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Chapter Eight

Julian is singlehandedly saving our society from extinction.

Niko had never heard anything so outrageous. Every time Jade repeated it, another portion of his soul died. The fact that she truly believed it was more than he could bear.

Julian’s corruption had stained their world. His regime was built off the backs of others—most notably the Anchoria. Those in his legion must’ve been heavily fed the propaganda if they were this incapable of discerning truth from fiction.

That would have left Jade in a tough spot. Her situational magic would’ve clued her into Julian’s lies—so why had she not uncovered the truth?

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Niko phased back to legion lands for the night.

As he manifested in his living room, the contacts he wore dissolved.

With a curse, he blinked to clear his vision.

It was a side effect of exorbitant—or sloppy—uses of magic.

He hadn’t been careful, and he was certain he’d hear about it from Amadeo sooner or later.

All he wanted to do was shut out the world. After a long day of playing the fool, shrugging off the persona was his first task. The ruse was an exhausting exercise, but one that was necessary. If Jade thought he was a true threat to her legion, she would’ve called in her prime.

Perhaps that would’ve been better. If Niko faced Julian with a blade in his hand, he wouldn’t hesitate. His fists tightened as he imagined enacting vengeance.

Spiraling into depression and isolation had never done him any good. After a century of struggling with what he now knew was Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Niko had taken on a new directive: stop Julian at any cost.

Roman hadn’t appreciated the devil-may-care attitude, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. For the past three centuries, he’d merely pumped the brakes whenever Niko was careening off track.

He sat down with a glass of whiskey to wash away the day, still stewing on Jade’s fierce need to protect her prime.

Despite the kinship he felt with Roman, if Niko had ever gotten a whiff of depravity from his leader, he would’ve been morally bound to eliminate him.

Whether he could or not remained an open question.

A knock on the door pulled him from thought.

He didn’t need to open it to know who would be checking on him. Roman was never able to hide his worry. They’d known each other too long, and Niko would always associate the other man with the feeling of safety.

The massive Sagani male leaned against the doorframe. “Drinking away the day?”

“You caught me,” was his brief reply, jerking his chin into the home to signal his prime inside. “How’s the merger?”

“Good.”

“And how’s the I-have-no-idea-how-attractive Jade?”

Niko attempted to keep the tightness from his shoulders. “Good.”

The brief moment of silence sparked Roman’s interest. His prime was as keen as any FBI Investigator and as quick as the tiger beneath his skin.

“I knew you were a talker, but fates take me, maybe reel it in. I don’t think I can cope with all this emotional sharing.”

The sarcasm made Niko’s tension ebb. Settling into the well-worn armchairs in the den, he met Roman’s inquisitive gaze. “Jade knows nothing about Julian’s crimes or true intentions. She won’t even recognize his propensity for violence, although what he’s putting her through is torture.”

“Nothing?” A single word conveyed just how incredulous Roman was. “How can you tell?”

“She believes Julian is a genuinely good person—which we both know is ridiculous. She’s not lying when she claims he’s a ‘saint’ or that he’s holding the race together.

” Niko sighed heavily. “Somehow, Julian has kept her in the dark about his extracurricular activities. I think that he sent her to Chicago to do aid those efforts.”

Niko’s fingers drummed on the arm of his chair. “Jade said that his reason for sending her away was to make the legion money.” He grunted in disbelief. “That man takes great delight in exacting exorbitant fees from each of the legions on the Council and their affiliates.”

For several long moments, the intensity of Roman’s eye contact bled into him, and even after so long, the dominance in his prime’s gaze forced Niko to lower his own. It didn’t seem to be the reaction Roman was looking for.

“Could we get her on our side? Disclose Julian’s true nature to sway her into revealing what she does know?”

“I don’t know—and even if we could, it might become dangerous for her.”

The last thing he wanted was to create trouble for Jade, and deliberately placing her in the crosshairs made him feel edgy. Despite their rocky relationship, he’d never wish her harm.

“It’s dangerous for us all with Julian at the helm. If she doesn’t know anything outright about his true dealings, perhaps she’ll mention something that may be of importance. See what you can find out from her.”

“I’ll try, Roman. If only for your mother’s sake.”

Roman’s mother existed in their labyrinth as a bond of darkness, an empty hollow that shimmered like the threads of night when the rest of them burned brightly. Since the day she’d been taken, it’d grown darker and darker, eventually eclipsing all the light she had ever displayed.

Familial lines typically bred similar types of magic. Like his mother, Roman had psychic magic. While they’d taken on different forms, both of them were phenomenally powerful.

Fortunately, his inherent strength and his rare need to use non-shifter magic had held off deterioration or magical corrosion in their labyrinth.

Amadeo, the legion’s mender, was obsessively strict about what magic they did use.

The legion was in good shape, but Julian still cast a large shadow over them all.

The lull between them lengthened to an easy silence before Niko remembered the telepathic conversation he’d had with Asher in the middle of his burger date. “There’s been hunter activity in Chicago.”

“Oh?”

“They found and killed a rogue. I’ve no doubt they’ll be hungry for more blood.”

Asher was the other half of the Sentinel team that worked for the now-defunct crown. It’d been over a hundred years since Niko had joined the line of work, needing an outlet for the rage he’d bottled up.

Twin to the Third Legion’s prime, Asher was deadly with a blade and a warrior of the finest quality. He had a startling array of martial arts techniques and could pick up any weapon and instinctively know how to use it.

The man was one of the most eerily calm people Niko had ever met, although oddly enough, he was one of the few remaining Sagani Berserkers. Asher’s violence was limited only to his rogue kills, although in the heat of violence he walked a thin line.

On the off chance that they had to work together to clear a nest—a group of rogues who’d banded together—Niko was careful to let the other man lead.

“Cursed hunters,” Roman jeered. “While I’m impressed those fanatic humans actually found a genuine rogue this time and ended it, they kill far more of our kin that aren’t affected by the turn.

” A swift shake of his head. “Watch yourself while you’re in Chicago.

I don’t want to suddenly feel your bond break because you’ve lost your head to a silver bullet. ”

Unfortunately, the hunters knew of the Sagani’s weakness to silver.

What initially looked like a bad allergic reaction could swiftly transform into silver poisoning, and finally, death.

If silver somehow found its way into their immortal bodies, purposeful or not, it’d weaken them until their life was forfeit or their body expelled the poison.

Neither process was pretty.

“Did Icarus find them?”

Niko nodded. “Icarus finds more and more these days. Rogues and hunters alike.”

No one had ever glimpsed the legendary Sagani informer, but his presence in their faltering society was a necessity. The faceless Icarus identified the nests of rogues Asher and Niko dispatched, and ensured the human public never learned of the darker side of their nature.

In recent years, Icarus had become a messenger between the various legions. Before the queen had been murdered, communication between legions had been encouraged. A Sagani born to one legion was allowed to switch or marry into another.

After the princess had vanished, legion transfer had been outlawed. Julian, citing the deaths of the monarchs, had gleefully decreed isolation policies to further his own agenda.

The formal partnership between the six Sagani primes who’d once functioned as the queen’s council continues to exist, led by Julian. The council’s remaining members—Roman included—had cited that its only continuing merit was to keep Julian in check.

Except those formal leader meetings, Icarus was the only real tie between legions, freely spreading information by way of electronic means or by physical documents.

No prime had ever caught him in the act.

A single black feather, its quill an unmistakable metallic silver, was left as Icarus’ calling card.

Icarus spoke only to Asher, and even that was through anonymous electronic means. While all of them worked closely together to rid the world of rogues, Niko doubted if even Asher knew who the man behind the feather was.

Niko sighed, fussing with the leather stitching of his armchair. “Icarus found a nest of six earlier this week, and Asher is about to take out another of equal size this evening.”

Something in his voice must’ve given away his concern, and Roman softened. “I’m certain he’ll call if he needs you.”

“He won’t.”

Regardless of the eerie calm that surrounded Asher, the executioner was far closer to the line than any of them. Niko dreaded the day when he’d have to step fully into the Sentinel role and take out Asher when he went rogue.

Niko appreciated the fact that he wasn’t the first call for nests—it allowed him a freedom that the other Sentinel didn’t have. For the time being, he could have a day job and chip away at Julian’s interests. When Asher died, that life would be over.

Leaning in, Roman grabbed the glass of whiskey and downed it in one go. “Stop worrying. If and when Asher goes rogue, if won’t only be you hunting him.”

Niko shot him a sarcastic look. “How comforting.”

Roman shrugged. “I doubt he’ll succumb to the wilds of the hunt. If he turns, he’s liable to already have someone on the hook to clean up his own mess.”

“When we’re out there, there’s very little conscious thought.” The dark confession spilled from his lips. “It’s instinctual. Sometimes, the predators under our skin drive our reactions. We don’t give into them, per se, but they’re far closer to the surface.”

“Do you worry for your own wellbeing or his?”

“Both,” was his confession. “Asher, because of his Berserker nature, and me—well, it goes without saying.”

Roman’s earthy brown eyes searching Niko’s features. Though Roman was born a warrior, he’d been a scholar at heart, and very few could claim the level of intelligence that came so naturally to him.

“I don’t think you need to go borrowing trouble,” his prime said. “Live a little, Niko. If anyone deserves a break, it’s you.”