“We’re going home.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes.”

  “But this place—”

  “Now.” Molly walked out of the main part of the club and up the stairs. She needed rest, and she wasn’t going to get it for quite some time. Sighing and still bloody from touching everything, including Faye and her own blood from healing Faye’s wounds, Molly slid into the Tesla and headed for home. Faye would follow on her bike. They could handle the rest from the house.

  Chapter Eleven

  Molly stalked through the house with a purpose. Just about everyone was still on edge after she’d discovered Faye at the club. Faye wasn’t really speaking to her, and she had suspicions she was still high on something, though she wasn’t sure it was whatever it had been before since she wasn’t psychopathic and trying to kill or eat everyone.

  Checking on each of the habits, especially the centivalk since he was their newest intake, she made her way toward the residential floor. She wanted to check in with Faye, again, and see if Faye would be willing to talk to her about what had happened. Molly had worked with the club for years, and this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. They would recover well enough. They were a sanctuary, a place where all Tainted could come together and be as free as possible.

  She was just passing by the family room on the first floor when she paused before she reached the door. Malek’s voice had that cool tone to it, the one he had when he was he was trying to seduce someone. Curious, Molly stood still, hoping she had been quiet enough when walking or Malek had been distracted enough that he hadn’t noticed her. Casting a small spell, she hid her presence from him.

  “I didn’t realize Ben had any family.”

  Molly closed her eyes and pressed a fist to her chest. She’d forgotten Benjamin had told her his Aunt Deidre was coming for a visit. The timing could not have been worse, either. She understood his desire to be near family while he discovered himself, but that didn’t make it any safer for Deidre to be in their house, not to mention, she was human. She had no idea about the Tainted world.

  “I raised him when he was a little boy.” Deidre’s voice was calm but held a terse edge to it. Molly didn’t know the woman well enough to be confident as to why she wasn’t warming up to Malek.

  She almost interjected, but she wanted to keep listening. Perhaps Malek would drop a hint as to what he wanted and why was truly there. He certainly hadn’t done that since he’d arrived at the house, but with Deidre, who knew. She was someone different, someone who had far less stakes in whatever was going to happen.

  “Did you now? Well, I must say, you did a wonderful job. I only just met Ben a few months ago, but it’s been a pleasure working with him.”

  Molly rolled her eyes. Deidre had been a part of Ben’s life, but only when he was very young. As soon as he’d turned eight and shown some behavioral issues, she’d sent him off to what she thought was boarding school—year round. Molly had made sure to watch Ben closely since his mother had died, and when Deidre went in search of help, she was right there to step in.

  “I suppose some of that credit goes to Molly,” Deidre replied.

  Surprised, Molly leaned in a little closer to hear better.

  “Oh?”

  “Ben moved here when he was eight to go to school. He hasn’t left since, said he loved it here, and she gave him a job running the technology for the school.”

  “School?”

  Cursing inwardly, Molly dropped the hiding spell and stepped closer to the door. She would have to break up the conversation if she didn’t want Malek to slip up on what he didn’t know. Someone should have warned him first, but no one had thought to do it. Stepping around the corner, Molly slid her clammy hands against the front of her suit jacket.

  “Deidre, how good to see you again.”

  Deidre immediately shifted on the floral chair she sat in to stare into Molly’s dark eyes. Molly gave her a brief smile before turning her glare on Malek. He must have seen or felt her annoyance because he raised his hands in the air like he was defending himself.

  “Likewise, Molly.”

  “I didn’t realize you were arriving today. Does Ben know you’re here yet?” Molly realized a moment too late how odd her statement was, but she couldn’t take it back. Pressing her lips into a thin line, she waited for an answer.

  Deidre shook her head. “I haven’t seen him yet. Joel picked me up at the airport.”

  “Right. I’ll go get him, if you don’t mind.”

  “I think Joel said he was doing that.”

  Molly’s jaw tightened. She flicked her gaze from Deidre to Malek. Nodding her head toward the door at Malek, she hoped he’d get the hint that she wanted him to leave with her. He pushed up from the chair, thankfully. Molly turned back to Deidre. “I’ll only be a minute, but I need to steal Malek here.”

  “All right.”

  As soon as they left the family area, Molly put a hand on Malek’s wrist to stop him. She gave him a worried and serious look before walking toward the stairs, keeping him in tow behind her. She grabbed her cellphone and was just about to call Ben’s number when an incoming call from Joel surprised her.

  “What is it?” she asked, already sensing the urgency.

  “It’s Ben. He’s having a seizure.”

  “Where are you?” Molly froze in the middle of the staircase, needing to know if she had to go up or down.

  “His room.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute.” Spinning on Malek, she shook her head. “Go get Amachon. He’s having a seizure.”

  Malek said nothing as he raced down the stairs. Molly moved up them. Her feet swiftly took her into Ben’s room, and as soon as she opened the door, her heart broke. Ben was on the floor by the foot of the bed, his body jerking around like a fish out of water. She knelt next to him, holding his head carefully so it’d stop bumping into the corner of the dresser.

  “How long?” Molly asked.

  “I—I don’t know. I came in and found him like this.”

  She drew in a deep breath. “Amachon’s coming. Malek went to get him. I don’t have anything on me.”

  “What do you need?”

  “Paralytic.”

  “I’ve got it.”

  Joel raced from the bedroom and down the stairs. His feet pounded on the old wood. The one time Amachon wasn’t at the house. She shook her head as she stared down at Ben. Amachon had been spending more and more time at the clinic with the outburst of drug overdoses. They’d have to figure out something, for Ben and for the drug problem running rampant through the Tainted underbelly.

  Ben had been seizing for at least four minutes by the time Joel returned, though Molly suspected it was far longer than that. He handed her a vial and a needle before he took over holding Ben’s head away from the dresser. Molly filled the needle and plunged it into Ben’s arm, depressing it. The liquid shot into his veins, but he didn’t calm immediately. It was another two minutes before every muscle in his body stopped twitching.

  Molly checked his pulse, his breathing, everything she could think of. Then she turned to look at Joel. “Put him on the bed, please.”

  “Shouldn’t we take him downstairs?”

  “Here will be fine.”

  Joel sighed and lifted Ben in his arms. Settling him on the bed, Molly sat on the edge of the mattress and gripped Ben’s hand. She closed her eyes.

  “What are you going to tell Deidre?”

  Molly shook her head slowly as she stared down at the young boy she had practically raised. “I don’t know yet. I’ll figure something out.”

  “She doesn’t know.”

  “Know what?”

  “Anything.”

  “Well, she might learn something this visit.”

  Standing, Molly stepped toward the door after retrieving the medication and needle. “Stay with him, please. Let me know if his condition changes.”

  “I will.”

  With that Molly left the room, working out what lie she would be telling next.

  ###

  The pills were easier to hide than baggies of heroin, that was for sure. Faye had taken to keeping them mostly on her person except any time Molly was in the room. She didn’t trust Molly not to figure it out and take her stash. Faye had learned from the sewer club incident that she needed to cut the pills into a quarter instead of taking them all at once, as much as she wanted to. She could maintain the high and not want to suck everyone’s blood at the same time. The high wasn’t as good as if she’d take one or two pills, which she still did on occasion after locking herself in the catacombs, but it was enough to get her through the day.

  After Aliya had died, she’d had to find another source for the little drugs, and this time, it cost her money. Faye’s resources weren’t as vast as Molly’s but they did well enough in a pinch. Sliding a pill between her lips and thinking of her friend under the bridge, the one who had hooked her up with a new dealer, she swallowed the quarter of the pill. Stashing the small baggie behind a baseboard in her bedroom, she leaned against the wall and waited for the drug to hit her.

  Sometimes it took too long, but she hated to let it wear off before she was slipping another pill between her lips and she hated the sensation of being sober after taking it. While high everything was perfect, warm, she felt as though she were in a bubble of happiness—something she had never experienced before.

  Closing her eyes and leaning her head against the wall, Faye drew in a deep breath. She and Molly had talked weeks ago about banding together to find out why Malek was really at the house. Faye had done very little in the way of getting information from him. While she was curious, it was definitely more for Molly’s benefit to find out than hers, and while she liked Molly, it didn’t leave her motivated a whole lot.

  It took some time, but the pill started to hit. First her head swam. Dizzy spell after dizzy spell worked through her mind, and she had to fling her eyelids open in order to focus her gaze to stop from feeling like she was going to fall over. Then the warmth came. This was her favorite part. She had been so cold, so left alone for years, and this felt like pure love to her. She’d never been loved like that. Snorting, Faye sneered. Probably would never be either.

  Bending her knees up, Faye relaxed into the wall, her body pressed against the base of it like it was her lifeline, which she supposed it was. The urge to drink was still strong when she got high, but at least with only one quarter of the pill inside her, it was manageable. What wasn’t manageable was her desire. She wanted Molly, though she supposed Molly was likely busy, and she suspected if Molly could figure out she was high, there would be no play time for the two of them. Instead, she would incur Molly’s wrath.

  Which would be a beautiful sight to see.

  Molly was gorgeous when she was angry. The fire in her eyes, the sharp rise and fall of her chest, every muscle in her body tense and ready to go as soon as she commanded it. Molly was the perfect picture of control when she was pissed off about something.

  As soon as Faye was sure the drug was in her system, she pushed herself to stand, holding onto the wall to steady her wobbly knees. Straightening her spine, Faye stared at her door. She needed to do something for Molly before she could go find her. There would be no point in just seeking her out with nothing to offer.

  Faye walked, although she felt as though she was gliding, to the door to her bedroom. Malek. She would start with him then work her way to Molly. If she had something to offer Molly perhaps Molly would be more inclined to what Faye wanted.

  She spun around the corner of a hallway and ran right into the man she wanted to see. His blond hair was perfectly smoothed over the top of his head like he never had a bad hair day. Must be a witchy thing. Faye snickered. Molly was pretty much the same way except that one time they were in Beirut, that had been an adventure of Molly being flustered nearly the entire time. Faye had made it her mission to see her like that again at some point.

  “Hey,” Faye breathed the word out heavily. She pressed a hand right into Malek’s chest, feeling his heart rap against his ribs in a steady thrum. She wasn’t going to waste any more time if it could get her one step closer to something Molly wanted. “What are you up to?”

  She sounded drunk. That wasn’t a good start to this seduction. Faye needed to be able to think clearly, but the warmth was taking over all of her senses, and she struggled to keep hold of herself. Fisting her fingers into his polo shirt he seemed to always wear, except a different color for each day of the week, which now that she thought about it, Monday’s were always this weird pea-green color, so it must be a Monday. Not that she could tell because of the drug coursing through her veins.

  “Are you high?” There was a note of disgust in each of his words.

  Faye ignored it. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because you’re coming on to me like a woman in heat.”

  Sneering, Faye stepped away from him and glared. She realized Malek had grown up in a vastly different world and time than she had, but there was still something about him that made her feel squicky. She was also left near speechless, which was an odd sensation for her. Normally she had all kinds of quick quips to come back with with, but something about Malek seemed to put her in her place.

  He reached forward, cupping her cheek and tilting her head up so she had to stare into those cold eyes that she never quite readable. His thumb carded across her cheek, just under her eye. Malek was quick. His arms were strong. He pulled Faye to him and spun her until her back was pressed against the wall and his front against hers. If she’d been sober, he never would have gotten the better of her. She was much stronger than he was even in her human state.

  Malek moved in, his lips brushing against hers when he spoke. “I would very much like to know what it’s like to kiss you, Faye, to fuck you.”

  The curse word was so strange coming from him, but it sent a shiver of pleasure through Faye’s chest and down between her legs. Turning to seduction, which she knew she was good at, she bit her lip and lowered her lashes as she tilted her chin up to stare at him.

  “But I want you sober for it. The power exchange is better that way.”

  “Power exchange?” Faye’s voice was merely a whisper. Every time she had Malek like this, she usually learned something about herself in the process, something Molly most likely should have taught her.

  His hand slid down to her neck, his thumb and forefinger pressing against her jugular and closing off her airway in the slightest. Faye remained utterly still. Malek ground his hips into her. “Has Molly not told you about that? Remember Reina and Corbin?”

  “Hmmm, yes. I remember that. That’s what you call it? Power exchange.”

  Malek nodded. Faye could play dumb if she needed, Malek seemed to like it. Being this close to him made the urge for his blood that much stronger, and she knew he would taste just as good as Molly. He had to. He was older, and he was purer blood than she was. His blood could last her even longer than Molly’s.

  His mouth was against hers again, his fingers tightened. “Sober up, and we’ll talk about this again.”

  He was about to move away. Faye knew it. His hand left her neck, and he slid back, but she couldn’t let him get off that easy. She had to take something, prove she was just as good at seduction as he was. Before he moved away too far, Faye gripped him behind his head and pulled him back to her, their mouths crashing together.

  Arching her back, she jutted her breasts into his chest as her tongue pressed against his lips. Snaking her other hand around his back and up his spine, Faye held him to her. Malek’s tongue plummeted her. Their breathing picked up as the tension and arousal grew. His hand was once again at her cheek, then her neck, pressing into her. His other hand groped her breast, harshly twisting her nipple through the fabric of her shirt and bra. He gave as good as he got. They would be an excellent match as soon as they got to that point.

  Faye nipped his lip without breaking skin, wanting to give him a taste of what it would be like should they continue. Malek ripped backward, breathing heavily as he stared down at her. He nodded at her and stepped away to the middle of the hall.

  “Next time, Faye, don’t be high.” He stalked away from her.

  Whimpering, Faye wiped the back of her hand over her mouth to remove his saliva. Whether or not they fucked, she’d at least made progress into his inner circle. He wanted her. That was enough for her in that moment.

  Chapter Twelve

  Joel sat heavily on the couch in his office, the weight of the past few weeks resting on his shoulders. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back and let out a huge sign of frustration. Deidre had stayed an extra week after Ben had confessed his seizure, though it was rather hard to hide it. Joel couldn’t fault him. He’d want the extra support too if it was him.

  While Joel was happy Ben was finally exploring his Tainted side, it worried him endlessly about what it could mean. He’d never seen anyone go to the extremes Ben did in suppressing his natural abilities. Medication, while it could do wonders, could also do a lot of harm, and Joel was pretty sure that Ben was discovering the fall out from it.

  Rubbing his hands over his cheeks, Joel groaned. His worst fear was that Ben would have another seizure only the next time he wouldn’t wake up, and Joel would be left without him. He never would have imagined when Molly had coerced him into working there nearly a decade ago that he would also have fallen in love in the process. They’d had a roundabout dating life, but through the thick and the thin, they’d stuck together.

  Joel sat up straight when he heard his office door snick open. He pressed his palms to his thighs as he waited to see who it was. He’d been so engrossed in his own worry that he hadn’t been paying attention to the emotions of those around him, and for the first time in a long time, he was surprised by who was at the door.