’t under—” It hit him then. He was asking him to follow. To catch a bad guy. He was giving up his father.

“If we’re on the same page … I’m heading to the mansion across town. If I’m right, then you can take us both in.”

“Stratford, if you’re right … you could be walking into something you might not walk out of. This is me asking you not to. Please don’t try to be a hero, kid.”

“I’m going. I just figured I’d let somebody know that I’m uh … breaking the law.”

The call ended before he could respond, and something in his gut told him that some bad shit was about to go down. He rushed back down the hallway to where Northwood and Jenkins were pulling on their jackets to leave.

“Stratford residence. We need to go. Now.”

They both looked at him as if he were mad. “Brent? Or Conrad?” Northwood asked, checking her weapon.

“The senator. Brent just rang me and told me he was about to violate his restraining order. He’s gonna do something stupid.”

Something like confirmation flashed across Northwood’s face, and she holstered her gun. “We’ll go, sir. ”

“I’m going too. Been too long since I’ve had some action. Let’s move.”

“Should we call Foster?” Jenkins asked, zipping his jacket.

“Hell no. If she played nicer, he might have called her instead. Let’s go get this son-of-a-bitch.”

Nick Specter had done plenty of really stupid things—some he agreed to … some he hadn’t. Some of those things had paid off. Some of those things had landed him in water hot enough to boil him alive. It was at this particular moment, he found himself wishing that was actually happening. He’d rather have his skin melted off than to do this … really stupid thing.

“Damn …” Sarah whistled, circling him and looking over her handiwork. “You could almost pass for one of us, Specter.” Kane huffed through his nose as he sat in one of the chairs across from his desk in his office.

“Is this necessary?” Nick asked, fidgeting with an absolutely useless, non-functional buckle on the sleeve of an uncomfortable leather jacket. “How do you wear this shit every day? I feel like I’m being suffocated with plastic wrap.”

“If the wife promised to fuck the shit out of you after seeing you in it, I’m willing to bet you’d find it more comfortable.” Kane smirked. “Hell, you might even take up smoking … or get a tattoo.”

Sarah giggled, glancing at her mate while she applied smudges of eyeliner to Nick’s lids. “Hold still, boss man. I don’t care if you lose an eye, but I doubt it would feel very good.”

“Don’t you think this is a little overboard?” Nick asked, eyes watering. “Kane’s not wearing fucking makeup, St. James.”

“He doesn’t need it. There’s no making up somebody that already looks like that.”

Nick noticed the way the detective eyed every inch of her. “Someone should learn to heed her own advice,” Kane said, toying with the barely noticeable stubble on his chin.

“Shut it, detective …” She smiled, using her thumb to smear up the eyeliner. “You’re distracting me.”

They seemed … normal. More normal than Nick would have guessed, considering what he knew they both were. It was fascinating. As a man who, especially in his youth, had practically drowned himself in science, he couldn’t help but wonder about what had changed in the strange young woman that was giving him his first ever makeover. Nick sat still, focusing his attention on the swirls of color in her eyes while she worked.

“I wasn’t sure if it’d earn me a beating for asking, but … how are you? You look … very different.” He decided to tread carefully, and she paused to meet his curious stare .

“I feel fine.” Her expression grew firm, but that hidden softness she often seemed to try to conceal peeked through her features. “Very different … but fine. I know you’re not asking because you give a damn, so whatever it is you wanna know, I guess I should let you ask … you could die tonight.” He tried not to shudder as she winked at him, and he heard Kane chuckle from the chair behind her.

“Your heart started beating again. I’m assuming that means you don’t have to survive off blood?”

Sarah tucked the eyeliner into a small bag and pulled some faux ear cuffs out of it, turning his head. “Seems that way, but … for now, I find myself preferring it. What I’ve tried in the past two days has tasted like shit. But the blood?” She shrugged. “The blood hits home, right now.”

Nick cringed at the thought. “Have you … tested it? Yours, I mean. After your change?”

“When would I have had time to do that, Nick?”

He hesitated, but decided he would ask his next question anyway. “Would you allow me to?”

Sarah fit a cuff on the shell of his ear and dropped her hands into her lap. “What for?”

“You’re a biochemist. Aren’t you the least bit curious about it? What’s changed?”

She swiveled in the chair to face Kane, and he lifted a shoulder. “Only if you want to, love. Don’t feel obligated to satisfy his curiosity.”

“I’m—I dunno if I wanna know. But … I do feel like one of us should. I could have just as easily rendered myself useless to whoever wants my blood now.” She glanced between them both. “Gimme a vial.”

If she’d asked anyone else for a vial or a test tube in their office, it would have seemed absurd. But being the ever-prepared nerd that he was, Nick pulled his desk drawer open, and handed her a glass tube. “How long until we have to leave?” he asked.

“Club opens in an hour,” Kane offered.

They went to the same lab Sarah had spent her final moments a couple of nights before. Where she’d become something else. Nick hadn’t come in here since he’d sterilized the area. He tirelessly worked on their request in his personal lab upstairs for the past two days. It unsettled him a little when he’d gone for the cart to fetch a clean needle, only to turn around and catch St. James puncture her wrist with a fang and fill the vial herself. Kane watched her intently as she smeared a drop or two onto a slide and cleaned herself up. When she was done wiping the excess from her wrist, it looked like it had never happened. Nick’s spine tingled.

Everyone was silent as she adjusted the knobs on her microscope and peered into the eyepiece. No one was more quiet than Sarah. “Shit …” she whispered, turning the knob again. Nobody moved. Several moments of tense silence passed, and she finally looked up from her device. He was surprised when she looked at him first. “You have to see this.”

Nick approached the microscope, glancing at Kane as he stood perfectly still with his arms crossed in front of him. He took a look into the eyepiece. Her specimen was a livewire of activity. Every cell seemed to have its own pulsating shield of protection. Every jerking movement of them was as if they stood together like a waiting army, ready to jump into action at the slightest threat. “Incredible,” Nick breathed, adjusting the magnification. He opened the needle he’d gotten out, that was now unnecessary, and pricked the end of his finger, leaning back into the microscope as he added a single drop of his blood. The cells were ravenous. He wasn’t sick. Wasn’t taking any medication. The only thing he consumed in large amounts over the course of two days was caffeine. The little army devoured his cells, diminishing them into nearly nothing, until the tiniest flash of light burst in the middle and his own cells became what hers were. “My God …”

“What happened?” Sarah asked, stepping up to stand next to him. Nick squeezed another small bead of blood from his finger and moved aside to let her look.

“See for yourself,” he said, dropping the blood onto the slide. He waited a moment while she watched the reaction. She slowly leaned back and looked at Kane.

“My superheroes are … gods ,” she muttered, twisting her fingers around each other. “It’s like they made it to the other side of the damn checkerboard and got kinged .”

That eerie quiet stretched between them all and Kane turned himself away. “You can’t go anywhere near her, Sarah.” Nick noticed the flash of disappointment on her face when Kane had said it. “If that’s true, and she gets one drop of your blood … there’s no telling what she’ll become. You need to—”

“I’m going ,” Sarah interrupted, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around. “You’re not going in there by yourself. Wren could be in there, too.”

“We both know there’s a strong possibility that she’s not. I can handle Dahlia and the coven. I can’t risk you .”

“Well, I can’t just sit here while everybody risks their lives. Don’t ask me to do that. You swore you wouldn’t leave me, Athan. You swore .”

Kane gripped her shoulders and stepped closer. “Sarah … fuck …”

“We planned this,” Sarah said through clenched teeth. “She wants us both. We go together, or the coven gets nothing. Either I go … or I died for nothing. We’re not gonna live the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders, Athan. I’m killing this bitch. It ends tonight.” Sarah jerked out of Kane’s hold, and he trembled with anger. Anger and something like—fear? Nick pretended not to notice and stared at the floor while Sarah disposed of the specimen and cleaned up. “Get your shit. Let’s go.”

There was no arguing with her. It seemed like even someone as hard as Kane knew that. The ride to the creepy-ass club was silent, and she stared out the window for most of it. They pulled into a dark parking lot a couple of streets down. Streetlamps flickered, and most all the others were burned out. This was the side of Boston that Nick had been fortunate enough to never see. The cooler with all the bags of blood may as well have been a chest of gold on the floorboard behind Kane’s seat. When he turned toward him, Nick sighed nervously, flexing his hands in anticipation.

“You remember what I told you Decclan looks like? Where to find him?” Kane asked, one hand gripping the steering wheel while he looked Nick over.

“Yeah … by the door in the back. Big guy … slight Irish accent?”

“If you can’t find him, who are you supposed to look for?”

“Bartender. Tony … tall, skinny … ginger hair.”

Kane and Sarah finally looked at each other and nodded. “Alright. We’ll be waiting in the alley around the side of the building. You remember what I told you to do if you see Dahlia Van Hausen?”

Nick blew out a frustrated breath. “Abort.”

“Call me if anything happens. Don’t linger. Don’t do anything to give yourself away. You look the part, just remember that. Stratford stuck out like a stick in the mud. Blend in. Buy a drink. Act like you’re comfortable, even if you’re not. If you start letting your pussy show … they’ll smell it on you.”

“I’ve got it.” Nick felt the fluttering of his stomach turn to lead as Sarah let him out of the car. The farther away he got from the safety of that car, the more nervous he felt. He turned back for just a second, catching Kane’s glare, and straightened his spine, squaring his shoulders as he trudged forward. He could do it. St. James had endured much worse. He wouldn’t fuck this up. Moments later, he stepped through the front door and entered the Black Bird Tavern.

Tony opened two bottles of beer for the couple that waited across from him, nodding when they thanked him, and turning towards the other girl waiting close by.

“What can I get you, dear?” he asked, leaning in to hear her as the club became busier by the minute.

“Vodka and tonic, slice of lime!” she called over the music. Tony quickly prepared it, and slid it over to her, taking her payment and smiling as she stuffed a bill into the tip jar.

“Thanks, doll …” he said, swiping an empty glass from the bar, and taking it to the beverage station. An unfamiliar face slid onto a stool near the end of the bar as Tony washed the glasses but didn’t try to get his attention. Instead, he seemed to search the room for someone.

Tony watched for a moment, wiping down the glass, and then the bar. When the man didn’t turn back towards him, he made his way over. “Can I get you anything, mate?”

The man startled and faced him. “Ah … yeah, lemme get whatever you have on draft.” When he turned his head back towards the floor, Tony noticed the earrings lining the edge of his ear. They were fake. He tilted the frosty mug forward and filled it, keeping a close eye on the stranger .

“Here ya go,” Tony said, placing a beverage napkin beneath the beer as he sat it down in front of him. The man took a long swallow, and Tony wondered if he knew that his hands were visibly shaking. “Everything okay? You look a little shook up.”

The man smiled and shook his head as he stared into his beer. “Too much damn caffeine. Thanks, though.”

“Who are you looking for, mate? I’ve been doing this a long time. Maybe I can help.” Tony slid a cigarette into his mouth and turned the pack toward his visitor, offering him one. He hesitated but took one out for himself and wedged it between his teeth. Tony lit his first, then lit the other … the guy took a short inhale and went to hacking up a lung. It was obvious then that he was putting on a show. “I see.” He dragged on his cigarette. “If I were you, I’d start telling me what you’re really doing here, or head out before other people start getting suspicious. This isn’t a crowd you wanna get mixed up in, bud.”

“Is it that obvious?” he choked, still coughing.

Tony smiled as he took another hit and stretched a hand toward him. “I’m Tony.” They shook hands briefly, and he took another gulp of his beer.

“Nick.”

“Well, Nick … how can I help make your night go smoother?”

Nick turned in his stool and looked towards the back door of the club. “I’m looking for a guy named Decclan. Do you know him? I was told he was a bouncer here.”

Tony’s brows raised. “He is. He’s taken the past few nights off. What business have you got with Decclan?”

“I was also told I could trust you. I’m associated with a certain detective? He’s the one that has the business. I’m just the messenger.” Nick took a long swig, and then made another sad attempt at trying to smoke again. Tony felt his skin prickle.

“You’re in a very dangerous situation, mate. I trust you know that.” Tony nervously looked around for Dahlia but knew she wouldn’t be anywhere other than that office, or her chambers. Honestly, she’d been in her chambers more often than not lately.

“I don’t really have much choice in the matter, sir. Can you help me, or not?”

Tony lifted an arm to Devin, who was standing at the back door, and whistled loudly. Devin took it as a cue to escort his patron out of the bar—willingly, or unwillingly. As he made his way through the dancers, Nick glanced at Tony in shock.

“Play along, or this is gonna go the opposite of how you hoped it would go. Let him toss you out. We’ll get Decclan for you. I dunno what you’re up to … but Kane must not think too highly of you to send you in here with the smell of blood all over you. You best put on the show of your life, mate.” Tony nodded behind him, and Nick turned just as Devin grabbed him by the jacket and hoisted him out of the stool. He must have taken some heed to what he’d said, because he started throwing arms—weak, and inexperienced—but arms, nonetheless .

“This is bullshit! I was just having a beer!” Nick fought, and Devin cut Tony a glance, pausing while the poor guy squirmed in his hold.

“He’s got a mouth. Better grab Decclan …” Tony widened his eyes and cut them toward the man in his grip. “Maybe have Decclan … deal with him outside?”

“Noted,” Devin said, dragging Nick towards the front entrance.

Tony hadn’t seen or heard a word from Athan Kane since he’d come in that afternoon and sat at his bar. Everything just continued to plummet after that visit. There had to be a good reason for him to send an amateur into a coven full of half-starved vampires. Whatever it was, Tony felt overwhelmed with the need to redeem himself for what Kane would no doubt see as a betrayal. If his loathing for their leader hadn’t changed, then that glimmer of hope that Kane was about to try and take her down shined a little brighter … and Tony would gladly give his life to help him do it.

He had been bold to ask for a few days off duty. Had he given half a shit about whether or not she deigned to bleed him dry, or burn him alive, he might have been surprised that Dahlia allowed him that time. Decclan turned over onto his stomach in his sorry excuse for a bed and stretched his legs. The sounds of the club were barely audible from this far into the coven’s housing. It made the sound of footsteps easier to hear as a set paused at his door. He turned his head just as the knock sounded.

“Decc … you in there?”

Devin.

“Bugger off, Devin. I’m still on vacation .” The knob turned, and he came in anyway, quickly closing the door behind him as he checked over his shoulder. Decclan raised his head from his forearm. “Something wrong?”

“I need you to get up, mate. I’ve got a fresh one outside that’s asking to see you.”

Decclan snorted, laying his head back down. “A fresh one? There’s no fresh one that knows me, chap. You know better than that.”

“Decclan …” Devin knelt at the side of his bed, lowering himself to eye-level, and placing a hand on his bare shoulder. “Kane sent the guy in here. Guy says he’s waitin’ for ya out back.” He had lowered his voice into a whisper. Decclan raised onto his elbows, eyes widening.

“Bullshit. Did you see Kane?”

Devin shook his head. “Nah, I didn’t. But it was obvious to Tony that the dude I just bounced was dressed up, lookin’ very outta place, and pretended to be a greaser just to get your attention. Something’s up, and I don’t think the kid woulda risked his life if Kane won’t out there.”

“I’ll be fucking damned …” Decclan sprung off the bed, grabbing his shirt .

“Decc …” Devin raised himself to stand. “The girl … the one she’s after? Dude said she’s with him.”

He pointed his finger, poking it into Devin’s chest as he spoke, “Do. Not … let her find out. Do you understand? And no matter what you hear, or what happens, don’t you come out of this club.”

Devin raised his palms. “Alright, alright … I won’t. But if you and Tony are planning something that’s gonna get us all killed, I’m—”

“What the hell are you talkin’ about, Dev? Get outta here, man … go guard that door before she suspects something, would ya?” When Devin didn’t move, Decclan leaned forward. “Go!”

Devin left, and he quickly dressed, sneaking quietly down the halls, and through the club to the front door. When he stepped out, a man leaned against the brick wall with his hands nervously shoved into his pockets. Decclan approached him.

“Are you Decclan?” The guy asked, looking as if he were about to piss himself.

“Show me where he is … now.” He didn’t waste time with pleasantries, or questions. The timid impostor didn’t bother trying to hide his fear. He could smell it all over him. Decclan followed him around to the back of the building, and a familiar face stepped out of the shadows into the flickering light of the narrow alley.

Son-of-a-bitch …

Decclan pushed the human aside, knocking him into the wall and lunged for Kane. His friend braced for him, letting him land a solid hit to his jaw, and grabbing Decclan’s shoulders as he turned them into the brick with enough inhuman force to chip a piece or two off.

“Athan!” A woman’s voice called out, her hurried footsteps coming closer.

“Stay back!” Kane forced out, gritting his teeth and wrestling Decclan off. They scuffled, and Decclan let his guard down for a split second to look at the young girl to his right. Kane hit him—hard. Decclan’s neck cracked, and he winced at the obvious fractures in his bones as he snapped his head back towards him, and spit at the ground. “Don’t make me kill you, Decclan. You touch her, you die.”

“You wrecked us all for a human!” Decclan spat, swinging for Kane again. He blocked the punch, and spun out of his reach, landing another blow to Decclan’s ear. Decclan grabbed his wrist and turned it, cracking the bones and smiling through bloody teeth as Kane growled. “Why you, Kane? What is it about you that everybody finds so fucking wonderful?”

Kane kicked him in the gut, forcing him back and breaking out of his grip. He took him by the throat and pinned him to the wall as Decclan’s hands wrapped around his neck and squeezed. “You know I never wanted this life,” he choked out, lifting Decclan until his toes barely touched. He was stronger, Decclan noticed. Stronger than he’d ever seemed before … even with inhuman strength. “I know you love her. I should have fucking let her burn that night. I should have let us all burn and spared you an eternity of sucking her asshole! ”

Decclan squeezed tighter, both their faces turning shades of blue. “Why’d you come back?” Spittle flew from his mouth as he struggled for breath. “I tried to help you! All these years I’ve tried to fucking help you, Kane. But you’re just determined to die. You were gonna let us all fucking starve!”

Kane dropped him and staggered back as Decclan let go of his neck. They both breathed heavily and faced each other. “You know damned fucking well she sabotaged that supply,” he huffed. “You know that wasn’t me. You're gonna tell me you didn’t help her do it?”

“Maybe I did!” Decclan snapped, stepping forward. “Maybe I did it ‘cause I love her, or maybe I did it because she loves you! Maybe …” He sniffed, wiping at his lip. “I did it because I couldn’t understand how she could let you walk outta here with your fucking freedom while the rest of us did exactly what we were told! You always spoke to her like she was offal! And yet here you were … free. Happy. Living your best life with your job … a fucking wolf , and a human plaything !”

“Enough!” The girl yelped, stepping between them. Kane reached for her, pulling her away, and Decclan raised his face to hers. “I’m nobody’s fucking plaything. I’m his mate . Now back the hell off, and both of you get ahold of yourselves.”

Decclan’s eyes narrowed, and he looked at Kane. “Your mate ?”

“It’s a complicated situation,” she answered for him, sliding an arm around Kane’s back. “We can play catch-up later. That’s not why we’re here.”

“If you already know she wants you, and why … then are you here because you’re just like your mate … and have a fucking death wish, love?” Decclan sneered.

“Don’t ever fucking call me that again,” she growled. It struck a nerve with him. That sound … that scent. Decclan’s eyes widened. “Where is Wren Vintorri?” Her eyes darkened and her fangs slid out.

“Holy shit. You turned her.” Decclan turned his face to Kane, who smirked in reply. “You have no idea what you’ve done, Kane. We’re fucked.”

“Answer the question,” she demanded, making to step closer as Kane pulled her back. “Where’s Wren?”

“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

“Redhead. She shot one of Dahlia’s guys last month,” Kane offered.

“We don’t have her. Both Tank, and the other girl that were watching you are dead. We’ve had other shit to deal with recently, and we haven’t been tracking either of you.”

“Then where is she?” she asked, growing angrier.

“It’s not my problem to solve, unless Dahlia asks me to solve it, Princess … and she hasn’t yet. Sorry. I can’t help you. Especially now that you’ve just told me we’ve got bigger fucking problems.”

“Such as?” Kane asked.

“You know exactly what. You know Dahlia wants her for that blood. Now she’s a vampire. She’s gonna fucking kill you both, Kane. You’ve just finished this coven off. You deserve whatever she gives you.” He started to turn and walk away, and the girl called out to him.

“What if I can give you what she wants?”

Decclan stopped, slowly turning around. “And how do you plan to do that? You’re not human anymore.”

She started forward, and Kane let her. She stopped about a foot away and didn’t balk as she looked up at him. “I’ll make you an offer. I’ll give you and this coven a cooler full of my blood. Blood that was drawn before my transition. The same blood she used on your slutbag lackey.”

“And why would you do that?”

“So you can have the life you deserve. Free. Happy .” Her mouth curled up in the corner.

“You’re gonna give a coven full of strangers a new life?” Decclan scoffed. “I’m not sure if he’s told you, but I’m old, Princess. Very old. The only reason you would do something that selfless is because you’re either incredibly naive, or you want something in return. Which is it?”

“First of all, my name is Sarah. And second, yes … I do want something in return. I want your loyalty .” She closed the space between them. “I’ll give you my blood. You give me her .”

Decclan almost choked. His freedom for his queen. It went against everything he stood for, and yet—and yet … “You’re insane.”

A slow, devious smile crept across her mouth. “I became insane … with long intervals of horrible sanity.”

He looked at Kane, who stood proudly behind her, and then back at her unmoving face. “And if I decline?”

“Then I’ll find out which ones are better suited, and you become just as much an enemy as she is. I’m gonna kill her either way. You can help me and live a better life … or die with someone who will never love you. Your choice.”

So many thoughts flooded his mind, and Decclan found himself staring at an interesting crack in the street. Kane stepped in front of him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Decc …” He clenched his jaw, and slowly raised his face to him. Kane offered a slight smile. “Two hundred years, man. If nothing’s changed in all that time, then it never will. Nobody needs that much fucking power. That night in the port, you begged me to save your life. To save hers … you said you weren’t ready to die.”

“I wasn’t. I’m still not.”

“Then don’t. Go live , Decclan. You and Devin could go back to Dublin. You could start over. Live in the light? Sing, and drink whiskey without constantly checking your watch …” Kane dropped his hand and took hold of his mate. He wasn’t wrong. And there was no use hating the guy for shit he couldn’t have helped. None of them had ever been given a choice. This woman was handing him a golden ticket, and the only thing stopping him from taking it was the idea of something that would never be.

“If I swear you my loyalty … are you trying to take her place? Or are you telling me that we can freely walk away? ”

Sarah held out her hand. “Help me take her down, and you can do whatever you want. I’m no queen. I’m just a girl that’s died twice for the sake of being left the fuck alone.”

Decclan sighed deeply and shook her hand.

“You have my word. Tell me your plan.”