Nevermore (Crossbreed Series Book 6)

Christian and I didn’t exchange vows. We didn’t make promises of a lifetime, list our expectations, or discuss a ceremony. Hell, we didn’t even discuss the sleeping arrangements. We both held each other in the firelight, forgiving each other’s sins and accepting our faults. I had no place to judge the man he’d been a hundred years ago, especially given the circumstances of a stronger immortal manipulating his trust through the power of blood.

No wonder Christian had been so protective where my own maker was concerned.

“It’s time,” he finally said.

I stood up and wrung my hands as I followed him down the hall.

When we neared the french doors, Christian caught my wrist. “They’re not out there anymore.” He cocked his head to the side and turned toward the front of the house. “They’re waiting in the dining room.”

We circled the front of the house, both of us barefoot and barely dressed. My tank top and shorts were still damp, and his jeans scraped loudly with each step. We were walking into the unknown, certain of our love but unsure if we would wind up living on the streets with memories like swiss cheese.

Grim faces awaited us at the dining table when we entered the room. The fact that Viktor had assembled everyone in here meant we were in for a serious meeting. No one looked us in the eye, and I felt like a prisoner about to receive her sentence.

With a knot in my stomach, I sat in my chair and stared at the cluster of candles lit in the center of the table. Christian took his spot to my left and folded his hands on his lap.

Everyone still had on their hot tub clothes except Viktor, who had put on a plaid shirt but kept it unbuttoned all the way down. I wondered if he’d also put on pants and considered how awkward it would be for him to banish us from Keystone in his swim trunks. He propped his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together.

I waited, uncertain who was supposed to begin this difficult conversation.

Christian took the lead. “Raven and I have come to a mutual agreement. We’re a permanent fixture.”

Wyatt scratched his jaw. “How long has this been brewing?”

I don’t think either of us knew how to answer that with absolute certainty.

“Since a while,” Niko answered.

All eyes fell on him, and I leaned forward in my chair to see if he was kidding around.

Niko turned to face us. “I noticed their light shifting colors quite some time ago, probably before even they knew how they felt about each other. But something changed recently, and I have no doubt that what they have is unbreakable.”

I thought back to when we returned from Canada and how Niko mentioned my light had changed. That was when Christian and I had been intimate for the first time, and I felt the shift in my heart just as surely as Niko saw it.

Part of me wanted to slam my fist on the table and tell them the facts, but I had to play this cool. We had to play this cool. At least until Viktor finally uttered a word.

“We tried to keep it a business relationship,” I explained. “Neither of us wanted to risk our jobs for what might just be meaningless chemistry. As it turns out, it’s not so meaningless. I know we all agreed to the same rules when joining, but the heart wants what it wants. Viktor, I can see your point about partners not getting involved in a fling, but this isn’t casual. If anything, it’ll make our partnership even stronger.”

Christian rested his arms on the table and laced his fingers together. “We’re asking you not to scrub our memories and cast us out like traitors. Raven and I are loyal to Keystone. We’ve talked about it endlessly, and it’s our choice to bring it to the table instead of keeping what we have a secret. We understand the consequences, and we’re willing to accept them. But can you not have some leniency? When Raven first joined Keystone, I wanted to stake her myself. I never thought we’d be having this discussion. We didn’t plan for this to happen. In fact, we fought it every step of the way.”

Viktor continued staring at the candles in the center of the table, occasionally pursing his lips.

“If you think it’ll be problematic, we can switch partners,” I suggested. “And if not, we’ll work alone. Maybe if you take on a new member, you can pair them with one of us.”

“Jaysus, Viktor. You’re killing me. Can you at least slam your fist down or give us a sign that you’re still breathing?”

Viktor finally lifted his stony gaze and looked right at us. “And what does… permanent mean to a Vampire?”

Christian sat back. “Until she buries me in a coffin?”

Wyatt chortled. “I’ll just keep my mouth shut on that one.”

“Viktor, we want to be here,” I assured him. “You have no idea how much we’ve discussed this. We even tried separating for the sake of Keystone. But you can’t expect us to end a relationship we’ve already committed to. That’s like asking Shepherd to choose between either keeping his kid and leaving Keystone or staying and living alone. But you gave him a choice, one that he can still back out of if he changes his mind. All we’re asking is that you make a few accommodations and give us a chance. I had a lot of time to think while away. I know you had conventional ideas when you created this organization, but you didn’t choose conventional people. Can’t we come to the table with a compromise?” I leaned back. “What are your thoughts? The truth.”

“I am thinking if one of you betrays the other, you will no longer be able to do your job.”

“If I lose my legs, I might not be able to do my job. You can’t punish us for something that hasn’t happened.”

“Partners must trust each other.”

“You have no problem there,” Christian firmly replied. “Even when quarreling, we’ve put aside our issues to do the task at hand.”

“He’s right,” I said. “If you’re still not sure, split us up. But if you want to know the truth, we’re stronger as a team. Both of us want to be here, Viktor. More than you know. You’re all we have.”

“Not entirely true. Now you have each other.”

“It’s not like we’re going to elope.”

He stood up and selected a wine bottle from the table behind him before returning with a glass in the other hand. After he uncorked the bottle of red and filled his crystal goblet, he sat down and held a pensive look as he took a large swallow. “How well can you focus on your job when you are separated? What if I send Raven to the Bricks for a solo job? Do I have to worry that Christian will follow? And if I send Christian away to Bulgaria for another month, will you pine for him? Buy plane ticket and fly to him?” Viktor finished his drink and then poured another. “And what if one of you dies? That is always possibility.”

You could always rate Viktor’s anger on a scale based on how many words he dropped from his sentences.

My shoulders sagged. “Then we’ll have a nice funeral. Anyone here could die. Do you think Claude doesn’t care deeply for Gem just because they’re not sleeping together?”

Gem turned pink.

“And what if Wyatt dies?” I asked.

Shepherd lit up a smoke. “Party at my place.”

Wyatt gave him the finger without looking.

“Give us a chance,” I said. “If it doesn’t work out, you can always use us as the example of why no one is ever allowed to fall in love and work for Keystone again. But please, Viktor, please don’t scrub our memories and toss us out. You know what that’ll mean.”

“As you have broken one rule, who is to say you won’t break the next?”

Christian reached for the wine and took a swig from the bottle before answering. “The only rules I seem to recall are that we have to protect one another, and that includes not discussing each other’s gifts outside this house. The second is that we eat together, and we’ve all broken that rule a time or two. The third is no shagging. I’m not saying the rules are worthless, but they’re hardly the glue that’s keeping this group together.”

“You forgot the fourth rule,” he said, locking eyes with Christian. “No sensory exchanges, no juicing, and no feeding.”

“Aye, and that’s a bendy one, isn’t it? Niko’s shared his light a number of times to heal Raven, and what about Shepherd taking away Wyatt’s pain when he hurt himself that time?”

“That was for healing, not pleasure. Am I to assume you two have not shared blood for pleasure?”

I grabbed the bottle and wiped the rim. “Maybe it’s nobody’s business what bodily fluids we share. The purpose of your rules was to avoid creating an environment of addicts, and I think we have enough self-control.”

“Don’t ask us to do something that’s against our nature,” Christian said. “Everyone at this table has instincts that are unique to their Breed. What’s natural to one is not to the other, but you can’t force rules that discriminate against our Breed.”

“Is it not true that anything can become an addiction?” Niko offered. “Sex, love, alcohol, cigarettes, sensory magic. At what point is it just to restrict one another?”

“When it interferes with work,” Viktor answered.

I took a swig from the bottle and stood up, no longer able to sit still. “It hasn’t interfered. You run this house like you would a pack, but we’re not Shifters. Well, not all of us. But we follow these rules even though it might go against our nature. I don’t know what else to say, Viktor. I can’t sugarcoat what we’ve done. Keystone is where I belong—it’s where Christian belongs. But I also can’t keep this relationship a secret.” I circled behind my chair, resting my hands on the back. “If we were the kind of people who didn’t give a damn about rules, we could have come up with sneaky ways to circumvent them. Like charming anyone who saw something between us or running off and winding up on your shit list. Maybe I don’t have a big tattoo on my chest of Christian’s head, but I’m head over heels for this fanghole.”

Christian looked over his shoulder at me and smiled. “Isn’t she a dandy?”

I glared. “Get serious before I cork your fangs.”

Wyatt and Shepherd shared a look.

Christian and I weren’t very convincing as lovers, but I wasn’t going to sit in his lap and feed him grapes just to prove a point.

Viktor rose from his seat. “I will have to sleep on this.”

“Sure,” I said, relieved that it wasn’t a hard no. I caught his arm and stepped close to speak privately. “I really do love him. And I love Keystone. Please don’t make me choose.”

We silently watched Viktor shuffle out of the room barefoot, and I chuckled quietly that he was still in his swim trunks after all.

Wyatt wagged his finger at us. “No doing the nasty in the hot tub. It’s brand-new, and I haven’t had a chance to enjoy it yet.”

“Are you two insane?” Blue crossed over to Viktor’s chair. “This whole time?”

Christian grinned at her. “Jealous?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Wyatt leaned in and gave her a sexy smile. “I’ll keep you warm at night.”

“I’d rather date a toaster.”

“Now that’s hardly fair. These two can hook up, but we can’t have one night of unbridled passion?”

“File a complaint.”

Claude stood up and swaggered behind Wyatt’s chair. He puffed out his chest as a devilish grin flashed across his face. “I knew it. Nothing gets by me.”

Blue shot him a look. “Well, thanks for filling me in, amigo.”

I leaned on my chair. “Do you think Viktor will boot us out?”

Niko rose and placed his fingertips on the table. “Viktor looks out for Keystone as a first priority, but I have faith that he’ll weigh your request with careful consideration. Otherwise he wouldn’t be taking time to think it over. I wish you two the best no matter which choice he makes.”

“Thanks. We’re gonna need it. Especially if it’s door number two.”

“A memory wipe,” Gem said grimly while untwisting her hair from her topknot. “That means you won’t just forget Keystone, you’ll forget each other.”

Shepherd finished his cigarette and stamped it out on a gold candle plate. “Why didn’t you just keep it a secret? Wait until it fizzled out and went on with your work? Why mess with a good thing?”

Christian pushed his chair back and then stood beside me. “This is the good thing.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Shepherd rubbed his stubbly jaw. “I could have run off with the kid, but sometimes a man’s gotta stand up for what he believes is right.”

Niko sighed. “Yes, but the crux of the matter is that we might lose two of our own.”

Wyatt’s shoulder’s sagged. “Which means more work for us.”

Claude smacked him upside the head. “Don’t listen to Wyatt. He was born without a soul.”

Wyatt scooted his chair back, forcing Claude to move. “Well, I’m on my way to enjoy the hot tub before these two defile it with all their Vampire fluids.”

Gem sprang up. “Me too. Well, not because of the fluid thing, but because you bought us a hot tub!” She pushed in her chair and looked at me. “So is that the real reason you’re always wearing that necklace? Because Christian gave it to you? That’s so romantic.”

I essayed a smile, feeling Christian’s eyes on me.

He glanced down at my tank top. “Where is it?”

I rocked on my heels. “Funny story.”