Savage Awakening (Alpha Pack #2)(55)

Aric looked away, into the gathering darkness. "Maybe not, but it doesn't matter. Promise me."

One by one, they did, though reluctantly. Everyone but Nick, who just returned Aric's glare with a hard one of his own.

"I won't say anything unless I feel I have to."

"Fine." Aric sighed. He supposed that was the best he was going to get.

What a joke. His team had intervened, but he was going to die anyway. He'd let down anyone who'd ever loved him. He didn't deserve to be happy, to have a beautiful mate. He'd only end up hurting her, too.

The sun set completely as they shifted and started the long walk back to the compound. Even among his Pack, he felt alone in the dark.

Aching for what might've been, if only he'd been a better man.

Chapter Eleven

Rowan hovered at the window to the rec room, alternating between pacing and peering into the waning evening. As in any workplace, word had gotten around about the fight in no time.

Sariel and a couple of others had found Rowan keeping vigil and had been concerned about what happened. She'd simply told them that the boys had a disagreement and went for a run to work out their frustrations. A vague response, but she figured the team's dirty laundry was their business to air, or not.

"They haven't returned?"

She looked around to see the gorgeous Fae walk in again, his brow furrowed. "Not yet."

"I think this 'disagreement' was more serious than you said, since you've paced there for over two hours."

"You could say that. But it's not my story to tell."

"I understand. I only wanted to check and see if you needed a friend."

"Thanks." She smiled at him. "A person can never have too many of those."

"Oh, I don't know. A handful of really good, loyal ones has always been enough for me." His voice was wistful, his expression distant for a moment.

"Did you leave behind someone special in your world?" she asked gently. His golden eyes were so sad, she could've cried for him. She didn't cry easily.

"My five brothers, and my best friend. They were all on a diplomatic visit to the Vampire Coalition or the Seelie court would never have succeeded in casting me from the realm. Politics, you know?"

"I'm so sorry," she said sincerely. "Your brothers and your friend, they knew that your father is this Unseelie bastard?"

"Yes. They loved me anyway," he said quietly, "as did my late stepfather. Now my oldest brother is king, and none of them ever would've told my secret. I don't know how the court found out."

"Maybe Malik told them, or arranged for someone else to do it?"

"Why would he do that? Raping my mother was, and still is, a crime punishable by death."

"Well, it got you kicked out, didn't it? And now you're without the protection of your kind."

"Which is exactly what he must've wanted." He shook his head, causing the fall of sapphire hair to wave like silk. His wings rustled in agitation. "I've been stupid. I couldn't understand how the court learned Malik sired me, but it never occurred to me that he might have been behind it."

"You haven't seen him since you've been... on earth?" It was still hard to say shit like that.

His smile was faint. "The Seelie court as well as the Vampire Coalition exist on earth, just on different planes. But to answer your question, yes. Malik was waiting for me almost the instant I landed in the middle of a busy street in Ireland, on the wrong side of the veil."

She blinked, trying to picture that. "Wings and all?"

"Unfortunately. My appearance caused quite a panic, which alerted Malik to my location. I fled, and barely managed to stay one step ahead of him, hiding in several different places. During all of this, the Alpha Pack team was alerted to my presence and came to apprehend me."

"But not Malik?" She frowned. "Why didn't they grab him?"

"He's much more skilled at cloaking for long periods of time than I am, and I was at a severe disadvantage. From what the team has learned, we now know he's living among humans. I very much doubt his subordinates know exactly what Malik is, or how close they really are to dealing with the devil."

"So he appears to be a normal guy," she mused aloud.

"The Pack hasn't had a distress call to apprehend a seven-foot-tall, ugly-as-a-Sluagh's-ass Unseelie with batlike wings and two large horns protruding from the sides of his head, so I'm guessing yes. He appears normal."

She snorted. "Smart-ass."

"Thank you." He appeared pleased. "I'm learning. Humor is sort of lost on the Seelie."

"Serious bunch, huh?"

"You could say that."

She paused. "Would you know Malik, even if he was cloaked, as you say?"

"The Fae can sense one another from long distances. If I were in a room with a bunch of humans, except one was a Fae in disguise, I could identify which one it was because of the magical field they can't hide from other Fae. The Sorcerer, Kalen, might even be able to do this."

"Would you be able to tell if the Fae is Malik in particular?"

"Yes, because I'm his blood. Same with my brothers."

"Hmm." She regarded her new friend thoughtfully. "Why does this guy have such a hard-on for you? I mean, it's not like you're the king or anything- Damn, I'm sorry. I didn't mean any offense."