Page 6 of Night Fury
How could I be so stupid?No, stop. You’re doing it again. You are not stupid, you were just … blind.
“I envy you sometimes,” Greg whispered, making Luke’s head snap up. “You don’t know how many times I’ve had to stop my reactions and contain my emotions because the people around me needed me to be their sense of calm. But you don’t have to do that. Why would I ever want to chain you down and reduce you to what I go through on a daily basis? Look at myself and Ella. Look how long we waited. Do you think I would ever want you to go through something like that? You even helped keep me sane with her.”
Luke’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”
“I trusted you to look out for her, Luke. That’s why when I went out of town or overseas, I never asked anyone to look out for her. I knew you would. I trusted you with the safety of my mate. If nothing else can explain to you how I think of you, how much I value you, that should tell you everything.”
Luke grasped the bridge of his nose and took a long, deep breath. “I can’t … I didn’t even think of that.”
“Well, now you are, so late is better than never.” Greg smiled.
Luke glared at him before they chuckled, the laugh clearing the tension in the room. “I’m sorry for all of this. I guess … I just didn’t realize how much this had messed me up.” He sighed. “I never stopped to see things from your perspective, and that was wrong of me.”
“No, it was wrong of me to never tell you. We all have faults, right? I’m learning one of mine is that I tend to not share things. I would rather carry the burden alone so that it won’t hurt others.”
Luke chuckled. “Sounds like Dani is keeping you in line.”
Greg laughed with him. “She’s definitely trying. Listen, whatever it is you’re going through now, however you’re feeling, you need to know it’s okay. Luke, you’re worried about the safety of your mate. You’re in despair and that will fuck with you in the absolute worst ways. In those moments, everything you do feels like it’s not enough, like it’s caving in and you can’t breathe.”
Luke breathed for a moment before he settled, and a little more of the ice around his heart cracked. “You’re right, it does. I feel that way all the time. It makes me feel so ... useless, and then I just become so angry. Angry at myself, angry at everyone, the world, fate. Do you know how many things I’ve broken at my house? It’s getting expensive.”
Greg’s eyebrow rose. “You have over a billion dollars in dividends from company stocks.”
“And if we don’t find Johanna soon, they’ll be finished by the end of the week.” He sighed. “It’s pitiful. I’ve never felt so weak.”
Greg nodded. “I’ve felt like that many times, especially recently.”
Luke didn’t need to ask. He knew what Greg was talking about. When Daniella had been attacked by Zachariah, Greg seemed broken. In that moment, Luke hadn’t known what Greg was feeling, but now he did, and watching him here, standing tall, seeming so strong, Luke could only ask, “How did you get through it?”
“With you guys. I may be resilient, but I can’t carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, and when I’m falling, you all help me up.” Greg’s gaze met Luke’s own. “Will you let us do the same for you?”
He nodded. “Please, I-I can’t do this on my own.”
Greg walked over to him and squeezed his shoulder. “And you will never have to.”
CHAPTER 4
Luke desperately wanted to rush into the warehouses in front of him, rip everyone apart, and find his mate. The hope in his chest promised him that Johanna would be here and the constant, endless, gnawing grief in his soul would ease, even if just a fraction.
But that was him speaking emotionally, and his emotions had done a number on his head.
He looked at Greg. One conversation wasn’t going to change everything, but it did help. It had reminded Luke that he was better than this, and he would need to remember that in today’s battle and the next. He needed to be logical here.
There was a big possibility that Johanna wouldn’t be at this location, and from the poor state of the exteriors and broken windows which couldn’t keep out the cold wind, he hoped she wouldn’t be inside. The warehouses looked abandoned. Those with wood seemed rotted, warped, and filled with the elements of the nearby sea. The surrounding buildings seemed just as bad, their once silver metal now turned to rust.
But Luke and the rest of the battle officers believed these appearances to be a façade. This location had nine buildings from what they’d seen, and each was equipped with high quality cameras. While they hadn’t heard anything or seen any vehicles or movement from outside the warehouse buildings, none of the buildings they’d scoped had dust in front of the door, which meant someone, somewhere, was indeed home.
Greg nodded to them, and Luke knew the game was on. He squeezed his hands, rotating his arms and rolling his shoulders back. Daniella moved beside him and caught his gaze. If anyone had told Luke a couple of months ago that his best friend would be on the front lines with them, he wouldn’t have believed it. But Daniella’s life had changed greatly in a short amount of time, and she’d been forced to change with it or become buried by it. Daniella had taken the existence of vampires and immortals, her new relationship, and dedication to their circle the same way she did everything else, with committed determination.
Dani gave him a soft, reassuring smile, but as she turned to the building closest to them, her smile changed into a vengeful grimace that sent a chill down Luke’s spine. She wasn’t bloodthirsty. She didn’t enjoy killing others or being involved in this war—Luke knew that like he knew his own hand—but Daniella was an advocate for justice. Her wrath was prevalent in her abilities as she pulled the cold air toward her, creating a whipping gust that cut and sucked the warmth out of his body. That gust built into a mini tornado before it flew forward in the direction of each building. As it hit, the windows concaved to her power, sending shards of glass everywhere and slamming the doors open.
A click sounded from Luke’s right, and he watched as the door exploded, flying off the building while a fire raged inside. They were far enough away that the blast wouldn’t harm them, but the shockwaves and sound were jarring. Suddenly, the fire stalled its normal expansion, then shriveled and died.
Dani’s doing.
She used her powers to build the wind again, and then sent it flying once more to each building to trigger the opening of any secret doors.
The second blast roused their adversaries, and at least twenty men appeared. Luke called his power to him. A fog rolled in from the sea, blanketing the area in shrouded mist. But there was a sound, metal singing through the air, and Greg surged forward, catching the knife that was meant for Daniella’s head. At Greg’s roar, they charged forward. Snarls and screams ripped through the air around him as Luke weaved through the enemy. The fog hid the bodies of those that fell, but he knew where each of his team members were.
