Strength in Darkness

Chapter Five

They found Max’s car and locked themselves inside so no one could listen in on them. James sat in the back maintaining his guard. Darrin had told him that Ethan should not be at full strength, and he truly did look weak, but he didn’t know what tricks the sorcerer kept up his sleeve and he also didn’t know this Max.

James wasn’t so blind to miss her gorgeous brown skin and even darker, shoulder length, curly brown hair. Her golden-brown eyes carried an aura of a fervent intensity despite the fact that she, too, looked weak. Though she was fully clothed, sporting a black leather jacket, she wore scars across her neck, jaw, top part of her chest. When she turned her head enough in his direction, James caught sight of a scar coming from the corner of her left eye down her cheek toward her ear. Clearly, this young woman had seen and experienced violence in her life. It didn’t mean he would trust her, though, especially if she was with a Greyson.

“So are you gonna make me sit here all day, Greyson, or are you going to tell me who she is and what you’re doing? I won’t hesitate to call Alex who will do anything to protect his girl and her family.”

Ethan sighed. “I don’t know what the f**k your problem is or what you think I have against Kai, but I need to know you’ll keep your damn mouth shut and not tell a soul about this.”

“And by this,” Max turned to James, “he means me. I’m telling you,” she leaned closer to the back seat, “I won’t hesitate to murder you while you sleep…while you eat…if you’re taking a s**t…or even cradling a baby to sleep. I don’t care who the f**k you are or what you do.” She narrowed the slits of her eyes, “if someone comes looking for me, I’ll automatically know it was you, and I’m one hell of a tracker, and I’ll hunt you down and rip your organs out one by one while you watch—”

“Is that supposed to scare me?”

“I’ll keep them attatched to your body, still functioning, while I slowly pull out your arteries from your wrists and poke minor holes in them. Then I’ll start separating the organs from your body with a rusty jagged knife.”

What the f**k? “I didn’t realize female vampires still had PMS,” he scoffed, ducking out of a knife she swung right at his face. “Okay! f**k! Whatever, I won’t tell anyone. But you need to seriously think about getting some counseling or something. That was almost too vivid a picture.”

“So long as it sticks,” she relaxed in her seat and nodded for Ethan to continue.

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Max is a friend—”

“I’m your ward. Don’t paint an inaccurate picture of this.”

“Max is my friend that occasionally needs help accessing food. According to all official records, Max was a human that went missing a few years back and in the inhuman world, she was a human bit by a vampire but didn’t survive the change.”

James knitted his brows together. “What did you do?” he asked Max.

“Not your business. I draw the line there. All you need to know is that I’m his secret friend he forces me to rely on him and that according to the entire world, I’m buried in some random field or tossed to rot in a ditch somewhere. I prefer it that way no matter how annoying it can be waiting on him to feed me when I’m perfectly capable of getting my own food without getting caught.”

“We’re not risking someone seeing you, Max. We’ve been over this.”

James sat confused. “Wait, so how did you two meet?”

Ethan cleared his throat, “well, Max was trafficked into a vampire’s home a few years back and during a visit, I found her and we worked to get her out.”

James looked at Max. He didn’t miss the distant look in her eyes as she, no doubt, remembered whatever happened to her that she needed saving from. “You were a human then, weren’t you?” She nodded. “They turned you? Were you a mate or something?”

“Ugh, no,” she rolled her eyes. “They probably don’t even know they turned me. They left me in the street for dead and Ethan found me in my last few moments and then watched me die,” she wiped a stray tear. “Next day I woke up and here I am.” She turned back around to face James, “you good now or are you planning to tattle on Ethan for helping me hide out?” She maintained a narrowed gaze at the man in her back seat.

Ethan turned back toward James, “I don’t really know you, James, and I don’t expect anything from you, but I need to know you’ll keep this a secret. Nobody can know.”

“Who are you afraid of knowing about Max?”

Max and Ethan shared a knowing look before Max nodded. “If her former owner knew she was still alive, he would come looking for her. Hernandez also knows about her and may also take an interest as he does with all other young inhuman women.”

“I’m wondering if you know more about Hernandez than you previously let on, Ethan. If you know something, you need to tell us. If he’s interested in Kai or Loraina, we have a problem.”

“Who is this Kai?” Max asked.

“She works in my office for John. But she’s not a sorcerer.”

“What is she?”

“She’s a werewolf. Hernandez zeroed in on her the minute he saw her and can’t seem to keep his hands to himself whenever he sees her.”

“So he wants Loraina and this Kai? You need to get a new safe house quick.”

“What are you talking about?” James looked between them. “What safe house?”

“Ethan was procuring a safe house for me and then Loraina when he found her. Hernandez just destroyed it so now we have to work on something else.”

“Are you in danger?” James asked her.

“Why? You think you’re gonna be my shiny armor knight too? I don’t need anyone to take care of me or protect me.”

“But if you need a safe place to be for now, I’m sure you could stay at the house with the rest of us,” he offered. “I could ask Darrin—”

“Did you hit your head or are you just stupid?!” she glared at him. “My life is a secret. The minute they figure out I’m not dead, they’ll kill me!”

Ethan was attempting to maintain his composure in the conversation, but he was feeling lightheaded and as though the car was moving in circles. The words were sounding muffled in his ears.

“Darrin wouldn’t let anything happen to you! I know they would hide you. They have tunnels underground you could hide in if anyone ever came to the pack and you’d be safe there.”

“I don’t trust anyone. I barely trust this guy—” she looked over at Ethan before his eye rolled back in his head and he passed out. “Ethan!” she grabbed his shirt, trying to keep him upright. “s**t! What the hell?!”

James grabbed the back of Ethan’s neck and head, and helped lay him against the door of the car gently. “He’s still weak from the other night. He needs to go back and finish resting so he can get his strength back.”

“What? What happened?”

“He helped the future alpha rescue his mate from someone else and spent the rest of his powers. He’s totally drained.”

“s**t!” She backhanded Ethan on his thigh. “Ethan, why do you always have to help everyone! You need to take care of yourself!”

“Can you help take him back with me? You don’t have to come all the way in, but we need to get him back there so he can rest.”

“James, I—”

“No. If he’s done things for you, you owe him this much.”

“You’re protecting someone you didn’t trust five minutes ago?”

“I guess I am. Obviously he’s not like his father.”

“What do you know of his father?” She contemplated whether or not she should just keep Ethan on her back seat to rest until he was well enough.

“Doesn’t matter. Either you’re helping him or you’re not. I’ll carry him back if I need to, but I think the car may be faster.”

“Can’t you fly with him?”

“I refuse to ride with another dude on my back.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not letting some guy ride my back. Hard no for me.”

“You’re disgusting.” Max sighed. “You need to keep your word that I won’t be seen.”

“I can’t promise anything, but I’ll ask the Alpha to clear the way for you to drop us off and we will take him.”

“Fine.”