Primal Kill (The Order of Vampires #5)

“I could always sense Dane. He came to the cells every night, so I knew his voice and smell. Sometimes I heard you two whispering, so I asked him who you were. He told me a little about you.”

“You two talked?”

“Occasionally. In the beginning, we hadnothing nice to say, but then, over time… He was the only person I trusted.”

Dane was a familiar topic that comforted Adriel. He spent a lot of time in the basement of Council Hall visiting his sister, Cybil, so it made sense that Juniper would have learned of his good nature since her cell was close to his sister’s.

“What did he say about me?”

She smiled, her gaze focused on the road. “He said you weren’t like the others. That you were older and a bit of a badass. Whenever we talked about you, his voice filled with protective pride, the way a son might talk of his mother.”

That made Adriel smile. “Dane is a good man.”

“Yeah. But we both agreed your real son’s a prick.”

Dane’s dislike for her son did not surprise her, but it did bother her. Her son was a good and honorable male who faced centuries of judgment for her choices.

“Christian is…softening now that he’s found his mate.” Her son had always been a concern. He was part of her but also part of Cerberus. “I’d like to blame Christian’s father for his flaws, but I’m afraid he gets his hardheadedness from me.”

Juniper chuckled. “You are stubborn.”

Adriel frowned but then understood she was only teasing. Her defenses softened. “We sat on that bench because females are not permitted toenter Council Hall unless summoned by the elders.”

“But Dane’s a guy.”

“He’s not a purebred immortal, nor is he a true member of the faith.”

“Neither are you.”

She hesitated. Sometimes, the simplest assumptions required the most complicated explanations. “I abide by the basic principles of Amish life, but I confess, my faith crumbled long ago.”

“Then why did you stay in a place that made you wait outside like a dog on a leash?”

“I was not waiting like a dog.”

Juniper studied her briefly and snickered. “Dane’s right. You’ve definitely got a little badass in you.”

“I’m sure I don’t know that term.”

“It’s a compliment.”

She wasn’t sure how comparing her to poorly trained livestock could double as praise, so she asked, “Did Dane help you?”

“He actually needed my help. He was trying to kill that…thingin the last cell.”

“You mean Isaiah?”Adriel straightened in her seat. “Did he?”

Juniper laughed without humor. “No. It went ballistic the second he shot it, then it broke through the walls—like they weren’t even holding him in. His sister came after me, and that’s when I ran. She got hurt. Maybe killed, I don’t know. That thing took her.”

“Isaiah took Cybil?”

Juniper’s brow pinched as the scent of regret filled the car. “I told Dane my magick was limited, but he didn’t believe me.”

Adriel laid a hand on her arm. “It’s not your fault. Cybil is no longer meant for this world. She can’t be saved.”

“What about the other thing?”

“Isaiah is far beyond redemption. Both of them should have been put down long ago.”