"The journal," Declan replied.
She was still for a long moment. Declan waited, knowing she was going to cave as she had twice already.
"Goddamn it!" Zoey whipped away and tore out of the study.
Declan watched her go.
"I see you two are getting along," the Professor said.
"Something like that," Declan replied. "This is rougher than I expected."
"I am certain you are strong enough to survive, and so is she."
"Halflings are," Declan said, his anger stirring almost to the point where he said something he shouldn't.
"And Cambions torture young ladies to steal their magic. I don't think either of our programs is honorable," the Professor pointed out. "Perhaps it is time for a change."
"That is beyond my control," Declan replied.
"The head of the Enforcers has no influence?"
Declan raised an eyebrow at the Professor, who laughed once more.
"Very well, young one. I know a sensitive subject when I see one," he said.
"Professor, may I ask something personal?" Declan asked, leaning forward.
"I deny the Enforcers nothing."
"Your magic grows weaker by the day. Why?"
The Professor drew a deep breath. Declan saw sorrow in his brown eyes. He waited for the old man to respond, concerned.
"When our ranks split a hundred years ago, those of us who stayed with the Sucubatti were sworn against gathering new sex energy. I fear I've simply grown old and weak," he admitted. "The eldest of the Benefactors and I maintain a sort of shield against the Sucubatti's influence. It drains us, and we have no new magic coming in."
"A shield? This is the first I'm hearing of this," Declan said. "What do you protect?"
The Professor looked up at the ceiling, towards where Declan guessed Zoey's room was. Declan frowned.
"The Sucubatti would kill to dig their claws into the Halflings meant to be Incubus mates. As with the animal kingdom, the strongest of a society find theirs first. It's not hard to imagine what the Sucubatti might want to do to the mates of Enforcers. We cannot protect all the girls, but we protect the ones who are intended for our brethren," the Professor explained. "Contrary to what you were probably taught, we chose to stay with the Sucubatti to protect the mates of other Incubatti. It was not so much a loyalty issue as a necessity."
"So you and a few others were written off as traitors," Declan summarized. "That isn't something I knew."
"Your father knows. I imagine like any great leader, he must choose to keep secrets sometimes."
Declan trusted his father to tell him what he needed to know. Still, the knowledge the Professor imparted was of a nature that left Declan troubled. It bothered him that a handful of Incubatti agreed to sacrifice their lives to protect the mates of Incubatti and accepted public condemnation from the rest of the Incubus society.
"If Dad knew, does Olivia?" he asked. "Neither security arm is honest with their respective Councils."
"Let me just say this: the team Zoey was on was created when Olivia took over, twenty-three years ago. It did not exist before. With all our efforts, we Benefactors were not able to save a total of four soul-mates in fifty years, until Olivia. There are five now on the team, all of whom were hand-chosen by Olivia," the Professor said.
"She knew that's who she was sending to be interviewed, because she thought we couldn't read them and therefore, we couldn't uncover anything else she might be hiding," Declan guessed, thinking out loud.
"Vikki was bound this week via the rite, and Zoey was marked. It is not lost on me that she chose the two strongest Halflings to face you. With strike one down, Zoey is too strong to have been read by anyone but her mate. Olivia couldn't know that is you."
Declan listened with growing unease, uncertain how much he should trust the Professor. Olivia had asked this week about being mated. She clearly didn't suspect he was Zoey's soul-mate and yet, she knew Zoey was going to become someone's soul-mate, or she wouldn't be on the special team.
"Why send them before us?" Declan murmured. "It makes no sense. We were bound to discover they were marked or mated to our kind."
"Maybe Olivia is sending a different message," the Professor said. "One your father might understand?"
"It's a power play. She's got five soul-mates under her control."
Olivia was planning something else. He felt it. He came to discover a killer and left with a riddle unrelated to the dead Incubus.
The Professor reached for his tea with shaking hands, and Declan's attention shifted once more. It bothered him that a man as good as the Professor was so close to death for the sake of protecting Zoey, while Declan pretended his soul-mate didn't exist for years. How much had he contributed to the Professor's deterioration?
"If we free you, you will have a chance to recover, will you not?" he asked.
"Unless you free me soon, I fear it won't be possible," the Professor chuckled. "I see what you are thinking. It has been an honor to do what I've done, Declan. I have no regrets."
"I do," Declan replied firmly. "Because of my irresponsibility, you suffered."
"What matters is that my sweet Zoey is safe in your hands now," the Professor replied.
No, it's not enough. Declan disagreed in silence. He intended to tell his father they needed to elevate the priority for rescuing the Benefactors.
"I am grateful to you, Alexander," he said.
"You can show me by taking care of my girl."
"I intend to take care of you both."
"You have your father's ambition and your mother's heart," the Professor said. "You will lead the Incubatti well, Declan."
"I gotta make it through the rite first," Declan said ruefully.
"You will. She hasn't taken off your head. It's a sign she likes you."
Declan laughed. He didn't tell the Professor Zoey had tried twice. If she failed, it was because their connection didn't let her.
Chapter Thirteen: Zoey Trapped.
Upstairs, Zoey tried to postpone her trip to the study. She sat for a moment on her bed and clutched her forehead, hating how weak she was. She betrayed everyone she loved to someone she didn't even know. But wanted. And hated. And needed, because she belonged with him. He claimed her in a way that made her heart fly and her emotions tremble, just thinking about him. Seeing him made her want to run.
Rousing herself, she dug the journal out and grabbed her phone, sending Vikki a quick text.
I fucked up. They know everything I do. We gotta get out of here.
At least she had a chance to warn her. Vikki could go live with Liam for awhile or maybe, they could both disappear and kill Cambions on their own. Zoey's plan to get herself killed off by Cambions was sounding better and better. She wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to pull herself together. The magic Declan released into her was holding, stabilizing her internally while her emotions whirled out of control.
She returned to the study.
They were talking quietly. She wondered if Declan was recommending that the Sucubatti give the Professor a death sentence for his part in concealing Vikki's actions. She crossed the study and held out the journal to Declan.
He met her gaze. Yearning stirred within her as she recalled looking up at him the night before, while their souls tangled in the magic place before they reached orgasms. After the night of sex, she wanted more of him and to feel that connection again. She was safe with him in bed. Right now, she felt like she'd been stripped down and tossed into a frozen lake.
Declan accepted the diary, and she cursed him silently for it.
"Zoey, have some tea," the Professor said.
He had three cups on the table, a sign none of them were going anywhere. She sat in the third seat, as far from Declan as she could get. Her phone vibrated.
Club tonight? One last free-for-all?
Zoey sighed and typed a quick response to Vikki. My thoughts exactly. She tapped the send button when the Professor reached over to take her phone. She rolled her eyes at him and sat back. The tension was thick, and she had no doubt it was because of her.
"What're you going to do to the Professor?" she asked Declan with her normal bluntness.
"This is what you have a lifetime to deal with," the Professor said.
"This isn't about me."
Declan had been watching her since she returned. His whiskey eyes almost glowed in the firelight. His reserve was at odds with the warmth he displayed last night. Seeing him made her heart flip and her breath catch. She didn't know this Declan and his cool self-command scared her, especially when she felt like she was tumbling off a cliff.
"The Professor is near retirement. Nothing will happen to him," Declan answered. "The IAB has too much respect for him to risk the ire of both Councils."
Startled, she searched his gaze. "Vikki?"
"Another matter entirely. She cannot be soul-mated to an Incubus and stay here safely."
"Are you going to tell Olivia?" she asked in a hushed tone.
"A little trust, Zoey."
"Fuck that."
Declan's eyebrows shot up. She assessed he didn't quite know how to respond.
"You should be worried about you," the Professor said to her. "Lying to the Enforcers? Drawing weapons on them? It's against Sucubatti rules as well."
"They'll add it to my rap sheet," she said, unconcerned.
"It won't happen again." Though Declan's voice was quiet, it held an edge she understood.
"No, it won't," Zoey said, face warm. She stared at the fire.
"That's all it took?" the Professor asked. "I've tried for years to bring this girl into compliance with any rule."
"Sometimes it takes the right motivation," Declan replied. "Hers appears to be avoiding strike two."
"Damn right!" she retorted. "No second date. No strike two. Nothing. I'm not being exiled from the Sucubatti over whatever you did to me!"
"Oh, that won't last," the Professor said in a chipper tone. "The first time you're hung-over and I can't fix you, you'll be at his door."
Declan laughed. Zoey glared at her guardian. She hadn't thought about how much she depended on the Professor to soothe her on a daily basis. Pensive, she realized how right he was. Even when she lived with Eric, she visited the Professor daily and always walked away with at least one hit.
She'd lost one home. She couldn't lose the Professor, too, by being involved with the Incubatti. What the fuck did she do?
"That was before he made me betray you and Vikki," she said. "Not a good way to start a relationship. It'll definitely end one."
"Declan is a complicated man," the Professor said. "He is assuming his father's position as chief of the Enforcers equivalent to Olivia's in the Sucubatti while his father is elevated to a member of their ruling Council. Declan was born to lead and bred to be powerful. His recommendations to the Sucubatti will likely reflect his understanding and appreciation for the complexity of loyalties and relationships that define a position such as his."
Zoey soaked the information in. The Professor was gently defending Declan. She wondered if it was because there was some sort of loyalty among their kind or if he believed his words.
Declan was a man accustomed to control and discipline. She was nothing like him.
"So, you're going to lie to Olivia, like a typical politician," she summarized. "I wish people would stop making me complicit in all this shit."
"I'll do what I must to protect my family and people," Declan said. "That includes you."
He meant business about this soul-mate thing. She wanted to run as fast and far as she could. Unlike Eric, Declan wasn't the type to let her walk out the front door. He wasn't even the type to propose. He expected her to accept the fact they were meant for each other.
"He's strong enough to handle you," the Professor added. "Declan, Zoey is on the verge of a meltdown. The mess with Eric and Vikki will make her reckless. I should say more reckless, given her normal antics."
She'd forgotten about the questions in the inquisition regarding Eric. She told them he didn't stack up to Declan, not knowing who she was addressing. More anger stirred. No matter what the Professor said, Zoey couldn't think of any way she'd ever trust Declan.
"It'll most likely involve too much alcohol and trying to get herself killed," the Professor said. "And Vikki. I believe that's the correct formula?"
"Usually," she agreed.
"You know where to find me if you need a hangover cleared," Declan told her. "The door's always open to you."
"Probably to every other female on the planet, too," she said, recalling his response to her question about first dates.
"That hangover cure just got a price tag."
"Son of a bitch," she muttered.
"I can double it." By the flare in his gaze, he was daring her to say something else.
Zoey bit her tongue.