Soar (The Empire Chronicles #1) Page 7

  “He’ll be there soon.”

  “If that’s what you want.”

  “It is.”

  “How is she?” I forced the question out. I needed to know.

  “Allie’s good, really good.”

  “Great.” I meant it. Our messed up history aside, I cared about her. I wanted her happy whether it was with me or not.

  “I’ll tell her you said hi.”

  Once again, I wondered if she was listening to his end of the call. “Even though I didn’t say it?”

  “You thought it.”

  “I wasn’t aware you could read minds, Laurent.” Respect wasn’t something I worried about with Levi. Sooner or later, his appreciation for saving Allie would wear off, and I’d have to drop the attitude. But until then, I wasn’t walking on egg shells for him.

  “It doesn’t take mind reading. I’ll get a report from Jared soon.” He hung up.

  “Fantastic.” I closed my eyes again, trying to fight off the headache I knew was coming.

  The knock on the door was light, tentative even.

  “Come in.” I sat up straighter. I’d been so caught up in my conversation with Levi that I had almost forgotten Casey was there.

  “Hey.” She had her brown hair pulled up in a bun. It reminded me of the morning after I’d taken care of the wolf for her. She looked gorgeous with her hair down, but there was something ‘girl next door’ hot about when she wore it up.

  “Hey. Is everything okay?” I hoped she hadn’t changed her mind about staying. Momentary forgetfulness didn’t mean I didn’t want her there. Having her under my roof felt right. Even if I’d have much preferred to have her in my bed.

  “I have a favor to ask.” She blushed slightly, making me both curious and excited about what she was going to ask.

  “Sure.”

  “Can I borrow something to sleep in?”

  “Oh, yeah. Like a t-shirt and shorts?” I probably should have thought to offer earlier. She wasn’t going to sleep in jeans.

  “That would work.”

  I got out from behind my desk and walked down the hall to my room. She followed closely behind me until I walked through the doorway. She hesitated in the hall.

  “Is that the view you were talking about?” She pointed at my floor to ceiling windows.

  “Yeah. It’s a nice way to wake up.”

  “I’m sure.”

  I pulled out a clean pair of basketball shorts and a white t-shirt. “They’re going to be big, but it’s all I have.”

  “That’s all right.” She smiled, walking into my room to take the clothing from me. I liked having her in there. I’d imagined it quite a few times. Of course, in my fantasies she wasn’t coming in to get more clothing, she was taking hers off.

  I didn’t want her to leave. I wanted her to spend the night in my bed, but I knew that wasn’t an option. “Do you need anything else? I’m pretty sure there’s toothpaste and an extra toothbrush and stuff in your bathroom.”

  “Pretty sure? You didn’t stock the place yourself?”

  I shook my head. “Not exactly. One of my assistants did it.”

  “What else do your assistants do for you?” she mumbled, probably assuming I couldn’t hear.

  I decided to spare her the embarrassment of answering that no, I don’t screw my employees.

  “Well, thanks. I’ll see you in the morning.” She half waved before disappearing through the doorway.

  I slumped down on the end of the bed, trying to ignore the urge to beg her to come back.

  Chapter Nine

  Jared

  “Come on, you can do better than that!” Yelling at the queen would get most people in trouble, but it was the only way to get her ass moving when we worked out together. I’d been training Allie for months, and she was doing incredibly well, but she was still human.

  She groaned. “I’m exhausted.”

  “Suck it up. We’ve got another thirty minutes to go.”

  “I’m taking a break.” She picked up her blue water bottle and started to drink.

  I tried to hide my grin. She was doing amazing, but I couldn’t tell her that. The harder I pushed her, the better she did.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. I picked up immediately when Levi’s office number showed up on my screen. He spent as little time in that basement room as possible. “Hey, man.”

  Levi’s voice replied immediately. “We’ve got problems. Get down here now.”

  “Gotcha.” Levi rarely ordered me around. If he did, it was for a good reason.

  “Drop Allie off at the house and get Owen.”

  “I’m on it.” I hung up, knowing that he’d just get pissed if I wasted more time. Having your best friend turn into your boss and the king complicates things, but I wouldn’t have traded my position for anything. I always thought it would go to my brother, but he fucked up big time and was currently rotting away in a prison cell.

  “Looks like you get off easy today, Princess.” She may have been queen, but I still called her princess. It fit better and she always got annoyed when I called her it.

  “Was that Levi?” Her face seemed to light up now when she asked about him. Those two were seriously in love.

  “Yeah. I’ll take you home.”

  After dropping Allie off at their ridiculously huge house, I ran by my place to get Owen. He’d just returned from his own workout.

  “Sounds like shit’s hit the fan. Let’s go.” I pulled off my t-shirt and headed to the porch. The quickest way to travel at night was flying. I didn’t look behind me to check that Owen was following. He’d get there eventually.

  Flying was like a breath of fresh air to me. I couldn’t go a day without it. Some Pterons resist the urge, trying to blend in, but I didn’t bother. I usually only flew during night time hours, but with our limited need for sleep, that still gave me plenty of airtime. I reluctantly landed all too soon and pulled on my t-shirt. Owen did the same next to me.

  We walked into the lobby of the Crescent City Hotel. The same punk bell boy kid who always worked stepped out of the way as we walked through. I wondered if he had any clue what the basement housed. Probably not. Otherwise, he’d be a hell of a lot more afraid of me.

  I slid the security card into the elevator. That little card would allow us access to the basement level. Most people had no clue about the existence of the lower level considering basements were rare in a city built below sea level. We preferred to keep it that way. The fewer people who knew our secrets, the better.

  A human wouldn’t have been able to see anything when they stepped off the elevator car, but Owen and I could see perfectly. One of the perks of being a Pteron was near perfect night vision.

  We walked down the marble hallway. As a kid, I always imagined I’d be coming down on official business. The reality wasn’t quite as awesome as I imagined, mostly because there weren’t any girls involved, but it still felt good.

  I knocked on Levi’s office, more out of habit from when it belonged to his father than for any real attempt at respect. Levi and I went too far back as friends for that.

  “Come in.” Levi sounded stressed. That wasn’t a good sign. He could usually hold it together pretty well. I already had an idea what the call was about, but I wasn’t positive.

  Owen pushed open the door. Levi was seated in his chair behind the heavy wooden desk that took up half the room. For a king’s office, it wasn’t particularly large or fancy. Maybe the idea was to make the office unappealing so you spent as little time inside as possible.

  “All hell is breaking out in New York.” Levi didn’t wait a beat.

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning the body count is rising, the human powers that be want us to fix it—fast.”

  “Didn’t you put Allie’s ex in charge there? Isn’t this his problem?” I didn’t really know Toby, but anyone who got in Levi’s way was on my shit list. Call it protective instinct.

  “He answers to me, but New York is still my te
rritory.” The look he gave me made it clear he was still annoyed that Allie had given away California in a desperate and stupid attempt to save her friends. He acted like he didn’t care, but giving up power—no matter how small—sucks.

  “Do you need me to go up there?” Maybe I’d get my vacation after all. I hadn’t been to New York City in ages.

  “Yes. Can you head up tonight? I told Toby we’re stepping in.”

  “Does Allie know?”

  “Not yet. I’ll have to tell her though. She’s been glued to the news.”

  “Her parents are okay?” Surprisingly enough, I actually cared.

  “Yeah. They’re always under watch.”

  “Does she know that?” Allie had a short fuse when it came to Levi withholding information from her. He tended to do that a lot.

  “Yes. It was actually her idea.” He straightened up in his seat.

  “Nice. Maybe she is learning.”

  “You’ll check things out and report back to me?”

  “Definitely. Do you still have that place on Central Park for me to stay in?”

  He nodded and tossed the keys. “Yeah. I’m not getting rid of that apartment anytime soon.”

  “Cool.” My trip was sounding better and better. Levi’s place on the Upper West Side was sweet.

  “Don’t do anything stupid, Jared. Concentrate on the job.”

  “Would I ever do something stupid?”

  “Yes, when it involves a blonde who’s stacked.”

  “I guess I’ll have to stay away from the blondes then. I’ll call you as soon as I have news.”

  “Good. We need to crush these assholes fast. They’re only doing this because they think I’m weak. Let’s show them how wrong they are.”

  “Now that sounds like Levi.” Owen laughed.

  “Owen, I need you to stay around. I’m sure these northern rebels aren’t working alone. We need to figure out how to stop it before it starts down here.”

  “Have fun you two.” I strode out of Levi’s office feeling pretty darn good. It was time to show Levi he’d picked the right security chief.

  Chapter Ten

  Toby

  My alarm went off at seven a.m. I groaned, thinking back on the days when the weekend meant sleeping in. Not anymore. I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower. By the time I got out, I’d already missed two calls from Tim. I had to get moving.

  I paused outside the guestroom, feeling a bit like a creeper as I listened to her breathe. She was still sleeping. I walked into the kitchen, made a pot of coffee and left a quick note.

  I’ll be back in a few hours. Feel free to make anything. I’ll walk you home.

  -Toby

  I didn’t bother to pour myself a cup. I was already running late. Besides, I was heading to a meeting at a coffee house. It wasn’t exactly neutral territory, but I’d learned that sometimes you have to go to your adversaries to get things done.

  I pushed open the doors of Coffee Heaven without the usual anticipation. The only reason I went there was currently sleeping in my apartment. The thought made me wish she were in a different bed—the one I’d just left. But then again, would I have been able to make myself leave if that were the case? It had been months since I’d been with a girl, and I knew that Casey was the type you wanted just as much in the morning as you did at night.

  “Toby. How nice of you to visit us this morning.” Marv, a hulking figure, turned to look at me. I’d come to view him as an ally since being brought into the fold by my grandfather, but now I had to doubt every interaction.

  “Let’s get right to business.” I was in a hurry. I actually had a reason to get home. But I wasn’t leaving without answers.

  “And what kind of business is that?” Marv shot me a cocky grin. “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting with you lately.”

  “Cut the crap. I know you’re behind the attacks.”

  “Me?” He put a hand to his chest in mock innocence.

  “Enough of the bull shit.” I strode toward him.

  “Eric? Do you know what Toby is referring to?” He called to his nephew, the second reason I was anxious for the meeting.

  “No. No, I don’t.”

  I reached out and pulled Marv toward me by his collar and lifted him off the ground. My grandfather had taught me the art of intimidation. “Don’t fuck with me. What role do you have in this?”

  “Let go of me.” He struggled, but I didn’t let him go. Six months before, I’d have been scared shitless at what I was doing. By that point, it was just part of a day’s work.

  “Why the attacks?” I had to have answers.

  “You’re vulnerable.”

  “What did you just say?” I shook him a little harder. I wasn’t surprised that his nephew didn’t step in. Assaulting me would be a big mistake.

  “The Pterons are weak. You can’t hold out on top forever.”

  “So attacking humans is the solution?” I could feel my body trying to transform, anger was an easy trigger. If you didn’t fight it, it could happen in the worst situations. This wasn’t one of them—well, it would have been for Marv. I doubt he would have ever walked again.

  “They’re getting attention…”

  “They? Are you going to claim you’re not part of it?”

  He attempted to shake his head despite his precarious situation. “I’m not. I’m just pretending. The others think I’m going along with it, but I’m not. We’re staying out of it.”

  I let go and he fell back into his chair. “Pretending? You expect me to believe that?”

  “Yes. And you can’t prove anything to the contrary.”

  He had me there. My cousins hadn’t managed to get anything more than rumors. “If I find out you did…”

  “I know.” He fixed his collar. “Don’t waste your breath.”

  “You’re going to find out what’s going on.” I may have dropped him, but my gaze hadn’t left his face. Sometimes a look can be a hell of a lot more intimidating than touch.

  “What?”

  “If you’re pretending, this new assignment shouldn’t be hard. Get dirty and find out.”

  “Is that an order?”

  “Yes.”

  He nodded, any hint of his earlier joking gone. “Is that all?”

  “From you. Eric’s next.”

  “He’s had nothing to do with this.” Marv quickly jumped to his defense. Did the ruthless man actually have a soft spot for his sister’s kid?

  “It’s about a different matter.” I strode out the front door.

  Eric followed me. “I don’t have anything new, except she didn’t come home last night.”

  “And I’m sure you know where she slept instead.” Maybe I should have been trying to protect her reputation, but Eric needed to back off.

  “Not Mr. Chivalrous anymore?”

  “I am, but she’ll hopefully be staying over more often now.”

  “I’m still posting a watch, and you need to be careful.”

  “I will be.” Something was off. He didn’t seem nearly as jealous as he should have. Bears are prone to uncontrolled jealousy. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Just take care of her. She’s important.”

  “There’s more.”

  “Isn’t there always?” He walked back inside.

  I wasn’t sure what to make of Eric’s calm appearance, but I didn’t stop to worry about it. There was something much more pressing and appealing waiting for me back home.

  Chapter Eleven

  Casey

  The sheets must have been at least eight hundred-thread count. I wrapped myself up in the blue top sheet, feeling absolutely no desire to get out of bed. If the guest sheets were nice, what were Toby’s like? I shook myself. I was not allowed to fantasize about sleeping with a guy just to enjoy nice sheets. Or a nice view. I’d seen his windows the night before, and I wouldn’t mind waking up to that view. I wouldn’t mind waking up every morning in the guest room either. It definitely be
at my closet.

  Light spilled in through a small slit in one of the blinds. That was something else my closet lacked, a window. If I’d had the energy, I would have gotten up to pull the blinds up further. I love waking up to natural light, and I missed it every day at Rhett’s apartment.

  I glanced at the clock. Eight thirty a.m. It had been a fabulous night in luxury land, but it was morning and time to go home. Too bad Toby wasn’t looking for a roommate. I would have answered that ad. I’m sure plenty of girls would—and not just as a platonic roommate. I gave myself a few minutes to think about him. Even through his shirts, I could tell his body was the perfect mix of lean and muscular. I wondered what his chest would feel like under my hand, what his lips would feel like on mine. I always pictured he’d be the gentle kind of guy, but the hint of his personality I’d gotten the night before made me wonder if there was something much more primal underneath.

  I pushed the thoughts away. There was no reason to go there. Especially not when I was sleeping in a bed down the hall from his.

  I needed to wake up, but maybe a few minutes more of comfort wouldn’t hurt. I curled up.

  Bam. Bam. I sat up with a start. What the heck was that?

  Bam. Bam. Bam. The noise repeated, and I realized it was someone pounding on the front door.

  I laid back down, putting the pillow—wrapped in a super soft pillow case, might I add—over my head.

  The insistent banging wouldn’t stop. I rolled over, waiting for Toby to take care of whoever was there. Who had guests that early on a Sunday morning? Especially ones that rude.

  The pounding continued. And continued.

  Where the heck was Toby? He had to hear it unless his room was soundproof or something.

  Boom. Boom.

  Maybe it was stupidity, but I reluctantly pulled myself out of the luxurious sheets, ran a hand through my rumpled hair and looked for Toby. I didn’t bother to brush my teeth, but then again, I didn’t plan on him getting too close to my mouth.

  The door to Toby’s room was open, but he wasn’t there. His bed was unmade, and he’d left some discarded clothes on the floor. His office was just as empty.