"But she feeds from someone who does and she has to suck his blood. No offense, yuck! Not to mention the small fact that I am no longer equipped to suck anyone's blood and the last person I want to bite into is Urian. And while we're at it, let's not forget that you and your cohorts will be after me if I ever step foot out of Elysia to hunt anyone else."
"No they won't," he said emphatically. "I won't let them. I can keep you safe, Cassandra. I swear it. You can stay in the cellar with me. No one ever has to know."
Her features softened. She laid her soft, warm hand against his cheek. "I would know, Wulf. Erik would know. Chris…"
"Please, Cassandra," he begged, thinking of Dr. Lakis and what she had looked like. How she had aged. The pain on her face. "I don't want you to die. Most especially not like—"
"Neither do I," she said, interrupting him. "Believe me on that one."
"Then fight for me. Fight for Erik."
She flinched. "That's so not fair. I don't want to die any more than you want me to, but what you're asking me is impossible. It goes against everything you have fought for and believed in. You would hate me."
"I could never hate you."
She shook her head in disbelief. "The divorce courts are full of husbands who thought that when they married their wives. How would you feel a year from now after I have taken several innocent lives?"
He didn't want to think about that. He only wanted to think about them. For once in eternity he wanted to be selfish. To hell with the world. For twelve hundred years he had defended the humans.
All he wanted was one year of happiness. Was that so much to ask, for all he'd done for humanity?
"Would you at least think about it for me?" he asked quietly, even though he knew she was right.
"Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it." Talon's words haunted him.
"Okay," Cassandra whispered, but even as she said the words, she knew better. They both jumped as the phone rang. Thinking it was Ash since it didn't register a caller ID or number, Wulf pulled it off his belt and answered it.
"Hi, Viking."
His blood went cold at the sound of the thick Greek accent he remembered all too well. "Stryker?"
"Yes. Very good. I'm proud of you."
"How did you get my number?"
If Urian had betrayed them, so help him, Wulf would rip his Daimon heart out and feed it to him. "Ah, that's an interesting question, isn't it? I'll give you credit. You have led me on quite a merry little chase around town. But I do have my resources. Luckily one of them lives right here in town."
"Who?" Wulf demanded.
Stryker tsked at him. "The anticipation must be killing you, no? Who do I have? What do I want? Will I kill this person I hold?" He paused to make a delighted noise. "Well, I'll have mercy on you. I think you're smart enough to know what I'm after."
"I won't give you Cassandra. I don't care who you hold."
"Oh, it's not Cassandra I want anymore, Viking. Use your head. She's as good as dead in a few weeks anyway. What I want is your son and I want him now."
"Fuck you!"
Again the Daimon tsked at him. "Is that your final answer? Don't you even want to know whose soul I'm going to devour?"
Not when compared to his son or Cassandra. It really didn't matter. No one on earth was more important to Wulf. But he had to know. "Who do you have?"
The phone went silent for several seconds while Wulf held his breath. It couldn't be Cassandra, Erik, or Chris he held. Who was left?
The answer made his blood run cold. "Wulf?"
It was Cassandra's father.
Chapter 16
Wulf hung up the phone, his thoughts whirling. He looked at Cassandra who had gone pale. "What did he say?"
Part of him wanted to lie to her, but he couldn't. Their relationship was beyond that. He'd never kept anything from her. He wasn't about to start now. She had a right to know what was going on.
"Stryker wants to exchange your father for Erik. If we refuse, your father dies."
What he didn't tell her was that her father would probably die anyway. Given what he knew about Stryker. It was pretty much a given. But maybe Urian would be able to keep Jefferson Peters alive since he had a vested interest in the man's health.
Cassandra covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes were large, terror filled. "What do we do? I can't let him kill my father and I damn sure can't give him my baby."
Wulf stood up and kept his voice calm so as to not alarm her any more. She had her own health and Erik's to worry over. He would take care of the rest. "There's only one thing I know to do. I'm going to go kill Stryker."
She looked less than convinced. "We've tried that. Remember? It didn't exactly work. I seem to recall he and his men cut a swathe through you, the Were-Hunters, and Corbin."
"I know, but the thing about us Vikings, we know how to take advantage of surprise attacks and disorient our opponents. He won't be expecting me to attack."
"Sure he will. He's not stupid and he knows who he's dealing with."
"Then what do you want me to do?" he asked in frustration. "You want me to give him Erik and say bon appétit ?"
"No!"
"Then offer me another solution."