“That’s different.” She pulled her hair away from her collar. “He’s recruiting hapless women to put their bodies and their lives in danger so that others can make money off them. You killed a monster.”
“But it’s still a crime.”
“Look, it’s not about who’s nice and who’s not. You have to draw the line somewhere. What if your buddy was stealing children and selling them to loving couples? It’s still wrong. I see what you’re getting at, but you came from the human world where things were black and white. Our world is grey.” She stood up and dusted off her pants. “Don’t worry, Raven. I’ll cover for you. If there’s one crime I won’t let you go down for, it’s murdering a child abuser. There’s a special hell for people who hurt kids.”
“Is there a special place in hell for people like us?”
She rested her palms on the sink behind her. “Maybe.”
My head thumped against the wall as I reclined it. “I wish Christian was here.”
“He’s on assignment.”
“Doing what?”
Blue bit her thumbnail. “Maybe I should just leave it at that. Viktor wants you focused on the job.”
“Is it dangerous?”
She nodded.
I stood up and blocked the doorway. “Tell me.”
“He was assigned to guard that woman,” Blue said with obvious disdain. “The one who works for the higher authority.”
“Lenore?”
“That’s her. Anyhow, I guess she’s in some kind of danger or else Viktor wouldn’t have assigned him to guard her. That’s not what we do.”
“Is someone trying to kill her?”
“I guess so.”
Admittedly, that filled me with relish.
I flipped off the bathroom light and went into the bedroom. After switching on the lamp, I sat on the bed and stared at my reflection in the TV. I didn’t like the idea of Christian dying to save that woman, but thinking about it would only distract me from my job. Flynn would be putting me in touch with his contact, and I needed to keep my head in the game.
“I’m going back home.” Blue lingered in the entryway. “I’ll update Viktor with the offer you got. Anything else you want me to relay?”
I lowered my head, tears stinging my eyes. “This is so fucking hard. The stuff that goes on inside the club gets under your skin.”
Blue sat down next to me and bumped shoulders. “I know. Trust me, I know. But you’ve got to shut it off. The longer assignments will get to you. That’s why Viktor bought the Keystone mansion. He wanted to give us a retreat—a place where we could leave all this behind, away from the misery and the stink of the city. That’s why he doesn’t want televisions all over the house. We see enough murder and corruption as it is; we don’t need to invite it into our bedroom.” Blue gave my knee a light squeeze. “I know this isn’t the real you talking. It’s all that blood or whatever you took from him. The real Raven is tough. She wears knives in her boot heels and calls bullshit when she sees it.”
I smiled and wiped my eyes.
“I don’t like Vamps,” she went on. “But you’re not half bad.”
“Quit while you’re ahead.”
Blue chuckled softly. “Did I ever tell you about your terrible taste in men?”
“Oh, fuck off.”
She clapped me on the shoulder. “There she is.” Blue stood up and sighed. “I’ll track you as best I can. Try not to get yourself killed.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.”
“It’s the least I can do.”
“For what?”
“For killing the Shifter asshole that did this to me.” She gently pulled the hood over her head, and it framed her beautiful face. “Get some sleep. You’re gonna need it.”
Chapter 19
Instead of flying back to the mansion, Blue took a cab. She kept a bag of clothes on the hotel roof, just in case she needed to perform a task on foot. After witnessing last night’s murder, she was too wired up to shift, so she sent Wyatt a message to meet her outside and pay the driver. As soon as she entered the mansion, she hung her phone on the winged statue by the door and headed to the gathering room.
She was exhausted—it wasn’t easy staying awake all night. Most Shifters black out during their shift, but Blue had the special ability to remain conscious the entire time. Even though her falcon knew to follow Raven, Blue couldn’t chance missing out on important details that her animal wouldn’t understand.