He nodded, looking solemn. “You will always have a choice, but if you choose to walk away from this, you’re fair game for both Fae courts. And there are rumors they’ve begun a purge of all those who are of mixed Fae blood. Not half-human, half-Fae, although they don’t care for them either, but of Light and Dark blend. There aren’t a lot of you out there. By joining the Wild Hunt, you’ll be protected as much as we can protect you.”
Stunned, I slumped back in my chair. “Why not leave us be?”
Herne cupped his brandy snifter in his hands. “I don’t know. Something has escalated, but we don’t know what. Maybe it’s as simple as what we were talking about—that you and those like you represent a threat. A potential for co-existence.”
I hated being funneled into anything. I hated authority in general, but it was obvious that I didn’t have much of a choice. I was a walking target. And with Angel and DJ now involved, I wasn’t about to hedge my bets with their lives on the line.
The truth was, I had been drifting through the days, not quite certain how I wanted to spend my life. Hiring myself out as a freelance hunter was what I knew best, but it hadn’t been a conscious choice. I hadn’t woken up one day and decided, Gee, I want to go hunt goblins. I hated feeling like I didn’t have a purpose. On that level alone, Herne’s invitation appealed to me.
“And me? What about me and DJ?” Angel looked like she was about to cry.
“I can guarantee both of you safety—as much as anybody can guarantee anything—if you come work for me as well. But we should send DJ away. This is dangerous work, Angel, and it’s better if your loved ones aren’t in the immediate vicinity. Especially someone as young and vulnerable as your brother.”
“Where would you send him?”
“We can place him with a foster family where he can learn more about his Wulfine heritage. I can arrange for you to visit him several times a year. No one need know that he doesn’t belong to that family.” Herne cleared his throat. He poured another round of brandy. It was almost empty. “As I said, I know this is a great deal to take in, but I need your decisions tonight. We need to declare you as part of the agency tonight just in case they’re searching for you. The two of you are at a crossroads, and the rest of your life depends on what you choose to do. I’ll excuse myself and visit the restroom while you talk it over.”
ANGEL AND I sat there staring at each other after he walked away. As the bathroom door closed behind him, I slumped back, shaking my head.
“What the hell?” I looked over at Angel. “I had no clue. I had no fucking clue.”
She looked on the verge of tears. “I wish DJ had never stayed overnight at Sarah’s last night. But if wishes were pennies, I’d be rich. What’s done is done, and now we have to make a decision.”
“I think we can trust him. I don’t know why, but there’s something about him that tells me he’s straight up.”
She nodded, her shoulders sagging. “Oh, we can trust him. I can sense when people are lying—and even though he’s a god, he’s telling us the truth.”
Pausing, she trailed her finger along the rim of her teacup. “I have to say yes, Ember. I don’t want to give DJ up, but I can’t put him in danger.” Then the tears began to trickle down her cheeks. “I hate myself for saying this, but I’m almost relieved. I don’t make much money. I’m doing my best to give him the life he deserves, but I don’t think I can help him grow into an adult and learn how to handle his wolf. I have no clue what it means to be a shifter, and most of his own kind won’t give him a second glance. If Herne can find a family to willingly and lovingly take him in, and show him what it means to be Wulfine, then I can’t stand in his way.”
I knew how hard it was for Angel to say that—how hard it was for her to willingly give up her brother. I reached out and took her hand and squeezed hard, holding on tight.
“Do you remember when we first met, after I told you who my parents were? I expected you to sneer and make fun of me. A couple of the other Fae children were taunting me and calling me names. You beat the crap out of them and told them that if they ever did that again there’d be more where that came from. I’ve never forgotten how brave you were.”
She squeezed my hand back. “I couldn’t let them pick on my bestie. I had your back, and I’ve always known you had mine.”
“I still have your back. We’ll join the Wild Hunt. We’ll make sure DJ’s okay, and that we’re okay. I guess this is what they call fate.”
She sniffed back her tears and gave me a wide smile. “Destiny’s a bitch, isn’t she?”
“She sure is, Angel. She sure is.”
BY THE TIME Herne returned, we had wiped our eyes. One thing that Angel and I had in common: when we made up our minds, done was done. We weren’t wishy-washy people. I refilled our glasses and pushed Herne’s snifter over to him.
“Shall we drink to our new alliance? You’d better pay well, and give good benefits.” I raised my glass and Angel raised hers.
Herne stared at us for a moment, then his lips curved into a sensuous smile. I found myself noticing him far too much for my own good. His eyes were twinkling.
“You don’t know how relieved I am to hear that. To the Wild Hunt’s newest employees. And for your information, I doubt either one of you has ever made as much money as you’re about to. You’re not going to be rich, but you’ll be able to pay your rent and bills without worry. As far as benefits go, health and life insurance are included.” He leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table. “Angel, I suggest you move over to this side of the lake. My agency is down in the Old Town section of Seattle. The Pioneer Square area.”
I grimaced. Old Town was a seedy place. At one point it had been the center of business, but business moved north, and the downtown sector of Seattle had become a seedy wasteland. Now, there were a lot of clubs and taverns down there, and a number of brothels. Once prostitution was legalized, it had become a major moneymaker for most city governments. Taxed high and regulated strictly, it had put the pimps out of business and kept the kids from walking the streets. Punishment for anyone breaking the rules was strict and swift.
“Don’t turn up your nose. Rent is cheap, and down there nobody asks questions.” He pulled out his wallet and tossed us each a card. “There’s the address. As soon as I leave here, I’ll contact Névé and Saílle, and put your names on the roster of people they cannot touch. Or that they shouldn’t touch. As I said I can’t guarantee anything one hundred percent, but at least you’ll be on the registers.”
“What about DJ?” Angel’s voice was quivering, but she was trying to keep it together.
“I’ve already been in contact with the family where he’ll stay, just in case. They live down south a ways, in the Chehalis area. A lot of shifters live there, and the family he’ll stay with are very open-minded as to parentage. They’ll say he’s a cousin from back east, and if anybody questions them, we will forge papers to prove that his parentage was approved by the Alpha.”
“What if somebody checks? I mean, a busybody could look into it and find out that he really wasn’t from back there.”
I had the feeling Angel was grasping at straws, trying to figure out some way she could keep DJ with her even though she knew it was in his best interests to let him go.
“We have an arrangement with the Alpha of the New Hampshire division of the Shifter Alliance. He owes Cernunnos a great debt, one that he’s not likely to work off in this lifetime. As a result, we utilize his services in this manner when need be. He also happens to be one of us—one of Cernunnos’s bounty hunters.”
Angel let out a long sigh. “I guess that’s it, then. When does he have to leave?”
“The father of the family is waiting for my call. He’s just down the street. We believe in being prepared. He’ll take DJ with him. I’m not going to tell you the family’s last name or anything about them. I’ll make arrangements for you to see him at least four times a year for a week or so. The holidays, if you like. But the less you know about his foster family, the safer he will be. He’ll have a new name and a new life.”