gesture. This team is how I imagined it to be. You complete us. Now Wyatt can do his job and Gem hers. Everyone has a place, like puzzle pieces. I sometimes want to do more, because that is the life I once knew, but my first responsibility is to keep myself alive. And my second responsibility is to keep each of you alive. There can be no compromise.”
I gave him a crooked smile, thinking about how many Alka-Seltzers he probably drank a night. “I’ll try to stay alive, but I’ve made a lot of enemies.”
“Raven, your personal life is complicated, and I cannot fix those problems.”
“If I still lived on the streets, no one would care if I disappeared. I know you’re not my family, but it feels like it sometimes.”
“I understand what you mean. In some ways, this feels like a pack. I cannot help but run the house like I would as a Packmaster, but I have to remind myself that it is possible I will lose some of you. That is why your relationship with Christian concerns me. It is difficult to truly love someone that you might lose. I have lost hundreds of family members—my brothers, their children, and tragedy has befallen everyone I’ve cared for.”
“How did it happen?”
Viktor pinched the bridge of his nose as if holding back tears. “I do not wish to live in the pain of my past. Find those happy moments and hold them in your heart. Like here, with Keystone. Everyone in this house has endured suffering while under my watch. Niko almost died, Gem lost a man she cared for, Blue is scarred beyond comprehension, and you have also suffered tragedy at the hands of your Creator. I did not know if this organization would last with so many different backgrounds and Breeds, but despite the bickering, you take care of each other. This pleases me.” Viktor trailed off in Russian before stopping himself. “We do not know our destiny, so we must make a difference today. No matter what happens, it is better to know that we made sacrifices to give others a better life. Keystone will bring you riches and build your reputation, but when you die, you cannot take those things with you.”
I stood and pushed in my chair. “Thanks for trusting me with this job. I just hope it’s the last assignment we ever have in a sex club.”
Viktor rocked with laughter as he rose from his chair and reached for something on the table behind him. “I almost forgot. This came for you today.” He handed me a small brown box with twine wrapped around it. “The delivery boy did not say who it was from, but do not be surprised to receive more gifts in the coming days from those who wish to show their appreciation.”
Holding the box in one hand, I strode down the dark hallway toward the staircase and jogged up to the second floor. The hours I’d spent in that coffin were probably the most terrified I’d ever felt, even with Fletcher. I’d channeled some of my energy to produce a little light, but somehow that made it worse. After attempting to punch my way out, I’d calmed myself to reserve oxygen and sporadically flared in hopes that a Mage might be nearby. Christian had sat with me all night and most of the day. He brought my usual cup of hot coffee early this morning, and even though I didn’t drink it, the fragrant aroma comforted me. I needed space, and he gave it to me. The last thing I wanted was someone giving me a lecture about what I needed to do or eat or drink. I needed to be a mess for a little while before I cleaned myself up.
As I reached a dark window in the hallways overlooking the courtyard pool, I stood there and watched Niko and Gem talking. She had on a short blue nightgown and kimono untied at the waist. The only light came from the pool.
My thoughts drifted back to the coffin. It was hard to get it out of my head. The panic, the rage, the regret—being stuck in there with nothing but my thoughts. When the oxygen had run out, it didn’t happen all at once. The air had grown stale, and I was breathing more rapidly as it seemed impossible to catch my breath. Dizzy and feeling as if my heart might explode, I realized it was impossible to