Zoey Avenger (Incubatti Series Book 2) (6 page)

In the meantime, she was transforming from the woman he loved into a complete stranger with no control over her actions and no indication she remembered why she was killing random Cambions.

He still hoped she’d come to him at some point, try to trust him, and someday, maybe even forgive him. He wasn’t certain how long she could stay angry or how long he could keep the Cambions from pursuing her with their full strength. She had to stay off the radar, yet warning her off would likely have the opposite effect if she took it as a personal challenge.

He picked up his cell and dialed her number, concern churning in his stomach.

Just answer the damn phone for once, Zoey.

She didn’t, and he hung up.

Mentally drained and tired of being trapped inside, he changed into running clothes and left the office that had become his home. It still smelled new in his section of the compound, the latest to be completed. The walls were freshly painted, the lighting bright and cheerful. It was quiet throughout Site Z, the code name for the underground operations center and emergency bunker where he’d been trapped since rising to the position of Enforcer Chief.

Declan left the compound. His first breath of fresh air was cool and invigorating. The sky stretched over him, lightening in advance of the sunrise, while a chilly breeze ruffled his hair. He exited and stood perfectly still for a moment, relishing in the feel of being outside the compound during daylight for the first time in too long. He didn’t care that the air smelled of the city: exhaust and cement.

He pushed the ear buds from his iPod into his ears and started running through the quiet streets of Washington DC.

Focused on the movement, he ran for an hour, before the edge of his emotions began to soften. It wasn’t just the mental strain of his new position and the issues with Zoey that wore him down. It was the physical separation as well. As an incubus, he was accustomed to going out and getting sex whenever he felt like it, which was normally daily. Zoey’s night activities and injuries were draining his magic, and she wasn’t in his bed to help him recharge.

He hadn’t touched a woman since Zoey left. He wasn’t able to think of anyone but her and he certainly was not going to fuck up again and take another woman to bed. He wanted Zoey. Needed his soul-mate. If he fucked up, he’d never have her. That much he knew. He’d rather await what he hoped was their sweet, inevitable reunion than consider another woman.

Thoughts of her and his daily tasks occupied his mind while he ran. He returned the compound shortly after sunrise and paced outside, stretched and pulled out the ear buds.

Wes, his middle brother, chief of staff and the Enforcer considered to be the calmest, was waiting for him.

“Good to see you got out, little brother.” Wes greeted him with a smile. Built like their father – wide and muscular where Declan was lean – Wes was half a head taller than him.

“If you’re waiting, it means something’s wrong,” Declan said.

“The good news: we know where Aiden is,” Wes started. “The bad: Rogue just blasted a communiqué to both Councils saying the highest bidder will get him back.”

“That’s one way to get everyone’s attention.” Declan rested his hands on his hips, mind racing. He felt somewhat recharged after the run. “I’m sure Aiden is having a blast. Hope he stays focused long enough to bring back some decent intel.” The jokester of the brothers, Aiden rarely took anything too seriously.

“You think Olivia will bite?”

“If only to fuck up what I’m doing.”

“Waiting for your orders, Chief.”

“Request a proof of life then tell Rogue they’ve got a blank check and that the hand-off must be done by Zoey,” Declan replied smoothly. “If Aiden is on the inside, I’m hoping he’s got more info than what we’ve been able to access.”

“You seem confident she’ll turn him over to us.”

“She will. Zoey has had more than one chance to fuck us over and hasn’t.”

“If you say so. If she had you prisoner, she’d sell you out to Olivia in a heartbeat.”

Declan said nothing. He walked by Wes, pausing for the biometric scanner at the hidden entrance of Site Z to read his eyes.

If there was one thing he knew, it was that Zoey had a good heart, one dedicated to helping the innocent. She might sell him to Olivia, but she’d never do it to his brothers.

He strode through the compound back to his office for a quick shower, aware his life was about to become more interesting. When fully dressed, he crossed to his desk to grab his cell. A glance down revealed a message, and the sender made him stop in place.

Zoey.

His heartbeat accelerated. He unlocked the screen to read the message.

I need to send Vikki to the exchange. She’s pregnant.

A startled laugh escaped his lips. He re-read it, at once thrilled and satisfied. Waiting had paid off on some level, but he was still concerned. She’d contacted him. The circumstances weren’t what he wanted, but every inch she opened the door to him gave him the ability to jam a foot in it to keep it from slamming shut again.

He tried to read between her words for what she expected him to do. She probably wanted him to kidnap Vikki at the exchange or send Liam to find his soul-mate. Declan, however, had a different solution in mind, one that would give him more access to what Team Rogue was doing. Aside from Zoey’s blackouts and her location, there was little else anyone – Cambion or incubus – had managed to learn about her operations. Her Halflings were discreet, well trained, and loyal, and led by Zoey and the core members of Team Rogue, who were predictable only in that they were determined to slaughter as many Cambions as possible. It was a combination that made it impossible to predict their numbers, operations and the health of their infrastructure. In short, the type of information he needed in order to figure out how to make their operations against the Cambions more effective.

He hadn’t yet given up on his family’s plan to clean up the Incubatti from the inside out. A quiet minority within the society didn’t agree with what the Cambions did to the human populace or to the elevation of a half-incubus to the Council.

Zoey could act openly. There were days when Declan was frustrated enough with the Cambions that he wished he could act as well. But that time had not yet come, and he was forced to turn a blind eye to the wrongs of his society in his effort to protect Zoey and the soul-mates of his brothers.

Reading the message for a third time, he realized what else he’d been missing in his assessment. He’d forgotten to factor in the human element into Team Rogue while seeking intelligence about their set up and operations. Four of the Hunters had designated soul-mates among his brothers, and it never occurred to him that there was likely friction within Rogue because of this.

He also hadn’t thought twice about the possibility of getting Zoey pregnant. He doubted his brother Liam – Vikki’s soul-mate – had either. The mere idea of being a father, of knowing his soul-mate was in constant danger and things could only get worse in the future ….

Declan locked the screen, pensive. Children weren’t something he could remotely consider. He didn’t have the energy for such a thought and released a breath, grateful Zoey hadn’t said she was pregnant, too. He didn’t think he could handle such a development, not without disrupting his father’s plan for the Incubatti.

Shaking his head, pitying Liam, he understood Zoey’s unasked question. She needed his help to get Vikki back to Liam and safety. The only issue: by addressing the Councils directly, she’d elevated the kidnapping-ransom beyond the small exchanges he was accustomed to, the ones he was able to hush up at his level. This time, the Council would be in his business.

He stepped outside his office to find his father waiting, accompanied by another Councilmember, an older incubus who had been leading the Incubatti for as long as Declan was able to recall. Handsome and tall, Chandler had a gleam in his eyes, silver hair and olive skin. His presence was a warning that his father was playing the role of the Council this visit, not family. Declan felt himself slide into business mode.

“Ethan, Chandler.” He shook hands with them. “How can I help you?”

“I’m sure you’re aware.” Chandler held up his tablet, where the communiqué from Zoey was displayed.

“I am,” Declan replied. “I’m handling it.”

“Taking an Enforcer hostage, one whose father is on the Council, is a gutsy move. It could cause the entire security force of the Incubatti to take action,” Chandler said.

“My initial goal is to have my brother returned,” Declan said carefully. “I would consider it a gross overreaction to mobilize our security forces when we’ve got the Sucubatti watching us like the beautiful vultures they are.”

“With that Southern accent, you could tell me to fuck off, and I’d find it charming.”

Declan smiled politely.

“Given the circumstances, I’m willing to vote with your father that this is better dealt with at your level than ours,” Chandler said. “But keep in mind, Declan. You’re inexperienced, young and have a potential conflict of interest with this rogue group of Halflings.”

“Have I given you any reason to doubt me?” Declan asked.

“None at all.”

“I plan on keeping it that way.”

Chandler studied him for a moment then turned to Ethan. He slid a hand out of his suit pocket and handed something to Ethan.

“Let us know if you need help,” Chandler said then moved away, down the hall.

Declan watched him. When Chandler turned the corner, Declan faced his father with a raised eyebrow.

“You won me a bet,” Ethan said, winking. “Go get your brother.”

“Wait.” Declan debated a moment then held out his phone. A second message from Zoey popped up, and he glanced down. It was a video.

Curious, he played it.

“Proof of life,” Ethan said as he shifted forward to look.

“Hey, Declan,” Aiden said in the video. He appeared to be in a hospital bed, covered with a blanket. He was pale beneath the olive-hued skin. “Tangled with your girl last night. We both survived thanks to a mysterious man in a mask.” Aiden winked. “I’m chained to a bed. Leave me here. I’m happy.”

There was a curse that sounded like it came from Vikki before the video cut off.

Declan suppressed a smile, aware of how serious the situation was, despite Aiden’s flippant comments.

“Every family’s got a clown,” Ethan said, one corner of his lips lifting. “Let me know when you take care of this mess.”

“Dad.” Declan rested a hand on his arm. “I need a favor from the Council.”

His father waited.

“I’m opening up a liaison position for Team Rogue, similar to the one we have with the Sucubatti. I need your help pushing it through the Council,” Declan explained.

“Interesting approach,” Ethan said. “I’ll bring it up.”

“Today.”

Ethan’s eyebrows rose. “It has something to do with the Aiden exchange?”

Declan pulled up Zoey’s message about Vikki and held it out to his father. He saw Ethan’s brow furrow.

Declan lowered his arm.

“It’ll get approved,” Ethan said quietly.

“Congrats. You’ll be a grandfather,” Declan said.

“You’re making me feel old, boy.” Ethan winked and walked away.

We have a liaison spot open for a Rogue member at headquarters.

Declan typed the quick message to Zoey then forwarded the proof of life to Wes to create an official report. He tucked his phone away.

“Chief, got an issue,” a voice said from behind him.

“On my way,” he replied and started down the hallway.

Chapter Five: Determined

The message to Declan was the hardest she’d ever written. She spent the entire day dwelling on his answer, in between training with the Halflings and running over the numbers with Chrissy.

Two hours before the prisoner exchange, she stood out in the night, staring into the sky. Zoey lowered her phone and paused on her way to the van. Declan’s coolly detached response was so much like him, it pissed her off.

Zoey read the message once more, put her phone away then pulled it out and read it again. It wasn’t what she was expecting, but she wasn’t certain what she wanted him to say. She’d hoped he’d take the hint, send Liam to the exchange, and then kidnap Vikki.

She should’ve known Declan did things a different way. He was, after all, the politician and she the warrior.

“Completely cold,” she muttered. “He is obsessed with being difficult.”

Deep inside, she was relieved he hadn’t made it personal. She didn’t feel ready to handle that yet. But she could use an open communication to him on the operational front. She had a contact at the Sucubatti and on occasion, even spoke to Olivia over the phone.

Her communications with the Incubatti were through the other members of Team Rogue.

The problem with opening the door to Declan: she knew how smart he was. He’d been patient with her during their rite, aggressive when he needed to be and letting her come to him when he knew he had her. There was a good chance he was playing the same game, even though he was the one who caused all her pain to start with.