Break the Day - Lara Adrian Page 0,57

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Chase listened to all of the bad news in grim silence, as if he had already lived through a thousand similar catastrophes in his tenure as a warrior, and, like Lucan, had the broad shoulders to carry them all.

As bad as his problems had gotten tonight, Rafe could handle them too.

Except for the one that had placed Devony in the line of fire.

“They burned down her brownstone tonight.” Just saying the words put a chill in his veins. Just thinking about the danger she was in made his blood seethe with murderous intent. “I tranced LaSalle before he died. He told me that the death squad said they were coming after both Devony and me. While I was squeezing him for the information, we saw the news bulletin on his TV. Reporters and fire trucks were all over her block in Back Bay. I brought Devony straight here.”

“Jesus, that inferno raging across town is her Darkhaven?”

“Was,” Rafe corrected. “She’s got nowhere else to go, Chase.”

“That’s not quite true. She can go back home to London. Mathias Rowan has been here in Boston on other business. I’m sure he’ll be willing to get her home safely when he heads back tomorrow. His unit in London can provide her round-the-clock protection while we deal with this situation with Opus.”

“What? No. No fucking way.” Rafe wanted to think his vehement rejection of that idea had more to do with concerns for her wellbeing than his want to keep her close to him. That’s not what his heart was saying, though.

“She doesn’t have a home in London anymore. Not since her family was killed. She won’t want to return there. Even if she did, you and I both know she’ll be safer here, with us.”

With him.

Just because he didn’t say the words out loud didn’t mean they weren’t thrumming through every fiber of his being.

He wanted her. Not just to ensure she was safe and secure. Not merely as a valuable partner in his goal to see Opus destroyed.

He just wanted . . . her.

Chase considered him for a moment before exhaling a long sigh. He leaned forward, elbows resting on the desk. “Listen, Rafe, Lucan told me about her situation. It’s rough, what she went through. Losing her parents and her brother in one fell swoop. Anyone would want a little payback for that. But this is our fight with Opus, not hers.”

“No.” Rafe shook his head. “Tonight, by threatening her, they made it my fight.”

It was true. As much as he craved retribution after being played for a fool by Opus in Montreal, this resolve to obliterate the cabal was something different. It went deeper, ran infinitely colder.

His own humiliation was nothing compared to the very real threat to Devony’s life.

“She stays with me.”

Chase’s brows rose in challenge. “As commander of this operation center, I might have something to say about that. And I can assure you, Lucan will—”

“I drank from her.”

“Ah, fuck. Tell me you’re joking.”

Rafe held the bleak stare of his commander. “Earlier tonight, after Cruz smashed a crate of liquid UV in front of me. The burns were . . . bad. Devony wasn’t supposed to take part in the robbery, but she came looking for me anyway. If she hadn’t found me when she did—if she hadn’t given me her blood . . .” Rafe slowly shook his head. “I owe her my life.”

“I see.” Chase studied him, then shook his head. “I’ll put a call in to D.C. I know Lucan will want to hear all of this directly from you. He’s going to want to decide where this goes from here. In the meantime, I need to get boots on the ground to go try to contain what’s left of that UV supply at the warehouse. Aric and his new team arrived earlier tonight,” Chase added. “Looks like they just got their first assignment.”

Damn. His best friend’s daywalker team was already put together. They were here in Boston, and Rafe wouldn’t even have known if he hadn’t shown up tonight.

Although he hadn’t actually been ousted from the Order weeks ago, it still took him aback to realize how life had moved on as if he were gone for good. Until now, he hadn’t realized how much he truly missed being back in the fold, an active part of operations.

Chase got up from his chair. “I can’t say I like what I’ve heard tonight, Rafe, or where things stand with you and Devony Winters. But I’m not