Lanie turned to Mac. “Talk to me.”
“Jesus. I did not want to do this. Here, come sit down,” Mac said, reaching out and taking her hand. Lanie almost pulled away, but she let Mac guide her to a chair.
Was he about to break up with her? Tell her this was a mistake? That now Alainen was after her, Mac didn’t want her?
“Lanie. I don’t know how to say this, so I’ll be blunt,” Mac announced.
Lanie tensed. Here it comes.
“I’m sure you planned a disappearance or death sometime in the future. But you need to bring the timeline forward. Make a will, leaving your companies to whoever, and fake your death. Alainen is beyond dangerous,” Mac informed her.
Lanie’s shoulders sagged. This was about her false death? A bark of laughter escaped her as relief swept over her.
“That’s funny?” Mac asked, confused.
“No. I was expecting you to break up with me or say you didn’t want to be with me because of him,” Lanie replied honestly.
A warm smile crossed Mac’s face. “We are starting out, and we’re at the beginning of something special, Lanie. Alainen couldn’t force me away if he tried. It’s not your fault the man is an ass. Nor that he is fixated on you. I’m more concerned with your safety and security.”
“Alainen is nothing if not persistent,” Lanie drawled.
“Lanie, what you don’t know is Alainen has attacked other human women, thinking they were you. We know for certain he doesn’t know you can shift, but he thinks you are using a spell or glamour to hide yourself. He has taken women, tortured, and killed them, believing them to be you. Now he has focused on you, he won’t look elsewhere until you’re dead.”
“What?” Lanie exclaimed as shock hit her hard. “He’s murdered innocent women?”
“Lanie, Alainen is the world’s most prolific serial killer. The Hunters can’t control him. His murders are in the thousands,” Mac explained gently.
“That can’t be true!” Lanie gasped.
“It is. And he won’t stop coming for you. Even if you were proved a human, he wouldn’t care. Ranson and I need you to fake your death sooner rather than later,” Mac replied.
“And then I withdraw from the world for good?” Lanie asked.
Mac grasped her other hand. “For now, yes. Until our army marches and takes the Hunters out.”
“Can we not kill him?” Lanie inquired.
“Sure, and that would solve a multitude of issues. But Lanie, we don’t know where he is,” Mac answered.
“Naturally. He hides like the coward he is,” Lanie bit out.
“Yup. If we could find him soon, we’ll end the threat to you. If not, you’ll have to die, honey.”
“Well, that sucks because I planned another ten to twenty years in this persona,” Lanie complained.
Mac laughed. “And all that work building your companies.”
“Oh, they’re easy to deal with. They go to my alleged daughter. Which would be me!” Lanie said. “But that wasn’t planned for twenty years. There was going to be a fake pregnancy and everything.”
“Sorry to ruin your fun.”
“Not you who should be sorry, Mac. But it’s time to hunt the Hunter. Alainen needs to pay for all those innocent deaths,” Lanie hissed as Anger swamped her body.
She looked over her gardens. It was time to face her past and the man who’d hurt and betrayed her so cruelly. Alainen had to die.
Chapter Ten.
Lanie/Lamia