Creature of Habit (Book 3) (3 page)

Chapter 4

Grant

“I’ll be fine,” Amelia said, gently pushing me out the door.

I needed to leave
, I told myself. I needed to leave her at the house, alone, with a Shifter. Irrational worry simmered under the surface but I swallowed it back and agreed, “I know.”

“Seriously.”

I nodded. “I know.”

“They why aren’t you leaving?”

I tilted my head. “Because I love you?”

“Nice try.” She rolled her eyes, but her quickened heartbeat betrayed her true feelings about my words.

I shrugged and ignored Ryan impatiently tapping on the car door behind me. “Call me if anything happens.”

“I will.”

“Or call Ryan. Or Miles.”

“I will.”

“And don’t let him go upstairs.” Amelia crossed her arms. “Okay, I know you won’t let him go upstairs.”

She bent down from her spot on the top step and kissed me gently. Again, I’m reminded that I shouldn’t leave her in the care of a cat. An asshole cat. With a massive chip on his shoulder.

“Go.”

“Dude,” Ryan called.

“Fine.” I squeezed her hand. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“Good luck.”

Luck. Yeah, right.

“You think they will be okay?” Ryan asked as we drove away from the house.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” I replied, shifting the car into gear.

“I’m not sure I trust that guy.”

I laughed darkly.
Join the club
, I wanted to say, but kept my thoughts on Adam being in my home, alone with Amelia, to myself. He’d gone out of his way to protect her before—in the parking garage at my corporate office. She trusted him. “We can’t take Amelia to Black Mountain with us, not with a Council representative there.  And with… well, the others gone, we’re short-handed.”

The others. Olivia, Elijah, and Sebastian had all taken their turn watching Amelia to keep her safe. Two of the three were gone. Elijah? He wasn’t in the condition to stay in one place. I couldn’t trust him to focus on the task at hand. I had little choice but to call on the Shifters.

“We can talk about it,” Ryan said. “I don’t blame you for Bass leaving.”

I glanced at Ryan quickly. He looked worried, not angry. “I know. Thank you for that, even though I carry some of the blame.”

“He was at the tipping point long before Amelia entered the picture. I’d noticed it, but hadn’t said anything. I figured he’d get over it—move on.”

“What was happening?”

“He’d wander off for days at the time. Say he was hunting. I’d offer to go along but he said he wanted to be alone. I figured he was just aimless. It happens once or twice a year.”

“True.” I couldn’t deny that. I’d gone off on my own enough times to know that sometimes we needed a little space and perspective. I just didn’t realize Sebastian had been struggling to that extent.

“He comes back a little better. More steady, and I thought that working with you, helping with Caleb would give him something to do, you know?” Ryan shook his head. “I think it just opened old wounds.”

“Is there anything we can do?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Wait it out? He’ll come around eventually. If not, I’ll set off for him once this Caleb thing is over.”

“Sooner or later everything will settle down and we’ll get all this sorted out.”

We neared the foothills of the mountain. “The Council got here pretty quick for this to just be about the camp,” he said.

“I think their agenda will be bigger than just that.”

“Did you tell Amelia about last night? About what happened to all those kids?”

“No.” How would I even begin to describe it? Caleb led us into a trap of dozens of child fledglings. An entire summer camp of children, turned just to thwart our attempt to get Olivia back. We’d had no choice but to blow up the entire campground—wiping away any signal of the true fate of those kids.

I turned the car off the main road and onto the gravel drive. Tightening my hands around the steering wheel, I steadied myself for the impending meeting. As if rogue vampires, fledglings, Shifters, kidnapped and runaway family weren’t enough. Now I had to deal with the tedious bureaucracy of The Council.

Chapter 5

Amelia

The man sat across from me in camouflaged pants and scuffed boots. He paid me no attention, focused on the smart phone in his hand, scrolling across the screen with his thumb. My laptop was perched on my knees, and I used it as some kind of shield. I wasn’t scared of the man. He’d saved me when Joe came after me in the parking garage. But to be honest, I didn’t understand his Shifter-ness. Oh and also? I expected him to be a little furrier.

I narrowed my eyes trying to find human traits to match his animal one. There was nothing feline about him. He was broad and tall, with large hands and feet.  I did note the birthmark over his eye—the one that matched the fur markings on the cat. That was the only connection I could find.

His eyes flicked upward and the brilliant blue hit me like a punch in the throat. He looked so much like Laurel.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I said. “Can I get you something to drink? Eat?”

“Sure I could go for a snack. “ He gave me a skeptical look. “You’re talking about people food right, not blood or something?”

“Of course I mean people food,” I said, muttering, “moron,” under my breath. “Come on. Let’s go find something.”

I opened the cabinets and pulled out a couple of options. Chips, bread, cookies packaged in a pink bakery box. Grant had gone on a spree the week before, trying to find anything and everything I may want to eat. Apparently he was trying to fatten me up by buying every carb in Asheville.

“Here, eat those cookies,” I said, pushing them toward him.

He picked up five and shoved three in his mouth at once.

“How old are you?” I asked.

“Twenty-five.”

“Are you in school?”

He shook his head and crammed in the rest of the cookies. I walked to the refrigerator and took out a carton of milk. At the cabinet I wavered over giving it to him in a glass or a bowl. I took down a glass.

“No, my community isn’t very big on education.”

“Oh right. Laurel,” I said, swallowing. “She told me about that.”

“You two were really friends?”

“Yes. We weren’t close but I think we would have been—if we’d had time.”

His eyes landed on my chest and he stared so hard I thought he’d burn a hole through my shirt. I turned and picked up the box of cookies. “I’ve got some work to do, so if you want we can just sit in the TV room and I’ll use my laptop. I’m sure Grant will be back soon.”

Adam followed me through the house, stopping behind me to look at one object or another. “Is the whole place like this?”

“Like what?”

“Like a museum? Cold? No personality.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’d die before living like this.”

“It’s not so bad.”

“What’s not? The house or the demon you’re screwing?”

I blanched and took a step back. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what? Talk about the elephant in the room? Judson asked me to come here and protect you. I can do that. I’m trained to do this—protect humans, but this situation is a little weird, even for us.”

“Don’t pretend you have a right to judge me.”

He laughed and pushed past me, walking into the room.  He sat in one of the sleek leather chairs and propped his feet up on the ottoman. “I have the right to do whatever I want—you’re the one that invited me here. But seriously, are you under some sort of spell? I know they use magic. Say the word and I’ll have you out of here.”

I walked back to the couch and sat down, pulling my laptop-shield back over my legs. “No one is using magic on me.”

He shrugged. “If you say so. You just don’t seem like the kind of person that approves of mass murder.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Grant and his family try to help people. They
stop
the murderers.”

He reached his long arms out and snatched the laptop off my lap.

“Hey!” I shouted, grabbing for it, but he moved it out of my reach.

“This is what your boyfriend and his family were up to last night,” he said, typing on the keyboard. He flipped the screen around and pushed it back at me.

Tragedy at Local Summer Camp

Dozens of Children killed in Explosion

Witnesses say, “It was horrible. Bodies—and body parts everywhere.”

My stomach lurched and I asked, “What is this?”

“Palmer set up that explosion to cover up an entire camp full of fledglings.” He balled his hands into tight fists. “All of those kids were dead way before the bomb went off, but this whole thing has gone on too long. The only way to stop this is to stop
all
of the demons. That includes your boyfriend.”

“Caleb was behind this,” I said, trying to convince him as well as myself. “This wasn’t Grant.”

“No? Caleb is here because of Palmer and his coven setting up shop for the last decade.  He’s here because Palmer is pretending to be human even though he’s a demon like the rest of them. And you won’t convince me he’s not here because of the abomination you two have created by mating.”

“Mating?” I asked, playing dumb.

Adam wrinkled his nose. “He marked you. No one will make the mistake that you aren’t claimed.”

He ran his hands through his short hair and paced the room a couple of more times before finally settling back in his seat. When his breathing returned to normal I asked, “Are you done?”

He cut his eyes to me. “With what?”

“That little temper tantrum.”

He snorted but nodded.

“Good. Look, I appreciate you coming here, but keep the commentary and judgments to yourself.”  I inhaled, trying to settle my nerves. Now I understood better why the Council had suddenly arrived. And why Grant had been so unnerved the night before. The battle with Caleb had ratcheted up a notch.  Pulling the brooch out of my pocket, I checked the mark on the back again. We had to find Olivia. Fast.

Chapter 6

Grant

The sleek black car took up most of the driveway. We parked off to the side, over on the grass. Ryan shook his head quietly but exited the car without pause. He wanted to get the meeting over with. Although I appreciated his action, I feared what came from this encounter would tip my life in a direction I could no longer control.

Control was very important to me.

“Thank you for coming so quickly,” Miles said, meeting us at the door.

“Of course,” I replied.  “We would have been here earlier but had to wait for the Shifter.”

He nodded. “They’re waiting in the lounge. Genevieve is with them now—filling them in on recent events.”

Genevieve rose from the edge of a small leather arm chair when she spotted us. The Council members sat across from her on the couch. They all turned in our direction when we entered the room.  “Grant, Ryan, please welcome our guests, Noor and Xavier.”

I quickly assessed them both. Noor, a female, with dark hair twisted in a complicated braid. Her skin was a smooth brown, her eyes caramel with flecks of yellow. She wore black leather, head to toe, and I got the impression she could snap me in two before I moved an inch. She appraised me as well and graced me with a small nod of approval.

“Grant Palmer—I wasn’t sure if you were real,” she said, offering me her hand.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re quite the legend among our kind,” Xavier replied. “Even in our tiny part of Europe.” In appearance he was in sharp contrast to the darkness of Noor. A bit older, he’d turned after his hair had grayed, leaving it a shiny silver. His eyes were a faded, but clear, blue. Both carried themselves like royalty. I supposed in some fashion they probably were.

“I assure you I’m quite real,” I said, glancing at Genevieve.  “And eager to clear up any worries you may have about activities in our territory.”

“You’ve been given extreme leeway for your personal affairs, Mr. Palmer. Your public company, the vigilantism, all of which puts you in close proximity with humans on a daily basis,” Xavier said.

“I assure you I am very discreet in my interactions with humans.”

Noor lifted an eyebrow. “Possibly, but you’ve clearly attracted the attention of a less restrained vampire. Your actions have caused a domino effect.”

In an effort to appear less defensive, I casually sat down in the armchair nearest me. Ryan and the others followed. I crossed my legs and said, “Although I can admit things have gone on much longer than I would have liked, we are completely prepared to handle the current situation. Caleb’s actions are his own and I am determined to stop him.”

“Genevieve and Miles have assured us for some time that activities are under control, although from our outside perspective I am not sure they are being completely truthful,” Noor said, her eyes holding mine. “After the highly publicized massacre at the camp ground yesterday would you honestly say this territory is stable?”

“Yes,” I said through a tight jaw. “Although I can admit we are under attack at the moment for the way we choose to live our lives by a madman who is completely, and utterly, deranged. His entire goal is to shatter the peaceful way we live here and protect the humans in this area. But we are fighting back and very close to eliminating the threat. In fact, the biggest problem right now is that I’m forced to be here with you instead of being out there, settling this once and for all.”

Unimpressed by my speech Xavier asked, “Where are your other coven members? Three are missing?”

Ah. They didn’t know about Olivia. Not yet.

“They’re out on patrol,” Miles lied.

Interesting.

“They were summoned by Council members—that takes precedence, correct?”

“They must be too far out in the wilderness to reach,” Genevieve said.

“Even the one with telepathy? Olivia?”

Ryan shifted next to me. I spoke up and said, “She’s focused on finding Caleb—not on us back home.”

Noor nodded but the glint in her eye told me she knew we were lying. Too bad. I had much bigger things to worry about right now than two paper pushers from Europe.

I was about to explain that to them both when Miles jumped in. “We understand your concern. We, too, appreciate the lines that have been crossed. The incident at the camp was horrific and Grant did exactly as he should have by terminating the fledglings and covering up any evidence of a supernatural event. But he’s right. We are in the thick of this and there is no time to waste. We need to focus on stopping Caleb. Immediately.”

Xavier stared at Miles, obviously working on his response. Noor studied me openly and I held the weight of her stare.

Xavier finally spoke, “You have forty-eight hours to resolve this, then we will reconvene to determine the fate of your coven in this area.”

“What—“ Ryan started.

Genevieve interrupted and said, “Thank you. That is very gracious of you.”

Miles nodded in agreement and looked at me. “Forty-eight hours should be sufficient, right Grant?”

To kill the vampire that had haunted me for months? To get Olivia back in one piece? To rebuild the family that had fallen apart? Oh, and to keep Amelia safe? I wanted to laugh. I thought I may break down and cry in front of all these foolish people. If only I had the luxury. Instead I strengthened my resolve and replied, “Of course. More than sufficient.”

~*~

Miles and I sat across from one another in his office as we had done many times before talking strategy. The Council made it clear we had to act immediately, so we excused ourselves and started on a plan. It didn’t take long as we were mostly in agreement, until it came to the final loose end. Now we stared at each other at an impasse. And like those other times, Genevieve would have to sand down the floors from the impression my boots made in the hardwoods due to my refusal to change my opinion.

"No," I said curtly, while internally berating myself for being an ass to Miles. He was trying his best to come up with a solution that met our needs.

“I need you to be reasonable,” he said.

"It's not acceptable. I'm not going to change my mind so you can stop trying," I told him, prepared to leave the house if he continued to push. I saw a similar spark of indignation flare in his eyes.

"Amelia is the perfect target," he said.

I looked at the man across the desk, the man who had become the closest thing I would ever have for a father, and tried to muster the nerve to go against his wishes. We'd argued in the past over many things. Politics, religion, history. Never had he begged me before to acquiesce to his wishes, even when I moved out.

“Of course she is, which is exactly why I will not allow it.” I pushed back in my seat and ran my hands through my hair, feeling sick and out of control. “You know good and well that I cannot effectively fight Caleb if I’m worried about Amelia.”

“Look, Grant, I know you’re scared but I’ve been speaking with Judson,” he confessed, “and together I think we can figure this out.”

“Absolutely not!” I jumped from my seat and slammed my hands on his desk, causing it to tremble underneath the force.

"Honestly Grant, he is a better choice than even you are,” he said calmly. His warm violet eyes flicked towards my hands damaging the top of his desk. This was the difference between us. Miles existed on a calm rational plane, and normally, it was a gauge for me. I could use it as a way to measure my own emotions, but not tonight. The presence of The Council put me on edge. I was well aware that I’d become nearly irrational about the entire subject, but using Amelia to draw out Caleb was not an option.

“We tried this already—at the fundraiser. All that happened was we lost Olivia,” I spat. He had lost his mind.

“That was hardly a real threat on Amelia and it did reveal that Caleb can’t resist an opportunity.” I cut my eyes at him and he held out his hands. "Just hear me out. We have to arrange for you and Amelia to be separated. That is the only way Caleb and the fledglings will split up. Someone has to guard Olivia just as they will then have to pick you or Amelia to go after. We’ll divide their strength.”

I thought about what he was proposing. Dividing Caleb’s gang. After the losses we’d incurred, the idea had merit.

“Dammit, Miles…”

“She’ll be safe. The fledglings have no idea how to fight against the Shifters. They’re truly an unknown enemy.”

“I promised her that I would protect her at all costs. I refuse to budge on this.”

“Enough!” Miles's voice rang out, agitated like I hadn't heard before. "This has gone on long enough, Grant. The entitlement. The utter self-absorption. You've spent too much time working alone and this situation isn’t just about you. In fact, you’re so obsessed with Amelia that you missed the clues Caleb was giving you all along! He has assaulted our entire family, not just you. Now The Council is here and it is threatening our very existence—our way of life.”

I stared at him, at his eyes. They were stubbornly honest and compassionate at all times. He'd just called me self-absorbed, and in many ways it was true. I knew he was trying to do what was best. And I also knew he would never endanger Amelia, but it was impossible for me to let her go. She was my mate; she owned a piece of my soul. I wasn't sure if I could do it.

“You’ll lose more than just Amelia if you don’t change tactics,” he declared.

He was right. Always. I knew it, but even now I wasn’t willing to completely concede. "I'll consider it.”

“Grant…”

"You're asking too much." I shook my head. "She's all I have."

“That’s not true.”

Realizing my aggressive position, I removed my hands from his desk and took a step back before sitting in my chair. “When do you want to do this?”

“Tomorrow, before dawn.”

"When do we expect Elijah back?" I asked, already falling in line. Fuck.

"Ryan is waiting on the word to go retrieve him, they’ll hunt tonight," he replied. “We should do the same.”

I stood up and walked behind my chair, resting my palms on the smooth leather and grimacing. "I need to go back home get Amelia."

Miles stood behind his desk. "I’ll make sure Noor and Xavier are not here when you return with her.”

“Thank you.”

He walked around the large desk and opened his arms. I welcomed his embrace. “I apologize for calling you selfish and entitled.”

“It’s okay. It may have been slightly warranted.”

“She's a gift, Grant. I truly hope everything works out."

My fingers clenched around the back of the leather chair I'd just been sitting in, and I told him with absolute certainty, "It has to."

~*~

Noor caught me as I was slipping out the back door.

“Where are you off to, Mr. Palmer?”

“Out for a hunt,” I replied.

“Ah, right. You consume animals.” She wrinkled her nose.  “I’m sure it’s an acquired taste.”

“Definitely,” I agreed with a smile.

“Would you like to take me with you? Show me your territory?” She reached for my arm and applied pressure to my bicep, looking up with hooded eyes. 

“I’m afraid hunting is a solitary pursuit for me.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. Her eyes glinted gold and I felt a tingle, the tug of my will as it began to unfurl. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Palmer. I feel as though we may have much in common.”

I blinked, shifting my gaze away from her eyes, away from her mouth and certainly her chest, which threatened to burst from the strained leather. The wall. The wall behind her was a blank slate. Jesus, now I knew what it felt like.

“You’re quite gifted,” I said.

She shrugged. “Mastering a skill over centuries will do that. One day you’ll be as powerful. Although…”

My eyes snapped back to hers. “Although what?”

“Don’t allow yourself to get distracted.” She walked over to the door and opened it. “We’ve had our eyes on you for a long time, Grant. Your skill. Your ethics. Your precise way of handling your affairs. It’s impressive—no, you’re impressive.”

“What are you attempting to say?”

“Finish the job. Clean up the mess in this territory and you’ll be handsomely rewarded.”

“By The Council?”

A sly grin crept over her mouth. “Clean up this mess and a whole new world will open for you.”

In another lifetime I would have devoured this woman, but now, even under the stranglehold of her compulsion there was no swaying me from my Amelia. Something about the way Noor stood before me—something about the knowing look in her eye, told me she knew about her—about
us.
I doubted that mattered. Like myself, I suspected she wasn’t one to step away from a challenge. Not if it was something she wanted.

I skirted past her, opening the door. “I’ll clean up the mess and go about my life,” I replied in a voice made of steel. “This is my life. My business. My everything.”

I’d just reached the edge of the driveway when I heard her say, “We’ll see, Mr. Palmer. We’ll see.”