sleeping together, you gave me an incredibly detailed explanation why I didn’t need to wear a condom and that pregnancy wasn’t a worry.”
“I was attracted to you. Sometimes, I wonder why when you’re like this.”
“You were attracted to me, but it was never strong. I see the way you watch him walk in and out of a room. I see how you take him in and watch his eyes. I’m not blind.”
“Are you jealous?” I crossed my arms.
“No. I pity the man. He’s obviously not ready for a woman as strong as you in his life. He’s in for a bumpy ride. I wish I could tell him it would be worth it in the end, but…”
“That’s just mean.” Deciding I was done with the conversation, I stood up. “I’m going to take a drive. I want to get eyes on the only location I know of that Sinclair has here. The one I broke into. Maybe I can get eyes on him and Carter.”
“They probably aren’t using that location anymore.”
“I know, but it would make me more comfortable knowing they aren’t, instead of never taking the chance to find out.”
“Be safe,” he ordered. I nodded and started walking out.
“Kaliya?” he called softly. When I looked over my shoulder, he sighed. “If you ever need help with…him…just let me know. I don’t want you feeling like you have to deal with this alone. You don’t. You don’t need the other nagas, either. Whatever you decide to do with him in the end, I’ll support it.”
“Thank you.”
I didn’t say goodbye to anyone on my way out, grabbing the keys to Cassius’s most casual car, a BMW like mine. When I was driving away, I caught Raphael standing in a window, watching me leave.
Whatever I decide? Can I just leave him with you, Cassius?
23
Chapter Twenty-Three
It wasn’t much of a drive from Cassius’s home to the house Sinclair rented. I drove the streets slowly, glad I was in one of Cassius’s cars and not mine. Not because they were destroyed, but because I only had two vehicles, and most supernaturals in the Phoenix area knew them. I was a little less recognizable in the rest of Arizona and in New Mexico, but in the city, I couldn’t go anywhere without being noticed.
His windows were illegally tinted, and I knew he had a high-level charm on the car to keep it from garnering human attention, strong enough to throw off many supernaturals as well. He was a powerful fae with a lot of money. Maybe I should have taken his advice and help with my own security sooner. I’ll let him do whatever he wants when this is done and I can fix my house.
I pulled up across the street from Sinclair’s little rented suburban home. The lights were off; not too strange since supernaturals generally tried to blend in with the neighborhood, even if they kept a night schedule.
I licked my lips, tasting the cold metal of my lip piercing. The air gave me no scents worth paying attention to. I locked the car and walked toward the house. I had a feeling since Sinclair had made his terms, I wasn’t in any danger. He would honor them because Cassius would never move forward on a deal, and Sinclair wouldn’t get anything if he killed me right now.
Because the street was dark, I wandered around the house, not worried anyone was going to call the cops. I checked the windows, peeking in as I entered the backyard. I went back around front, doing the same to the other side of the house. Confident there was no one inside, I tried the front door and found it unlocked.
Definitely abandoned since they figured out I had found them. Well, maybe they left something behind I could use.
With confidence, I walked inside and flipped on a light. The place was clean, no signs of a struggle if they had Carter here at one point—I knew Carter would struggle unless he was unconscious or dead. I tasted the air again and only caught the fae with a hint of human, which had to be Sinclair. Vampire scents were strange. They smelled like their most recent meal, a very faint human, thanks to physical contact. If they hadn’t fed for a long time, or they were careful about their feeding, they had no scent at all. Many were able to keep a scent on them to keep from pissing off other people. Others were good at never allowing