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Authors: Loribelle Hunt
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couple days probably. He's doing all the work himself." So they could keep it quiet. "I've got the updated numbers from Lance. Four new recruits this week, which brings us to a total of ten since we took over." A lousy showing considering their losses.
"Better than we had before. Tell him to keep at it."
"Yeah. I'm still running day patrols, but I'm going to start decreasing the number I send out. Everyone's burned out and the daylight attacks have slowed down considerably. We'll still focus on downtown and the north and west part of the city and suburbs. That's where the majority of the reports are coming in."
"So likely that's where the new lair is."
He shook his head. "Don't make any assumptions."
They'd already learned that lesson the hard way. Ben going rogue had been bad enough, but everything else that had happened over the following weeks had blown Order assumptions out of the water. Suddenly demons who should have been lethargic, if not unconscious, during the day were out and fighting, led by an overload, which hadn't been seen on Earth in centuries. And instead of going rogue and insane and hunted down by his own, Ben had not only ingratiated himself with the demons, he'd exploited the Order's darkest secrets to make himself stronger.
The good news was the warlord was dead by Winter's hand. The bad news was they still hadn't found Ben, but no doubt he was now the one leading the surviving demons. Dupree didn't even want to consider how strong he'd have to be to control so many demons when his body, at least, was still half human.
"Anything else?"
"Has Kara brought up--" He stopped abruptly. He couldn't bring himself to finish the question.
"You're going to have to accept that it's gonna happen, Dupree. She's going to merge with a demon and after that, unless you bond with her, I'll have to kill you. Can we not go that route?"
He scowled at her. "Not everything is written in stone."
She arched an eyebrow. "Some things are. You bond or you die. You know that."
He couldn't argue with that. "True. But she doesn't have to merge."
"She's an adult. She grew up in the Order. She knows better than most what she's in for."
"No, she doesn't. She just thinks she does." She had no idea what it was like feeling the demon crawl through your body, your mind, your soul.
"She knows more than you give her credit for," Winter said softly, like she'd heard his thoughts. Hell, she probably had. There wasn't a telepath in the region who could match her. "Talk to her, Dupree."
"Why won't you just deny her application?" The closer her birthday got the more desperate he got.
"Ten," she reminded him. "Ten new recruits and we've lost over a hundred."
"This is not about numbers," he growled.
"Yes it is and you know it. She's much more qualified than any of the others we're bringing in too. Hell, she's been training since she was four years old. Your personal feelings don't enter into recruitment, Dupree. If it was anyone else we would not be having this conversation."
He knew that, but he sure as hell didn't like being called out on it. He'd never asked the Order for anything. He'd done his duty, served where ordered and never complained even though he knew his soul was more endangered with each passing year. Was it too much to ask to save one woman from his fate? To save her for his own? He kept all those words to himself. Winter was being just as stubborn as Kara about the situation. Dupree would have to find a better argument against her merging. It wouldn't be enough to convince Kara but might be for Winter. In the meantime, he needed to keep some distance from them both. He was too close to the edge. He'd never forgive himself if he lost control.
"I have work to do," he told her. "I'll check in tomorrow."
"One more thing." Her hands fell to push into the pockets of her pants, that determined expression firmly back in place. "I need Kara at headquarters in the morning. She'll be finalizing the building contracts on the
"Better than we had before. Tell him to keep at it."
"Yeah. I'm still running day patrols, but I'm going to start decreasing the number I send out. Everyone's burned out and the daylight attacks have slowed down considerably. We'll still focus on downtown and the north and west part of the city and suburbs. That's where the majority of the reports are coming in."
"So likely that's where the new lair is."
He shook his head. "Don't make any assumptions."
They'd already learned that lesson the hard way. Ben going rogue had been bad enough, but everything else that had happened over the following weeks had blown Order assumptions out of the water. Suddenly demons who should have been lethargic, if not unconscious, during the day were out and fighting, led by an overload, which hadn't been seen on Earth in centuries. And instead of going rogue and insane and hunted down by his own, Ben had not only ingratiated himself with the demons, he'd exploited the Order's darkest secrets to make himself stronger.
The good news was the warlord was dead by Winter's hand. The bad news was they still hadn't found Ben, but no doubt he was now the one leading the surviving demons. Dupree didn't even want to consider how strong he'd have to be to control so many demons when his body, at least, was still half human.
"Anything else?"
"Has Kara brought up--" He stopped abruptly. He couldn't bring himself to finish the question.
"You're going to have to accept that it's gonna happen, Dupree. She's going to merge with a demon and after that, unless you bond with her, I'll have to kill you. Can we not go that route?"
He scowled at her. "Not everything is written in stone."
She arched an eyebrow. "Some things are. You bond or you die. You know that."
He couldn't argue with that. "True. But she doesn't have to merge."
"She's an adult. She grew up in the Order. She knows better than most what she's in for."
"No, she doesn't. She just thinks she does." She had no idea what it was like feeling the demon crawl through your body, your mind, your soul.
"She knows more than you give her credit for," Winter said softly, like she'd heard his thoughts. Hell, she probably had. There wasn't a telepath in the region who could match her. "Talk to her, Dupree."
"Why won't you just deny her application?" The closer her birthday got the more desperate he got.
"Ten," she reminded him. "Ten new recruits and we've lost over a hundred."
"This is not about numbers," he growled.
"Yes it is and you know it. She's much more qualified than any of the others we're bringing in too. Hell, she's been training since she was four years old. Your personal feelings don't enter into recruitment, Dupree. If it was anyone else we would not be having this conversation."
He knew that, but he sure as hell didn't like being called out on it. He'd never asked the Order for anything. He'd done his duty, served where ordered and never complained even though he knew his soul was more endangered with each passing year. Was it too much to ask to save one woman from his fate? To save her for his own? He kept all those words to himself. Winter was being just as stubborn as Kara about the situation. Dupree would have to find a better argument against her merging. It wouldn't be enough to convince Kara but might be for Winter. In the meantime, he needed to keep some distance from them both. He was too close to the edge. He'd never forgive himself if he lost control.
"I have work to do," he told her. "I'll check in tomorrow."
"One more thing." Her hands fell to push into the pockets of her pants, that determined expression firmly back in place. "I need Kara at headquarters in the morning. She'll be finalizing the building contracts on the
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