way to win here."
Winter held her gaze a long time before responding. "And you're resigned to that?"
She shook her head. Resigned? No. "I just don't see any way around it."
"So you aren't willing to bend at all?"
"You're talking about who I am. How far would you bend for Marcus?"
Winter's responding grin spoke of things Kara wasn't touching with a ten foot pole. "I'm very limber."
Winter surprised a laugh out of her but she wasn't sure she agreed. "Not that limber, boss."
The other woman sighed. "True." She stood and brushed the front of her pants smooth. "Well, hopefully, y'all can work this out. If you're serious about merging though, you need to set up your last appointment with Mike. Gray lifted the edict. After this second attack, you need to get it done. You'll be able to defend yourself better if you're demon bonded."
"I'll take care of it in the morning."
"Good. That will be a step toward Dupree accepting it too, you know."
Or a step toward making him run screaming in the other direction. No, Dupree would never do that. That would be betraying an emotion. But she couldn't focus on that as excitement coursed through her. All those long years of waiting and preparation were coming to an end.
Winter hesitated before leaving. "Maybe that's just what he needs," she said with a soft smile and then she was gone.
Chapter Ten
The joint patrols with the hybrids are going better than expected. I don't anticipate any problems increasing the numbers or making the new changes permanent.
--Report from Luke Black to Marcus Black
Two hours before dawn, Luke wasn't surprised to find himself on patrol, walking the streets of Camden with Dupree Jackson. It was a quiet night. No moon lit the night sky and the streetlights gave off a dim yellow glow, providing hardly any illumination. It was gloomy and foggy, which drove any human night owls indoors. A good night to hunt. A good night for a solitary stroll. A good night for self-reflection. Though he wasn't alone, was he?
Since Winter's battle with the demons and Dupree's subsequent poisoning, Luke had found himself more and more in the hybrid's company. It was hard at first. Nightwalkers didn't mix well with others under the best of circumstances. But this hybrid was something else. Connected to someone who was Luke's very breath. The hybrid had few close friends, but one of them was Gianna Drake, a woman Dupree had known for sixty years. Luke's woman. It made him jealous as hell that another man had been a part of her life for so long. It wasn't until he'd realized the two had never been lovers that he'd stopped wanting to kill Dupree. And it wasn't long after that he'd realized Dupree might be his best chance at finding Gia.
The leaders of all three races had been insistent that no one hunt alone, and even the seconds in command like him and Dupree were not immune from the command. Since they sought the same end, it made sense to team up. So for just over a week the two of them had joined each other and searched. Hunted. Two hours at most because Dupree was still working the demon's poison from his system. Luke found that frustrating. He wanted to search from dusk till dawn, but finding a partner was not always so easy.
Theirs had been an easy companionship until tonight. Neither of them were talkers and under other circumstances probably wouldn't have anything to do with each other. Gia brought them together. She was Luke's mate, but idiot that he was, by the time he realized that he'd managed to scare her off. Dupree didn't know the details and hadn't asked, but if Winter was right and her dreams were Gia reaching out to her, he should probably fill the hybrid in. Though, no doubt his commander already had.
He'd meant to bring it up tonight and was relieved when Dupree called earlier to suggest meeting, but one sight of the hybrid was enough to keep his mouth closed. The only time he'd ever seen any kind of expression from the man was over Kara. She was a sweet girl
Winter held her gaze a long time before responding. "And you're resigned to that?"
She shook her head. Resigned? No. "I just don't see any way around it."
"So you aren't willing to bend at all?"
"You're talking about who I am. How far would you bend for Marcus?"
Winter's responding grin spoke of things Kara wasn't touching with a ten foot pole. "I'm very limber."
Winter surprised a laugh out of her but she wasn't sure she agreed. "Not that limber, boss."
The other woman sighed. "True." She stood and brushed the front of her pants smooth. "Well, hopefully, y'all can work this out. If you're serious about merging though, you need to set up your last appointment with Mike. Gray lifted the edict. After this second attack, you need to get it done. You'll be able to defend yourself better if you're demon bonded."
"I'll take care of it in the morning."
"Good. That will be a step toward Dupree accepting it too, you know."
Or a step toward making him run screaming in the other direction. No, Dupree would never do that. That would be betraying an emotion. But she couldn't focus on that as excitement coursed through her. All those long years of waiting and preparation were coming to an end.
Winter hesitated before leaving. "Maybe that's just what he needs," she said with a soft smile and then she was gone.
Chapter Ten
The joint patrols with the hybrids are going better than expected. I don't anticipate any problems increasing the numbers or making the new changes permanent.
--Report from Luke Black to Marcus Black
Two hours before dawn, Luke wasn't surprised to find himself on patrol, walking the streets of Camden with Dupree Jackson. It was a quiet night. No moon lit the night sky and the streetlights gave off a dim yellow glow, providing hardly any illumination. It was gloomy and foggy, which drove any human night owls indoors. A good night to hunt. A good night for a solitary stroll. A good night for self-reflection. Though he wasn't alone, was he?
Since Winter's battle with the demons and Dupree's subsequent poisoning, Luke had found himself more and more in the hybrid's company. It was hard at first. Nightwalkers didn't mix well with others under the best of circumstances. But this hybrid was something else. Connected to someone who was Luke's very breath. The hybrid had few close friends, but one of them was Gianna Drake, a woman Dupree had known for sixty years. Luke's woman. It made him jealous as hell that another man had been a part of her life for so long. It wasn't until he'd realized the two had never been lovers that he'd stopped wanting to kill Dupree. And it wasn't long after that he'd realized Dupree might be his best chance at finding Gia.
The leaders of all three races had been insistent that no one hunt alone, and even the seconds in command like him and Dupree were not immune from the command. Since they sought the same end, it made sense to team up. So for just over a week the two of them had joined each other and searched. Hunted. Two hours at most because Dupree was still working the demon's poison from his system. Luke found that frustrating. He wanted to search from dusk till dawn, but finding a partner was not always so easy.
Theirs had been an easy companionship until tonight. Neither of them were talkers and under other circumstances probably wouldn't have anything to do with each other. Gia brought them together. She was Luke's mate, but idiot that he was, by the time he realized that he'd managed to scare her off. Dupree didn't know the details and hadn't asked, but if Winter was right and her dreams were Gia reaching out to her, he should probably fill the hybrid in. Though, no doubt his commander already had.
He'd meant to bring it up tonight and was relieved when Dupree called earlier to suggest meeting, but one sight of the hybrid was enough to keep his mouth closed. The only time he'd ever seen any kind of expression from the man was over Kara. She was a sweet girl
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