Page 100 of The Huntress

“Humans are better?” She flicked a dismissive hand. “You destroy everything you touch.” She folded her arms across her chest and glared at her father. “You’re the idiot, Daddy. Killing one Hold, one pack, won’t rid the city of them, never mind the world.”

“War begets war,” he said as he rose to his full height. “You’ll understand why I won’t tell your mother about you. She doesn’t need to see what you’ve become.”

“Mama knows,” Monique smirked. “I sent an extensive list of your nocturnal activities to her divorce lawyer. You didn’t raise a fool, Daddy. Are you proud of me now?” Without waiting for a response, she sauntered out of the room.

“I didn’t expect that,” Leo chuckled. “Sad thing is, heisproud of her.” He shook his head. “The pseudo-battle plays out. His thoughts circle the rumors of our impending war.”

“So be it,” Syl said, finality hardening his voice.

“Can’t we just arrest him now?” Callie asked. They were so close to ending this vendetta, it had her trembling with nervous energy. She curled and unfurled her fingers, squeezing the fists until her nails dented her palms.

“Confession first,” Syl said. “The audio we have on him reveals he’s eager for tomorrow but not the reasons why. They also mention he’s reserved a motel room overlooking the abandoned loading dock. We’ve bugged said room with audio and video equipment.”

“With healers on standby, should our people become overzealous,” Rhys said. “Once bodies litter the ground, and I fake-kill Syl, that should garner an unrehearsed reaction from Carter.”

“Duhamel has accepted an invitation to attend Carter’s culmination. He will be present and reacting to our performances,” Leo said. “I will be in the room alongside them, conveying what they’re hoping will happen.”

“Where will I need to be?” Callie asked, stiffening her shoulders and meeting everyone’s gazes without fear. She wouldn’t accept an exclusion from this battle.

Syl smirked like the arrogant idiot she believed him to be. “We’re tying you up.” He’d said it with much eagerness.

“What?” she asked, her voice ending on a squeak.

“It keeps you away from Carter and his goons. As a huntress, your skills could accidentally harm someone. It will also convince Carter that we don’t want an ex-detective to garner peace between us,” Leo said.

“We’ll need you yelling at either side, so we won’t gag you,” Rhys grinned. The unexpected warmth softened his features, painting him handsome. He gave her a slight nod. What the hell that meant she didn’t know.

“In the initial stages, there will be no police presence, other than you, Callie.” Metcalfe scowled. “Our involvement might lead to allegations of entrapment.”

“There’s no way I’m allowing Carter and Duhamel to go free on a technicality.” Callie slammed her fist into her palm. “I’ll be the best damn restrained peacekeeper you’ve ever seen.”

“You know your roles. We’ll meet at the docks an hour before sunrise.” Syl flicked his fingers, and everyone dispersed before he slipped into the room to speak to Carter.

Callie stayed latched to Gabe’s side with a promise of an amorous evening in her near future. Shifter girls had invited George to a sleepover, babysat by one of Dimitri’spal’tsy,of course. Which left only one more question for her to ask.

“Where’s Mike?” Images of her ex-partner’s rather sensual conversion with a vampire woman, Clarissa, flitted across their connection, and she spun on Gabe with a gasp.

“He asked, Callie,” Gabe said.

“If the conversion had killed him, then what?” She stomped her foot instead of hitting him. If Mike was there, she’d smack him.

“Clarissa did a slow conversion, a little blood every night.”

“I don’t care how cautious you were. Neither of you took my feelings into account or my opinion. Again. You’d think you’d have learned from the last slow conversion you did, Gabe.”

To have lost Mike would have devastated her. Since Dad’s death, Mike had taken on a fatherly role. Not that she’d ever tell him this. Knowing the old curmudgeon, he’d use it against her.

“He was dying, Callie.”Heart failure.

She stilled and raised her wide-eyed gaze to Gabe’s face to measure his sincerity.Dying?Tears welled, stinging as she blinked them away.I’m going to kill him for hiding this from me.

With Val battling cancer, he didn’t want to burden you further.Gabe cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb across it.

How did you manage to hide this from me?

You don’t intrude in my memories, even though you have the right to.He flashed a loving smile.

“I’m damn well going to start.” She ground her teeth. “Please stop trying to protect me. I know I’m a youngling and new to suckblood life, but I can’t learn if you don’t let me.”

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