Chapter 6

Klark opened the door for Emily then gently shoved her through it when she stalled. He walked past her and dropped her bag to the couch. He turned around to look at her. She was just standing in the doorway.

"If you're going to panic, please shut the door," he requested. "If your stomach is queasy, the bathroom's down the hall."

"What did you just do?" she asked as she closed the door.

"It's called Shadow-Walking. By using the shadows, I can move through space."

"Why does my head hurt?"

"It's a hazard of Walking. I had to infiltrate your mind to pull you with me."

"Will it affect me?" She patted her hands all over herself to make sure everything was in its rightful place.

Klark shook his head as he ventured into the kitchen. "No. You'll be nauseous for a bit but that's it. There's ginger ale in the fridge."

Emily watched him as he pulled himself up on the bar stool. He pulled a computer out of a little nook and booted it up. He didn't look at her but she was certain he knew where she was. It was unnerving.

She walked to the fridge, mentally enjoying the open floor plan of the downstairs. Like he had said earlier, the kitchen was well stocked. It had everything they would need in case the apocalypse happened. Everything was state of the art and clean. Klark obviously didn't use this place often.

Ransacking the cabinets, she began pulling items out and placing them on the counter. She got out pans and preheated the oven. When she looked up, Klark was looking at her with an amused expression.

"What?" she asked.

"What are you doing?" he questioned. There was a light laugh in his voice.

"It's noon and I'm hungry. Plus my adrenaline rush is dying down. That always makes me extremely hungry. So I'm going to make enough food for lunch and dinner. Got a problem with that?"

Outright laughing, Klark held up his hands. "Nope. I don't have a problem with that. It saves me time and energy."

She cracked an egg in a large metal bowl. "What exactly are you doing?"

"A background check on you."

She dropped the bowl on the counter and stared at him. "Why?"

"Because you haven't exactly been very forthcoming. So I decided I'd do it the easy way."

"Wouldn't the easy way being to ask me?"

He lifted his gaze to look at her. "Would you really answer me if I asked why your brother's on this case as well and why he works for Speaker Blakemore."

"He doesn't work for Blakemore."

He spun the computer for her to look at it and crossed his arms across his chest. His arms bulged out of his shirtsleeves. "I know how to read a docket. Your brother is being paid under the table to hunt us. Why?"

She shook her head as she stepped back. "Clausen would never work under the table."

"Anyone can hunt someone for the right price." He pulled the computer towards him. "You're not lying though so I believe you when you say you don't know he was doing it."

They fell into silence as he went back to reading and she went back to making food. Her thoughts ran rampant and she thought for a split second that he might be listening in.

Why would her brother hunt these people? They seemed peaceful unless they were attacked. Her brother simply wouldn't take a job because it paid more. He had been an army Ranger. He had honor. He had…been AWOL since his fiancé had been killed in an attack on her building.

Clausen had never been hard. He had always been good with people. They liked him even though sometimes he had them. He never let anyone see his bad side, though. Only when he was at home did he allow his anger to be shown. It was contained in the house and never went beyond the door. That's what he had done when he found out his fiancé had been shot when the gunman held her firm hostage.

What had happened when Aaliyah died? Had something happened to one of Klark's people during the shooting that killed fifteen? Was that the reason Clausen hated these people? Had it been one of them who had killed Aaliyah two weeks before their wedding? Had Clausen taken more than one job off the books and did those jobs include these people?

"Are you looking at my brother's records?" she asked suddenly as she slipped the chicken into the oven.

"His records, his bank account, his off shore accounts, everything," he replied as he scrolled down the pages.

"Have you hacked into his off shores?" He smiled but didn't look at her. "I'm guessing you did."

"The last five deposits have come from the same account in the U.S."

She walked around the island and looked over his shoulder. "Do you know whose account it is?"

Klark shook his head as he grit his teeth. "No, I'm still working on that. There are a shitload of firewalls to get through. So while we're waiting on Tyler to reply why don't you tell me why you're a bounty hunter."

It wasn't a question and he never turned around to look at her, but she sensed he was paying attention to her. Sighing, she plopped down beside him and started to pick at the hem of her shirt.

"I was a pilot in the United States Air Force. During a practice run off the coast of Hawaii where I was stationed, my plane lost all function and fell out of the sky. I ejected and deployed my 'chute, but that didn't stop my rapid descent. I hit the water hard and the impact broke my hip. I was honorably discharged after my accident," she explained.

He nodded as he stared intently at the screen. "So you became a bounty hunter."

She rubbed her arms. "Yeah, they were looking for someone with gun experience. I know how to fire military grade weapons, including aircraft gunnery. It was part of my training. No one was going to turn down a veteran from the Iraqi War. I was given the job on the spot. I never knew the thrill of the hunt would get me as bad as it did."

He was so silent for a few moments that she jumped when he spoke. "Have you killed anyone?"

"It's a hazard of the job."

"So you know how I feel?" He looked at her then, his work forgotten for the moment. "It's a hazard of my job. If someone threatens my family, I kill them. It's survival of the fittest."

"Are your hits sanctioned?"

"Most of the time. Sometimes we just have a crazy person infiltrate our home and we have to take him or her out. The ones we take out on a daily basis have been harming regular humans and we can't let that stand. So Aiden sanctions them."

That surprised her. "The Queen sanctions your hits?" He nodded. "She sounds amazing."

"She is and I'm not saying that as her brother. She's taken a lot of issues we've had crop up in the last few years and resolved them. And she's a great mother."

"She's got a lot on her plate."

Once again he nodded, this time looking back at his screen. "Yeah but she knows how to balance her life."

Emily got up to check on the chicken. Klark watched her over the top of the computer. She had something she wanted to ask him but she was nervous he would shut her down because it dealt with Aiden. The thought floating around her head amused him. He figured it would pop out eventually. The thought was so funny he started laughing.

Emily turned to look at him. "What's so funny?"

"You?" he replied.

"Me? Why me?"

"Because you're in a house with a telepath and you're not even trying to hide your thoughts."

She turned bright red and turned away from him. "Sorry."

"It's okay. And to answer the thought running rampant around your head, yes, Aiden was an assassin. She's the best assassin the old regime ever produced."

"Old regime?"

He nodded, stretching like a caged cat. "Aiden and Mikey's grandparents were the Emperor and Empress of all of us before Aiden challenged her grandmother for the title. Aiden obviously won and handed the title of sole heir over to Mikey. He ruled supremely for about three years before the Golds started persecuting the Silvers for being different."

Emily was fascinated by this story. She leaned against the counter to listen. "What happened? Where was Aiden during all this?"

"She was in Knoxville getting her degree and trying to raise her son. She had been off the grid since she declined the throne. None of us bothered her because that was what she requested. But the time came for something to be done about the Golds. Mikey asked her to be Queen of the Silvers. Due to law, she couldn't take the throne without being married, so she married her boyfriend before being crowned."

She mulled that over. "You've only been a Kingdom for three or four years and you're already coming out to the public. That has to be tough."

Klark stretched his tight muscles, especially his tender thigh. "It's better than having the others come out."

This time she frowned. "Others?"

"Yep."

"What others?"

He looked at her levelly. "You really want to know?"

"If I'm going to do this, I need to know everything." He stared at her solemnly long enough that it annoyed her. "Stop that. I never know what you're thinking when you do that."

"I'm just trying to figure out how to tell you this in a way you won't flip the hell out."

"Just tell me."

He stalled for a moment then shrugged. "Okay, but I tried to warn you. As you may know, my people are things of legend but there are creatures of older legends out there as well. We have dealings with them."

Emily pulled a face as she thought over this. Klark watched her face carefully as she began to comprehend what he had just said. She went from confusion to fully shocked in about three seconds flat. Her eyes were wide with it and she couldn't form coherent words.

"Breathe," he said calmly.

She pulled in a jerky breath then let loose. "You have got to be kidding me. There is no way vampires, werewolves and little creatures are real."

"Well, technically Elves range in the six foot region and werewolves are known as the Moon Chosen. Vampires are Atlanteans because they originate from the lost city of Atlantis."

She waved her hand to dismiss it. "Atlantis is as legend."

"Aren't werewolves also legends? Yet they exist. So do Elves and my people."

She cocked a hip and looked at him. "So are the Greek gods still alive and kicking?"

He scrunched up his nose and shook his head lightly. "Alive, yes, but not as powerful as they were three thousand years ago." He laughed at her gaping mouth. "What? You asked a question. I simply answered it."

"I wasn't expecting any of it."

"Look, legends have a bit of truth to them. Werewolves have been around for over a thousand years but they were hunted to the brink of extinction about five hundred years ago. It's been in the last two hundred that they've made a comeback. Vampires have been around for thousands of years. The Greek gods have been around thousands of years and the only reason for that is because people still talk about them and study them. That gives them power. Though they're not as powerful as they were when ancient Greece was the most powerful country in the world, they still hold power."

"Do they bother you?"

He shook his head. "No, not usually. Only on special occasions, like the solstices."

"What's so great about the solstices?"

This was the hard one to answer. He scratched his head as he figured out a good way to explain.

"Mikey and Aiden are King of the Golden Court and Queen of the Silver Court respectively. Mikey's got a sun emblazoned in his sternum while Aiden has a moon," he said.

She nodded. "Is it like the tattoos on your back?"

"Kind of. Only the king or queen of royal descent gets the symbols when they take the throne. Aiden and Mikey are my adoptive siblings so we're not blood related." He waved his hands to fend off any questions. "Anyway, during the warm months of the year, so March through August, is what we consider the summer months. Most of the time it's warm enough for shorts and t-shirts. That's the time of the year that Mikey and the Golds are at the height of their powers."

Emily was fascinated now. "That's cool. What about the Silvers? Is it the same for them in winter?"

"Yes and no. From September to February, which are considered the colder months, the Silvers are at their peak but for some there's a catch and that goes for Golds and Silvers."

"What is it?"

"Anyone Level 3 and up abide by the moon theory. It means that during their seasonal reign they are their most powerful at the full moon. As the full moon wanes, their power lessens with it."

"So let me get this straight. There are seasonal reigns. Mikey and the Golds are at their most powerful during the late spring and summer months. Aiden and the Silvers have the fall and winter as their months. But if they're a Level 3 or higher they are governed by the moon."

Klark nodded. "Correct. The moon affects Aiden more than anyone because she is a Level 5 and the Queen of the Silver Court."

"When are Aiden and Mikey at the most powerful?"

He smiled. She was a quick study. "The Summer and Winter Solstices."

"Let me guess. Mikey has the Summer Solstice and Aiden the winter." Klark nodded. "Is that also when they're at their weakest?"

He shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. I haven't seen any signs that they are." He leaned back when the look on her face changed. "What?"

"You're much more talkative without Tyler around."

"Tyler's an ass but he's a good guy. I'd rather have him at my back than anyone else. Well, maybe my family but that's different." He took a deep breath. "I'll explain the bondmate thing another time. Right now I need to find out what's going on."

Emily understood. His family was in danger and he had to protect them. "Okay. I'll finish the food then we can eat."

"Emily." She stopped when he said her name softly. "You don't have to be afraid of me. I'm not going to hurt you and I won't let anyone else."

"I know. I'm not scared. I just want to know what the hell's going on."

"I understand."

They fell into silence as they continued to work. It gave them time to think of how to discuss these things without getting mad at each other. It would be a good idea to have a calm head when discussing personal issues.