Into The Wild ~ Book 3 ~ The Royal Blood Collection

Chapter 13

Oliver was stunned when I handed Silas over to him. The guards at the gatehouse pretended not to notice anything but I could see that they were desperately trying to figure out what was going on.

"A phone call would have been sufficient."

"I know that but the problem is, he kept trying to escape and he told me that he phoned Alaric so I'm inclined to believe that something is wrong."

Oliver turned to one of the guards.

"Take Silas to the house, hand him over to His Highness personally."

The guards nodded. Silas said nothing as he was dragged away.

"Oliver, I'm worried about him."

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"He doesn't strike me as the kind of person that would be so disrespectful towards his family."

"He's not. Where was he?"

"At the spa but calling it that is incredibly wrong. Perhaps a saloon style brothel would be more ideal."

"Ah," He said with a slight grin.

"The girls were rather tight-lipped, and I think that they might be spiking the drinks. He was determined to stay and I got the feeling that a lot of the patrons were exactly the same."

Returning to reality probably wasn't enticing for most of them, for Silas it was like returning to a living nightmare.

"Your king has consumed a lot of provinces, Oliver. Planning on continuing that?"

He shrugged, looking at the house rather than me.

"I have the right to know if the province that I call home is going to be invaded, don't you?"

"I think that for a while, the king's priorities might change."

I huffed in frustration. That meant nothing.

"What province do you normally call home?"

"Seven," I said, backing away. "I'd better not see any of the Alaric's guards on my king's turf, Oliver."

He stared at me and I knew that they were going to take down the royal family.

"Make sure my money goes in, otherwise I will come for you."

Oliver laughed slightly.

"It would be a fight worthy of the history books."

"That it would, old friend. What's with the hair?"

"Outwitting him. He was determined."

He nodded and turned away. As I walked through the gatehouse, I tossed the keys at the guard.

"It belongs to the CO in three, I'm sure he's wondering where it is."

Lifting my suitcase handle, I dragged it down the short driveway to the waiting cab. The driver took the bag and as I slid into the back seat, I looked at the house that was causing me grief. They didn't know it but they were.

"Where to?"

"The storage units on Washington Drive please."

The drive was long, giving me too much time to think about the past couple of days. I'd never become so invested in an assignment yet here I was on the verge of tears. Silas looked at me like I was betraying him yet he said nothing against returning to the place. If he didn't want to be there then he should have said something. Instead, I got antics that did not make sense. Was he toying with me or was his mind shot from what he'd seen?

My throat was thick as I swallowed, wiping the tears away I looked out the window to the glittering city lights.

The driver pulled over the driveway and turned for the payment. Satisfied with the money and his generous tip, he got out and pulled my suitcase from the trunk.

"Have a good evening."

"You too."

Lifting the handle, I wandered into the facility and to the garage door that housed my Moke. My mother said to stay away but I had to return. If my fears were correct, she could be in danger. She was as stubborn as a mule, no doubt thinking that staying in the house would keep our hold over it but she was wrong.

Dumping my bags into the car, I backed it out and locked the garage door. With the key dumped in the after-hours box, I left this city behind for good.

Driving to my province wasn't that hard or was it a long journey. The border between the two was close and it made Alaric's plan to consume the province all the more real. Close by, bordering the west coast, prosperous vampire community with a fair number of humans too.

Province seven was a wide area, so wide that we actually connected to province six as well. We had access to the human stronghold that was in the center of the land and we had an open end to the wilds of the south. Life beyond our southern border was unchecked. It was the land of the mercenaries and those who didn't want to live within the grip of the leaders.

Reaching the border, I slowed at the gate. The guard walked over to me, gesturing for my identification. He stopped and stared. Then his mouth opened.

"Stop," I warned. "I do not want to gain attention."

"Of course." He said. "Is there anything that I need to check?"

"Not unless you want to get a firsthand view of them in use."

His lips pressed tight as he nodded, stepping back.

"Have a safe journey."

The boom was lifted and I was on my merry way again. Returning home was filled with trepidation. I didn't want to see my father dying but I needed to be there for his last moments. His passing would be peaceful if his wife and daughter were by his side, not just his wife.

My safety was no longer a concern. I'd been told to avoid the view of those who wanted to bring my family down and now I couldn't do that. I'd been told to take on a new name and persona, to hide who I really was. I'd half done that, giving the world Dahlia Robards by day and the Nighthawk by night. She tracked and found those who didn't want to be found, she did what many could not.

Now she was returning to her former life, the one that was fraught with more danger than being a mercenary. It was strange to think that it was possible. Now the Nighthawk would become a distant memory and, in her place would be a creature that was almost the complete opposite. Refined, articulate, elegant and well dressed.

She was everything that I loathed about this life.