She rubbed her sleepy eyes, and within seconds the hairs that had tugged loose from her French braid were back in place. “I’m so disoriented. I barely slept.” Blue flipped her long cape behind her and yawned as she rushed out the door. “Back in a jiffy.”
Shepherd peered through the drapes at the rooftops across the street, looking for Sparrow’s men. He tried to put himself in their shoes, but it was hard without knowing their level of training. While they could charm the hotel clerk to get their room numbers, the clerk didn’t have their real names, so that wouldn’t be an easy task.
A knock sent both Shepherd and Harley into action. Shepherd’s heart pounded against his chest like a drum as he looked out the peephole and then opened the door. Harley took a sniff before trotting back to Hunter.
Shepherd let Kira inside and glanced into the hall before shutting the door. She sat beside Hunter and tenderly brushed his tangled hair away from his face. Christian must have bought her the brown dress, but he’d forgotten shoes.
Shepherd sat on the bed across from her and watched as she lifted the sleeping boy’s hands and worked fastidiously to get all his little fingers in the gloves. She smiled at the struggle, unaware of the danger they were in. Kira had a knack for staying invisible; it was something the most skilled servants could do. The others got used to not noticing her, but Shepherd always stole glimpses. Not of the dirt beneath her nails after working in the courtyard gardens. Not the red marks on her knees from where she knelt scrubbing the floor. And not the drips of wax that dried in her hair, clothing, and apron when she would change out the candles. He noticed the way the light caught in her copper eyes like a warm fire. He noticed the way she would hum when content. He noticed her heart-shaped face, her delicate fingers, the mole on her neck, and especially the tattoo. Immortals were selective about tattoos and few indulged in them because of their permanence. Among women, they were even more uncommon. But sometimes when she wore her hair up and she was at just the right angle, he could see the symbols that marked her nape and traveled downward.
Shepherd didn’t spend much time admiring women. Occasionally when he felt those primal urges, he would go out to a club and take care of it. But in general, he didn’t think of women in a tender way or wonder what they might feel like in his arms. That was his past. He was on a new path now, and there was no room for fantasies about a normal life. His heart was stony, his body scarred, and he only possessed enough love for his son, who needed more than the average kid.
Yet each time he witnessed the motherly affection Kira lavished on his son, it made him miss Maggie, Hunter’s mother. His one true love. It seemed like a lifetime ago. After Hunter came back into his life, he spent a lot of time dwelling on the little things Maggie was missing out on. His giggles, flying kites, his silly drawings, the mischievous look in his eyes when he climbed on top of a statue. As the months went by, Shepherd began thinking about something else: whatHunterwas missing out on. No mother to sing him to sleep, kiss his scrapes, bake him cookies, or teach him how to be a kind man. Sometimes Shepherd wondered if Kira filled that void—if having a strong feminine force in his life would be a good enough substitute for his mother even if it was just from the help. The last thing Shepherd wanted to do was screw this kid up.
And then came Sparrow and his fucking curse. Could Shepherd even raise a child when he wasn’t completely alive? What if Keystone disbanded? Could Hunter thrive without Switch and Kira in his life? How would Shepherd provide? He wasn’t exactly the hirable type. And what if he eventually disappeared? He’d always planned to stay with Keystone at least until Hunter was a man, but now he realized he had no backup plan. They could be out on the street, and the money he’d saved wouldn’t last long, let alone provide Hunter the quality care he needed.
Shepherd leaned forward, head in his hands. Everything was on the line.
Everything.
“Who the hell’s gonna watch my boy if something happens to me? I don’t even know who to ask. I can’t be the father he needs—not when I’m a ghost. You don’t even realize the trouble we’re in. I might as well be talking to a rock.” He raised his head and got up. “I don’t even know if Icandie. I’ll probably be stuck in this realm, watching my boy grow up, and he’ll never even know I’m there.” Shepherd anchored his palms on the dresser, anger swelling in his heart at the thought of failing Hunter. “Doesn’t have any real family. I’m all he’s got. He shouldn’t be here. I can’t protect him—not like I need to. And if I don’t make it out of this alive, he’s got no one.”
Shepherd raised his head when Kira unexpectedly said, “I will take him.”
CHAPTER23
Sitting in my cage, I tapped my boots together. The bars dug into my back, but after a while, I didn’t care anymore. Whoever built this thing obviously didn’t want any wolves slipping out. My arm barely fit between the bars. I’d already tested every inch of the cell for a weakness. Now I knew why caged animals paced back and forth all the time.
Moonlight shone on the floor, stretching to the center of the room. Dark shadows painted the walls around me.
Every hour or so, a female Vampire entered the room to make sure I was still here. I once asked her to toss me the keys hanging by the door, but some people don’t have a sense of humor. I thought about what might be happening at the hotel. Had anyone found the groceries? At least the Vampire had stopped me in the hall instead of following me all the way up to my father’s room. It could have ended so much worse.
I glanced over my shoulder when I heard something scraping on the window. It couldn’t have been a tree since we didn’t have any next to the mansion. When I leaned over for a better look, a silhouette caught my eye.
My heart quickened, and I sprang to my feet. “Blue? Hang on! Let me see if I can open this thing.”
I reached for the latch, but my fingertips barely grazed it. I squeezed my skin above the elbow, forcing more of my arm through the bars until I was able to flip the latch. But I couldn’t open the sash. Afraid my arm would swell and get stuck between the bars, I yanked it free.
After a few loud pecks, the window opened. Feathers ruffled as a large bird flew over my cage. I followed its movement to a pool of shadows on my right.
A form appeared, and when it stood, my hopes of being rescued were dashed.
Houdini strode toward me, fully clothed in his long burgundy jacket. The black cuffs and lapels matched his shirt and pants. I wondered if he’d rented that gothic outfit or had worn it in the eighteenth century. “All dressed up and no place to go. I have to wonder what deal he’s offered you.”
I rubbed my sore arm. “He just wants information.”
Houdini’s slender fingers wrapped around the bars. Moonlight soaked into his bleached hair like frosting. “If that’s all he wanted, you’d be dead by now. Men like Sparrow only cage a person when they desire something.”
I folded my arms. “You should know.”
Houdini stepped back and bowed his head. “Touché.”
“How many animals can you shift into?”
Houdini slowly walked alongside the cage, his fingers tapping against the bars. “I love that you’re curious about me.”
“Who else can you tell if not your youngling? And how is that even possible if you only have one animal spirit living inside you?”
He stopped in front of me. “Because, Raven. I have no spirit. I can shift into any animal I choose.”
