Page 36 of The Arbiter

I don’t realize that I’ve said that out loud until Enoch and Larkan speak at the same time.

“Like Damnation you are,” says Enoch.

At the same time, Larkan insists, “I’m coming with you.”

I snarl at Enoch, “I don’t have the patience, mental capacity, or time to deal with you today. Larkan and I are leaving on the first flight to Louisiana to see if we can find him. You do whatever it is that you’ve been doing for the past one hundred years. Jamie, Cedric…”

I wait until the both are looking to me before I say, “The Apothecary is in your hands. I know you guys will do a good job keeping everything running smoothly. Hopefully, we can get down there, find what we need in a few days, and make it back with Monroe.” I refuse to think of what will happen if we can’t find him.

Enoch storms off as Jamie says, “We’ve got you, babe. Do what you’ve got to do.”

Nodding in thanks, I turn to make my way up to my loft, while Larkan stays behind to talk to Felix. I step out into the night and take a deep breath of the cold air, wanting to scream at the sky and stars, even if it isn’t their fault. What I’d really like to do is ring Saul’s neck. If he really is involved in this, forget going Arbiter on him. I’ll rip his fucking head off.

“Nocturna?” Enoch says softly as he makes his way up the stairs from the ground floor.

I roll my eyes and start up the next flight of stairs, but his words bring me to a stop.

“I’m sorry for hurting you, and for being gone so long. If I had any other choice, I would’ve changed the way that things happened. Please be careful down south. No matter what you think, I never want to see you get hurt.”

I turn with words on my tongue, but I never get to say them. By the time that I’ve turned around, he’s gone. I’m not entirely sure what words would’ve come out if he’d still been standing there. I want to believe that they would’ve been words of hope that he meant that. It’s just so hard to tell with Enoch sometimes. I can’t worry about it now though. I’ve got to throw some clothes in a bag and get my ass to the airport.

“Dear Creator, it’s muggy down here. I forgot just how much I dislike some of these southern places,” I complain to Larkan.

He lets out a humorless laugh. “I could name a few other places that would be worse if you’d ever like to travel there.”

I cut my eyes at him as I try to tell if he’s joking or not. We’ve both been on the edge of our seats since we left, so I don’t know if he’s making idle chit chat or giving me shit for complaining. The half-smile that he shoots me relaxes some of my instincts that say smack the shit out of him.

We’re both on high alert and keep watch around us at all times. If they got the drop on Monroe and Rafael, there’s no doubt in my mind that they could do the same to us. Larkan tried to give me the don’t let your guard down lecture on the plane, but he could clearly see that I didn’t need it and shut up quickly thereafter.

One of the local Rites meets us at the front of the airport. We see him long before he sees us, but it’s apparent when he does. He steps out of the black SUV and walks around the back to open my door for me as he acknowledges Larkan. I take a moment to appreciate what a fine specimen the Rite is. He’s just as tall as Larkan, but his skin is a little darker. Long black hair hangs out of that black hood. My admiration must not go unnoticed because he lifts his head a little and gives me a clear view of that perfect face. Unlike Larkan, it’s unmarred. The smile that he sends me is blinding and lights up those hazel eyes. A five o’clock shadow rests along his jawline that looks like it’s been chiseled out of stone. I don’t know how long I stare at him, but it’s long enough that he winks at me before shutting the door. Damn the fates to Damnation. There is something so wrong with me.Monroe, Nocturna. Focus.

My mind goes back to the matter at hand and the whole reason that we’re down here. Finding Monroe and ripping his captors to shreds. The reminder takes center stage, but on the side behind the curtain, it’s hard not to notice the Rite’s huge form taking his place back behind the wheel. His eyes meet mine in the mirror, and I can tell that a smile ghosts those lips again as it reaches his eyes.

Pulling out into traffic, he finally speaks. “The name’s Bennet by the way.”

Larkan doesn’t say anything, so I assume that the two of them already know each other, and he’s only introducing himself for my benefit.

“Anyone ever call you Benji?” I ask, trying to bring that smile back.

It has the opposite effect, turning his face to stone. “No one that values their life.”

Ohhhhkay, mental note. He doesn’t like to be called Benji.

He continues before I get a chance to say anything. “Normally, people give their names in return the first time they meet someone.”

I open my mouth to speak, but Larkan beats me to it. “Her name is Nocturna. Yes, she’s really the Arbiter. Now can you tell us anything about what happened?”

Anyone else may have mistaken his response as jealousy that my attention is held by this new Rite, but I know better. I only pick up the jealous vibes when he’s around Enoch. When it comes to business, that’s all that Larkan knows how to be.

“I was the first on scene,” Bennet tells him. “That’s the reason they sent me to come pick you guys up from the airport. So, I could fill you in on what we know so far.”

My body tenses, and I focus really hard to keep my second form from flashing as he talks. I know they feel the power brewing underneath my skin, because Bennet meets my eyes in the mirror as Larkan turns to me. “Don’t worry. We’re going to get him back.”

There are questions in Bennet’s eyes, but he lets them go unvoiced as he continues his story. “But like I was saying, the entire driver’s side of the car was smashed in. They rammed it with, from what we can tell, a black SUV not too dissimilar from what we drive.”

The implications of what he’s saying could rock the never-ending war between the two races. If the Infernal found out that it was Rites taking the Damned and doing the torturing, then trying to pin it on their own people, there would be a bloodbath that none of us would be capable of stopping.

I’ve never been the subtlest out of the bunch. With it being just the three of us in the car, I address the elephant in the room. “Do you think it was a Rite that captured him?”

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