Page 20

“ S he’s in bad shape,” Juliet says as we step out of the smoothie shop. With a cup in either hand, we both walk out of the busy store and cross to the table outside.

Damn. If it weren’t for the difference in hair and eye color, Ares and Roman look like they could be brothers. The broody expressions, the tattoos, they’re both tall and built like they grew up in an MMA arena.

I extend Ares’ smoothie to him and sink into the seat beside him.

He takes it, though he doesn’t immediately set into it.

He’s been fairly quiet since we met up with Juliet and Roman twenty minutes ago.

I’ve caught Ares up on all the details of their presence in the city, including the impossible reality that there’s a necromancer around.

He’s still processing all of that information.

And that was after Florence and Clementine came over this morning. I’ve never seen Florence cry before today. But her relief at having her brother back was overwhelming. Guess that’s what happens when you’re the only blood family each other has left.

“The internal bleeding was extensive,” Juliet continues as she sits beside Roman. “She broke five ribs, she has a skull fracture, and she was definitely concussed. She’s probably going to be in the hospital for two weeks.”

My throat is tight. It feels like there’s a barb wedged in it. “Is she conscious?”

Juliet nods. “Yeah, they worked on her for about two hours, and she woke up a few hours after that.”

“So, she’s going to live, right?” I ask. My words sound funny. They’re too strained, too tight. Too emotional.

Juliet studies me. She’s still trying to get a feel for the situation and everything going on here. “She is.”

I nod in relief, looking around at the bustling city around us.

“I don’t know how we’ll live in the same city together after everything that’s happened.

I can’t forgive her for what she’s done.

She’ll hate vampires even more now after James lost his damn mind like that.

New York was her dream, but it’s always been my home. ”

Juliet reaches across the table, laying her hand over mine. “Relationships are complicated. Sometimes you think you know someone, and it turns out you don’t.”

Who betrayed Juliet? What’s her story?

“When people put your city at risk, you don’t let them stay,” Roman says.

He, like the other two Born at this table, is wearing some serious sunglasses that mean business.

He’s already difficult to read. Having his eyes obscured makes it even harder.

“Sounds to me like Ophelia needs a change of scenery.”

“I don’t think I can just kick her out of Manhattan because we’re in a fight,” I say, my eyes narrowing at Roman.

“It’s a hell of a lot more than a fight when someone goes and roots around in another person’s mind and makes them kill others,” Roman says, his brows gathering. “That was an outright declaration of war.”

“He’s right,” Juliet says cautiously. “Someone who could go to that kind of extreme is dangerous. You can’t let her stay in the same city you live in.”

“We could send her back to Chicago with you,” Ares says, and there’s a tiny hint of a smirk pulling on one corner of his mouth.

“We have rules in Chicago,” Roman says with a shake of his head. “Ophelia no longer fits the bill of qualification. She’s not coming into Chicago ever again.”

This feels wrong. Talking about kicking Ophelia out of an entire city feels wrong.

And it feels wrong to be so torn about this.

What she’s done is unforgivable. I can’t ever forget what she’s done to Ares, and how, because of her choices, her reactions, I’m not even human anymore.

But still. It’s her life I’m talking about upending.

“She might be in danger staying anyway,” Juliet points out. “James seemed a few levels beyond livid when he found out what she did. Who’s to say he won’t try to finish the job?”

Ares shakes his head. “I still can’t believe James reacted the way he did. He’s always been so collected, in control. I’ve never seen that side of him.”

“I have a weird feeling about this, Ares,” I admit aloud. “Something was up with his reaction. Do you really feel like you know much about him personally? You work together all the time, but what about who he is outside of work?”

Ares rubs two fingers over his lips, thinking. “James is pretty tight-lipped. He’s just come across as being professional, but maybe he didn’t talk much about himself for a reason.”

“Have you spoken to James since you came back around?” Roman asks.

Ares shakes his head. “I’m taking a step back for a minute from work. But it sounds like I might need to check in with James.”

He pulls his phone out, even as Roman nods in agreement.

Something hooks in my gut. Something uncomfortable and cold.

The anger in James’s eyes. The violence as he lashed out at Ophelia.

Ares is right. I’ve only ever known James to be a cool professional.

But it was as if he took what Ophelia did personally.

Why?

“Straight to voicemail,” Ares says as he hangs up. “I don’t like it, but it isn’t necessarily an admission of guilt.”

Roman studies Ares, and I see cool calculation there. Roman is so damn intense, and I just know he’s got a thousand dark thoughts swirling through his head right now.

“Keep an eye on him,” Roman says. “But I wanted to ask, now that you’re…

you. This necromancer we’re looking for.

It’s going to be nearly impossible to find him if we’re just searching in person.

I’m going through facial recognition scanners, but my access in this city is limited.

Harry and Sysco have given their help in finding this bastard.

I was hoping that you might be on board, too? ”

Ares studies Roman for a moment. I don’t blame him for his hesitation. He wasn’t there when Juliet and Roman first explained that there’s a damn necromancer poking around New York City. It can’t feel real to Ares.

Turning over access to his security camera system is a big deal.

Ares looks over at me, searching my expression for answers. And it means everything that Ares trusts me this fucking much. Ares is a powerful man, one of the richest in this country. And he’s asking me, Lana, a nobody who grew up with nothing, what I think.

The things this man does for my confidence.

I simply nod.

“I can arrange that,” Ares says confidently and immediately, looking back at Roman. “Should we get going on it?”

“I think that would be best,” Roman says, a slightly relieved expression settling onto his face.

All four of us rise from our seats and head out in the direction of Ares’ office.

“So, how long have you and Roman been together?” I ask Juliet as we walk through the city. Roman and Ares are discussing security details and seem cool and collected enough about it.

Juliet makes a noise as if to signal she’s thinking. “Ten years,” she finally comes to the conclusion. “Wow. That went fast. It honestly feels like yesterday when my best friend had to tell me I was in love with him.”

“You couldn’t tell?” I question her with an arched brow.

Juliet lets out a chuckle. “Roman and I didn’t exactly like each other when we first met. In fact, I was pretty positive he was going to kill me on more than one occasion. Which is really crazy, because Roman says he knew I was it for him way, way before I did.”

“Sounds… complicated,” I remark.

“I dated my best friend’s brother and then was engaged to a psycho who stalked me, all within the span of a year before Roman and I got together,” she says, no shame, all ridiculous shock factor. She even wears a smile.

I can’t help but laugh. There’s something… easy feeling about Juliet. But easy isn’t the right word, necessarily. I can tell, Juliet is a woman who’s made mistakes in the past. She doesn’t hide them. Doesn’t pretend they aren’t there. But it makes her relatable.

“Well, you obviously figured it out,” I say as I watch Roman and Ares ahead of us. “Roman is constantly watching you like you’re the center of his whole universe.”

“That’s funny, I could say the same thing about you and Ares,” she says with a smirk as she meets my eye. “How long have you two been married?”

“Engaged,” I correct her, even as I hold my hand up, taking in the gorgeous ring on my finger. I’ve still never taken it off since Ares placed it on my finger. “Six weeks. Though we’ve been pretending to be engaged since the first day we met.”

“Lana,” Juliet remarks, looking up at me from beneath her eyelashes with a smile. “A fake engagement. Color me intrigued. Were you this when it happened, or still human?”

To anyone else in the vampiric world, this would be a big fucking deal. My changed species status would shift most vampires’ perspective of reality. This would be dangerous. But to Juliet, this doesn’t even phase her.

What the hell is really going on in Chicago?

“Human,” I chuckle. “I walked into a vampire party, looking for Ophelia. She’d been missing for three weeks. Ares saw how stubborn I was being and offered to team up since his path somewhat aligned with mine. And, well, a few weeks later, I knew I couldn’t live life without him.”

“Aw,” Juliet says, part sarcastic, part genuine. “I love every bit of it. Except that you went in to save Ophelia? The one who jinxed Ares? Wow.”

“I know,” I say with a sigh. Just then, Ares pulls open the door to his office.

Roman turns back, placing a hand at the small of Juliet’s back, ushering her through first. I cast a look at Ares as I step inside.

He doesn’t seem stressed or on edge or angry, so I’m guessing his conversation with Roman has gone well.

We all step up to the elevator, and Ares presses the up button. Despite the fact that I’ve come to this building plenty of times since it’s Ares’ main office, I’ve never stepped foot on any floor other than 39. It’s never even crossed my mind to consider what else is in this building.