had once loved Lenore. She’d used him, controlled him with her ancient blood, and discarded him like trash. He’d spent decades feeling resentful and angry while devoting his life to protecting others, as if that could somehow wash away his sins. After a while, he’d buried his pain, and life was tolerable again. But Lenore’s unexpected return had resurfaced those old feelings—only now his bitterness had turned into betrayal and hurt. Did that mean he had never stopped loving her? Did it mean Lenore still had influence over him? Or did it mean he simply hadn’t put the past behind him as she clearly had?
And then there was Raven. Exquisite, confident, capable—everything he desired. Yet she was so young. So very young. What if she one day decided that he wasn’t enough, just as Lenore had? Christian didn’t exactly have a good track record in the love department. If anything, he’d learned that feelings weren’t always reciprocated in the same way.
“If you have feelings for anyone else,” Niko said, lowering his voice, “you shouldn’t bury them.”
“I’d like to.”
“I don’t mean the person. You have to face your innermost desires and fears and conquer them. It’s the only way you’ll be able to move forward.”
“Been doing a little conquering yourself, have you?” Christian knocked back the rest of his drink.
“Of course not.”
“Don’t be tellin’ me fibs. You’ve got a woman out there, haven’t you? Bet she’s still pining over you.”
Niko didn’t display any physical signs of lying like blushing or sweating. But his capillaries widened just enough that a Vampire would notice, and Christian heard a fluctuation in his heart rhythm. The man had secrets.
Remembering he had a job to do, Christian scooted out of the bench seat. “If Raven comes back, tell her I’m busy. I need to get started on creating her new identity.”
Niko felt around the table and collected the dishes before standing up. “I wish I could contribute.”
“Enjoy your time off. It’s not often we get any. Besides, Wyatt can’t do everything, now can he? You might be able to help him make a few calls and reserve a nice hotel for Raven. If it’s left up to him, he’ll choose the cheapest dump that money can buy.”
Niko inclined his head. “I’ll work with him tonight, after I’m finished with Raven. She’ll need a hotel within walking distance, and Viktor doesn’t want her straying far. That will limit our choices.”
“Why walking distance?”
“She shouldn’t drive her vehicle. Someone might run a check on it, and Wyatt won’t have time to change those records to match her fake identity.”
Christian nodded. “Good thinking. I’d rather you stay here and help Wyatt. We can’t afford to make any careless mistakes.”
“Raven will also need proper attire. Wyatt mentioned that Shepherd plans to scope out the club tonight. I assume when he returns, he’ll be able to provide information on the employee dress code. Raven will need to go shopping tomorrow.”
Christian scratched his head. “Raven isn’t the only one who’ll need new threads. Claude can’t work in a place like that without the right look. I know a thing or two about male workers in adult clubs. Viktor just needs to tell me what his position will be.” Christian clasped his hands behind his back and looked at his shoes. “Raven will need contact lenses, and I suspect Wyatt’ll need to pick up a few things to make Blue’s phone necklace. Might as well make it a team outing.”
“We were almost arrested on our last shopping trip.”
Christian clapped Niko on the shoulder. “Aye. That’s what makes it interesting. Do me a favor: don’t tell Raven we had this conversation.”
Niko tilted his head to the side. “What conversation?”
Chapter 5
One interesting aspect of living with Keystone was watching how the others interacted with humans. My teammates didn’t spend time around them, and aside from Christian and Niko, who had once been human, the rest had likely grown up around their own kind. When you isolate yourself in the Breed world, the rules—or lack thereof—rub off on you.
So Shepherd lighting up a cigarette inside a shoe store was a normal affair for him, but the salesman looked like he was on the verge of a conniption.
“Sir, please don’t make me call security.” The slender man adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses, a vain attempt at signaling who had the authority in this situation.
Shepherd rested his arm over a shelf after putting out the match and dropping it on the floor. “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll