Ripper (Hunter #1)(101)

Dan shrugged. “It’s still a little like that. I celebrate every day the twins don’t accidentally kill themselves or others.”

“Kelsey.” Jamie rushed into the room. Nate and Liv were behind him, but they moved more cautiously. Jamie pulled me out of Marcus’s arms and I immediately felt the loss of his warmth. “I was so worried when they told me you were here.”

“She’s fine, Jamie,” Nathan said solemnly. “Dan wouldn’t hurt her. He’s only trying to help.”

Liv stood beside him, looking the slightest bit guilty and I knew. I just knew. “You two set me up.”

Nathan swallowed before answering. “It wasn’t like that, Kels.”

Jamie let me go and glared at Nate. “What do you mean? Nate, are you trying to tell me you know what’s been going on?”

Liv stepped up and reached out for my hand. Her lovely eyes radiated concern. “Kelsey, you know something’s wrong. It has been for a very long time. The king came to me and asked if I would help you, and I couldn’t turn him down.”

“What does the freaking king want with me?” I practically shouted.

“Calm down, Kelsey,” Nathan said.

“You calm down,” I shot back at him with a growl.

“You better start explaining, Nathan,” Jamie said in his best big-brother voice. “I want to know what’s going on and why you felt more loyalty to these people than your own damn family.”

“Loyalty?” Nate asked, his voice rising. “You want to talk about loyalty and family, Jamie? How about protecting our sister rather than passing her off to some f*cking demon? How about that? You practically shoved her into bed with a Hell Lord. This is your fault, Jamie. And Liv’s. Liv is the one who brought her back into this world. I wasn’t on board with this plan until Liv shoved her back in. What was I supposed to do? She can’t handle it.”

“She can once she gets the training she needs,” Liv shot back. “I sent Helen to her because Helen needed help and Kelsey needs to use her skills. You’re the one who wants her to live a half life because you can’t handle what she really is. You know she needs this, Nate.”

“All of you stop.” Marcus stood and reached for my hand again. The minute he touched me I sighed and felt the burgeoning rage slip away. “Can’t you see how fragile she is? She has absolutely no control yet. Daniel, is this mockery of a trial absolutely necessary? It would be better if you allowed Zachary and myself to handle her.”

“Sorry,” Daniel said, getting up. “It is necessary and considering how we’re all going to have to handle her, we should do this in chambers. Everyone, please follow Dev. The Council is ready, if Marcus will take his place.”

Marcus sighed. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to leave her.”

Daniel shook his head and held out his hand to me. “I’ve been watching. I think I can keep her calm until the last of the episode goes away. I know she should rest, but we need to settle things.”

Marcus reluctantly placed my hand in Dan’s. As I touched him, I felt his will. He pushed his persuasion at me. It wasn’t as strong as Marcus’s, but I felt it’s soothing nature. Where Marcus’s was warm, Dan’s was cool, like a breeze on a hot day. The others filed out and I let Dan lead me even as certain pieces fell into place.

“You were the one who tested me in the alley,” I said softly, thinking about the voice in my head. It had been his.

“Yes.” Dan led me down the hall and up a set of stairs. “I had to be sure. I sent one of my vampires, an illusionist, to test you. Dev and I watched from a building across the street. You were never in any real danger, though Chad sure as hell was. He was very surprised. It’s been a long time since anyone saw through his illusions.”

And other pieces fell into place. It was daylight. Only two vampires currently living in Dallas could daywalk. My heart ached with the absolute betrayal of it all. Why else would Marcus, who was far older than Daniel, follow his instructions? “And did you find out what you needed, Your Highness?”

The King of all Vampire gave me a slight smile. It was tight and there was no real humor behind it. “I did. Don’t blame Nate. I asked him not to tell you. I asked Olivia not to mention she knew me, either. I thought it would be easier if I got your friends involved. You came to my attention six months ago. When I took over from the last Council…”

“You mean when you staged your coup,” I stated, needing to needle him.

His mouth tightened but he let it go. “When I became king ten years ago, I had all the old records brought over from France. It’s taken me time to go through them. I learned a lot from those files. One of the things I discovered was a line of genealogy dating back to Roman times. It was carefully kept by the Council. It concerned a certain type of werewolf.”

“I don’t see what any of this has to do with me.”

“You are one prickly female,” Dan said, his smile seemingly genuine. “It has everything to do with you. Do you know what a lone wolf is?”

I’d heard the term. “It’s like a super wolf. It’s not an alpha though. They tend to work and live outside packs. They tend to be drifters.”

“Yes, they do. They also tend to be cantankerous and a bit lazy,” Dan said with great affection. “The gene is recessive and very, very rare. There are only two loners in the whole world now. The Council kept track of them. They were watched closely.”