(BLAINE)
Saturday evening, I sit on the back porch watching the sunset.
Shades will descend upon the city, just as they have for the past several nights, once the light of day finally fades. Until then, I take a moment to breathe. To gather my thoughts
I have steered clear of Zane all day in the hopes that my feelings toward him will change. The mark I'd given him will fade over time. It doesn't mean he is my mate. To fully make him my mate requires much more than a bite. But marking was usually a prelude to mating.
Like hell I'll ever let that happen.
The door behind me opens, and the scent of rain touches my nose.
"Hey, Blaine?"
"What?"
Zane sits beside me on the steps. His dark green sweater brings out the same shade in his hazel eyes. He pushes his glasses farther up his nose and focuses on the setting sun. I try not to stare at him, but his proximity causes the feelings I've worked so hard to ignore all damn day to come rushing back.
"Look," he says, wringing his hands in his lap before relaxing them. "I know it was just sex between us. I get it. But I can't help but think you've been intentionally avoiding me."
"I haven't," I lie.
"Bullshit." I tear my gaze from his face and watch as the sun finally sank below the mountain.
My chest aches as I sense the sadness coming off him. But instead of addressing it, I stand up and turn toward the door. "I need to get ready to patrol."
"Wait," Zane says "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Not really."
I look back at him. "I'm listening."
"I want to help." He stands from the step and walks closer. "Kaiser told me that angel guy won't give you any answers about that ring. You can't go inside Lockwood because of the warding. But I can."
"No." I shake my head, irritation prickling under my skin. "You're not getting involved in this."
"Kaiser said you'd say that." A breeze sweeps around us, and Zane crosses his arms. "You can't expect me to stay in this mansion forever or I'll go crazy. Let me help you."
"No."
"You didn't even think about it."
"I don't need to think about it. The answer is no."
"God, you're so stubborn." He furrows his brow, and I have to force myself not to smile. He just looks too adorable when he was frustrated.
"I have a life to get back to, you know. I miss my shop and the people I work with."
"You only have one employee."
"Well, I miss Dante," Zane says in an annoyed tone. "He's a really good friend. Closing the shop for a week is one thing, but he'll get suspicious after a while."
I clench my jaw. I know he was right. I can't keep Zane at the mansion forever. Then it really will be kidnapping. Or… human napping. Whatever.
I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. By letting Zane leave, I'll be putting him in danger. But by forcing him to stay, I'll be robbing him of his life.
Mortal lives are too short as it was. He'll miss so much if keep him within the safety of these walls. But at least he'll have a life.
"And the shades?" I ask. "What about when they come sniffing around your shop in the middle of the night? They have your scent, Zane. They won't stop hunting you."
"I know." He chews his bottom lip, gaze dropping to his feet. "I just miss my life, Blaine."
I can't stop myself. I have to touch him.
I cup the side of his face, hating how much I love the warmth of his skin beneath my palm. His hazel eyes flicker back to mine. Shock swirls in them, but so does something else. A hunger I know all too well. Is he remembering last night?
"I'll think it over," I say.
Hope fills his eyes. "Thank you."
I drop my hand from his cheek and go inside the mansion without another word to him.
Valerian meets me in the entryway, sliding his daggers into place on his belt. He and I are teamed up for the night, while Kaiser and Loki take the other side of town. Kian and Thereon are going to travel to the next town over and keep watch, as there had been reports of attacks the night before.
Godric wasn't been bluffing when he said he'd set his pets on the humans. I am exhausted from the amount we had to kill over the past few nights. Those bastards never seemed to stop. One died and more appeared.
"Leaving me to babysit the human?" Cassius asks, sitting in the nook of the large bay window in the living room. He often sits there to draw.
"Be nice," Valerian tells him. "Zane's a sweetheart. He has a nice ass too."
He says the last part while winking at me. I snarl under my breath. Dammit. That possessiveness continues to linger.
"Like I give two shits what his ass looks like." Cassius rolls his eyes. "Humans are disgusting."
"Oh yeah," Valerian says. "I forgot you prefer to bang monsters."
"Fuck off, pretty boy."
Valerian put his hands up. "Hey, I'm not judging. I fucked a cecaelia once who did things with his tentacles I still have wet dreams about." He taps his chin. "Actually, I should probably track him down again."
"Come on," I say, opening the door. "The shades will start hunting soon." I turn back to Cassius. "Try not to be a dickwad to Zane. Got it?"
"Bite me," Cassius says, eyes narrowed. "Oh, that's right. You've already bitten someone recently."
For fuck's sake. It sucks not being able to keep a goddamn secret around them.
Once outside, Valerian spreads his wings. The feathers have royal blue undertones, almost like raven feathers when in the sun. He flaps them once, then lifts off the ground as I unfurl mine and do the same.
"You can compromise with him, you know," Valerian says as we leave the veil and fly toward town. "Zane isn't a bird you can keep locked in a cage. He has a life."
"Even if I release him, Kian won't ever let him be truly free," I say, remembering what he'd told me that day in his study. "Zane knows too much."
"His memory can be erased. Kian's done it before—"
"No," I snap, my sternum aching at the thought of Zane not knowing me.
"Calm yourself, brother." Valerian offers me an apologetic smile. "It was only a suggestion."
"Let's stop speaking of this."
He nods and says nothing more.
My thoughts are confusing me. I want to distance myself from Zane because the idea of falling for him scared the hell out of me. But on the other hand, I never want to let him go.
Would it be for the best if his memory gets erased? The back of my neck tingles as I sensed a group of shades moving through the shadows not far from the Saturday night crowd in the downtown district. Bars, shops, restaurants—every person will be targeted. And by the size of the group, I know it would be bloody. Brutal. The biggest attack so far.
"Valerian!" I tell him through our mind link since he isn't too far for me to say it aloud.
"I sense them too!" He dives toward the ground with me close behind. We land in an alleyway tucked between two abandoned buildings and draw our weapons. A shade lurches toward me, it's gaping mouth filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth.
I slice my blade across its throat. Two more jump at me after that. I barely have time to cut one down before more are on me.
Shades might be simplistic beasts who aren't hard to kill, but when they outnumber us by so many, fighting them off becomes more difficult. I can't let my guard down, so I push Zane to the back of my mind for now.
I have demons to slay.