Why did that statement seem so ironic coming from his mouth?
“All members of the board of directors, as they're called, are in charge of various things here at the Shining Way,” continued Sante. “I switch members around sometimes, so you won't be doing this forever.”
“What is Carlos in charge of?” Daria couldn't help asking. It just flew right out of her mouth.
Sante smiled wolfishly. “Security.”
Color her surprised.
“Do you think we could get a formal tour of the dome?” Daria asked. “We've been here a couple of weeks, but we still feel like we haven't seen it all.”
They would see only what Sante wanted them to see, but who knew what they might glimpse by chance? Who knew what new bit of information a tour might yield? Anything to break their consistent run of bad luck would be welcome, no matter how small.
Sante mulled that over for a moment. “I can have someone show you around, yes.”
Movement drew their attention to the back of the building. The scent of the individual reached her before she caught a glimpse of the woman's multicolored gownâa succubare.
The woman bustled through the doorway, and Daria's heart stopped for a moment. Her vision blurred and it took every ounce of her will to not show her utter and complete surprise.
Ari Templeton
.
20
SHE walked toward Sante in a smooth, graceful gait, a serene look on her face. The hem of her breezy long dress, a pleasing pattern of various bold hues, swirled around her ankles. She wore no shoes on her slender feet, only a small gold ankle bracelet adorned them. Gold glittered at each ear, on her fingers, and in the hollow of her throat, where an expensive-looking pendant lay, a diamond winking at its center.
This woman did not appear kidnapped, not by any stretch of the imagination. She did not look hassled. She did not look harmed.
She looked like she was vacationing.
“My love,” said Ari, approaching Sante. Her voice was low and mellifluous. It was the voice Daria had heard coming from Sante's bedroom the night she'd broken into his house.
Sante smiled as warmly as Daria could remember him occasionally smiling at herâin another lifeâthen reached up and pulled Ari down into his lap to kiss her. Across from them, Eleanor rolled her eyes like someone annoyed by the behavior of the newly in love.
Daria mastered her expression with effort, but managed to smile indulgently at the couple as she imagined Valerie would do. Within, her thoughts and emotions swirled in a confused tornado, threatening to overwhelm her.
Beside her, Alejandro controlled his reaction like the pro he was, though he had to be as shocked as she was.
Their acting ability was a good thing. Carlos watched them carefully from across the room with his beady dark eyes, measuring them, weighing them, as he
always
seemed to be measuring and weighing them.
Sante and Ari kissed for several moments. The kind of kiss that makes everyone around a couple feel like they're intruding on an intimate moment and are voyeurs. The kiss of a couple so in love they don't care who's watching; they simply have to touch.
Finally they broke their embrace and Ari slid to the side, still keeping one slim leg draped over Sante's muscular one. She glanced at Daria and Alejandro and smiled sheepishly, coloring a bit as she ran a finger around her lips to fix her lipstick.
Oh, god. The poor woman is like a besotted teenager.
“Forgive us,” Sante said with a shrug and a pair of broad, upturned hands. “Ari and I are newly mated. I'm sure you can understand.”
Alejandro made some polite sounds of assent, but Daria couldn't respond. All her energy went to masking her expression.
“In addition,” Sante continued, “Ari is a new Chosen and her appetites are especially hearty. Not that I mind.” Another wolfish grin. He nodded toward Daria. “My Ari did not make it through the succubare, as you did, Valerie. It is one reason I am interested in you.”
“You're the human who made it through?” asked Ari suddenly.
“Yes,” Daria answered smoothly. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”
Ari slid from the couch and crossed the floor in a sensual movement. She knelt at Daria's feet and took one of Daria's hands between her palms. “I just had to touch you.” The succubare were like that. “How did you do it? I tried and tried to push through, but I couldn't.” Tears glistened in the woman's eyes.
“Like I told Christopher, I'm not sure. When I felt like giving up, I pushed harder.” Daria paused, glancing at Sante. “You were Chosen voluntarily, weren't you?”
Ari bowed her head and nodded. “I knew the chances that I wouldn't push through were great. I took them anyway because I was so in love.” She raised her head. “I don't regret it, but I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to make it through.”
Such a long life lived dependent on sex; Daria could imagine she was sorry.
Sante rose and helped Ari to her feet. She seemed like such a sweet woman, soft, and vulnerable. The total opposite of her father, Richard Templeton. How could she have fallen in love with Christopher Sante?
“How did you two meet?” Alejandro asked.
God bless him.
Ari smiled. “He came into Rapid City one evening. I'd gone there to demonstrate against my father's latest crusade against the Chosen. You know my father, undoubtedly. He's Richard Templeton.” She paused and waited for their reaction, which they gave in a couple of understanding murmurings. “Christopher was there that night, and it was love at first bite.” She smiled and it lit her entire face. “We dated in secret for a long time, until we knew we had to be together as a mated pair. So I underwent the Choosing.”
“That's a very romantic story,” answered Daria.
“Please, her presence here is secret,” said Sante. “She travels through the dome via underground passageways. No one sees her except my inner circle. As you can understand, her father isn't happy with this arrangement. It's for her protection.”
“Of course,” answered Alejandro.
“If you'll excuse us,” continued Sante. “We're done here. I'll let you coordinate with Eleanor for the rest.”
Alejandro and Daria watched Sante lead Ari away, her head resting on his shoulder and his arm around her waist in a loving and protective gesture.
Eleanor stood. “Well, I've got to go, too, but I'll be in touch soon regarding particulars. We have a gathering tomorrow you should probably attend, very erotic. Hope you don't mind. It's at the Alhambra Building at midnight. See you there?”
Oh, good. An orgy.
Daria could hardly wait.
“We'll see you there,” answered Alejandro.
They followed Eleanor out of the building, Carlos staring at them the whole time. The way he looked at her made shivers of revulsion rocket up her spine. Daria was just able to control herself until they were free of the building and Eleanor had walked in the other direction.
Alejandro took her arm, perhaps sensing her impending explosion. “Just keeping walking.”
She did, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. They walked all the way back to the room and as soon as she closed the door she paced. “What the fuck, Alejandro?
What the fuck!
”
“I'm as confused as you are.”
“Do you think she's being coerced in some way?”
Alejandro shook his head. “You saw her. Did she look coerced? I think Sante's got a lot of power, but not that much.”
She chewed on the edge of her thumbnail. “He's got to have an angle. He's playing her like he played me.”
“Maybe.”
She looked up at him and stopped chewing. “
Maybe
? No doubt, Alejandro. Wooing and winning the daughter of Richard Templeton? Hell, and he didn't even have to kidnap her. All he had to do was turn on the charm and seduce her away. Charm and seduce her enough to
want to be Chosen
?”
Alejandro ran a hand over his chin. “It does sound like Sante.”
“You think?” Bitterness gave the words a hard edge. “
Bastard.
He's making this twice as hard.” It would've been easier to free Ari had she been willing to be freed. Sante had mind-fucked the woman but good.
“I'm calling Brandon in here.” He concentrated a moment, communicating with the other man via a mental pathway.
“What's happened?” Brandon asked as soon as he entered the room. Apparently he hadn't left for work yet.
They told him.
He stood stunned for a moment, stymied for words. Finally he scratched his head, stuttered a moment, and then said, “We have to entertain the possibility she's here because they truly are in love.”
Daria leaned forward. “He's not capable of it, Brandon.”
Brandon fixed her with a steady stare. “You have personal baggage here. Don't let it affect the mission.” His voice was as hard as she'd ever heard it.
“I'm not saying I don't have any, but this is not my personal baggage talking. Right now it's my personal knowledge of this man. I was with him intimately for years. I know him better than either of you.”
“You knew the Sante he
chose
to present to you,” Brandon spat back. “You didn't know the real man.”
“Stop it!” commanded Alejandro in a low voice.
Both she and Brandon froze.
“Daria, I believe Sante did love you. He was sincere when he spoke about you the other day. I believe he is capable of emotion. So Brandon is right. We do need to entertain the possibility that Sante and Ari Templeton truly are together out of love.”
Daria sat back in defeat. She couldn't believe his words, but she was outnumbered. She sighed. “Then... we need to investigate further.”
But she knew what they'd find.
Brandon nodded. “It will be easier for you two to do that, of course, since you both have entrée into his inner circle.” He paused. “Any chance of getting me in?”
Alejandro frowned. “We don't need you in, Brandon. You're more valuable where you are, close to where they might be trafficking blood slaves. We work this end, you work that one.”
“Yes,” Brandon answered. “But this is more important right now, and the more hands we have in there, the better.”
“More important,
tio
?” Alejandro snapped. “I think finding out whether or not there are blood slaves here is pretty damn important.”
“We can handle the Ari thing,” said Daria. “Sante put us on the social patrol. That will give us lots of excuses to get friendly with people and ask questions. Anyway, we shouldn't put everyone in the same location. If Alejandro and I get popped, you're still undercover.”
Brandon fidgeted impatiently. “Ari Templeton is our number one priority. I demand, as highest-ranking member of this operation, that you try and get me in.”
Daria looked at Alejandro for a moment in disbelief, her blood pressure rising.
What a fucking snotty little control freak.
“Listen, youâ”
“Fine.” Alejandro held up a hand. “We'll try, okay, Brandon? Happy now?”
“Fucking ecstatic.”
“What's with the tension?” Alejandro pointed at her. “I get yours. What's up with you, Brandon?”
He yanked a hand through his hair. “Frustration. Today we're no closer to getting anything on Sante than the day we came in here. There are potential things, the trafficking in blood slaves, possible smuggling. Now this damn trip up with Ari Templeton. It all costs us time and I don't want to spend any more time here than we need to.”
“You're singing my song, my friend,” Alejandro answered. “But it is what it is. Relax and we'll do our best to get to the bottom of all of it. We caught one lucky break being let into Sante's inner circle. We need to follow the trail of bread crumbs now.”
“You mean the one that led to the witch's oven?” Brandon flashed a grin.
Alejandro nodded. “Yeah, but Hansel and Gretel pushed the witch in, right?” He shot Daria a glance, seeing the perplexed look on her face. “Yes, I'm familiar with children's stories. I have a bunch of little nieces and nephews.”
Daria raised a hand. “I wasn't judging.” She turned to Brandon. “Anyway, I thought you liked the women here and all that. Why are you in such a rush to get out of here all of a sudden?”
He shrugged. “There are women everywhere. I've got to go.” He pointed at them both in turn. “Get me into Sante's inner circle if you can.” He turned and left the room.
“He just flipped his asshole switch,” muttered Daria once he'd left.
“No kidding. Look, are you okay with all this?”
“I meant what I said about not letting my personal baggage trip me up. I do have to admit I'm feeling a little for Ari Templeton right now if she is being duped, but that's going to help me, not hinder me.”
“Get friendly with Eleanor.”
She shot him an incredulous look. “Excuse me?”
“That woman is definitely bisexual and was definitely with Sante at some point. I watched her carefully when Ari came in. They didn't greet each other, and Eleanor was jealous as hell.” Alejandro grinned. “She's attracted to you. It was all in her body language, so it should be easy.”
“I don't do women,” she stated flatly.
“Just be friendly with her. Use her . . .
appreciation
of you to your advantage. Get close to her and subtly pump her for information. Maybe she was Sante's last lover. Even better, maybe she's Sante's current lover, sidelined while he takes Richard Templeton's beloved daughter for a ride.”