“There’s really not much choice in the matter. I’m going to see what I can find out about her tonight and then tomorrow I’m going to contact Eric and see where the council wants to send her.”

“You know they’ll either send her to a compound or straight to one of the islands, don’t you?” Ephraim asked, rolling his head to the side towards the window where one of the Sentinels Eric left behind was doing a perimeter sweep. Chris forced his eyes away from his unconscious mate and watched with his father as the Sentinel disappeared into the woods.

There was no doubt in his mind what would happen to Izzy once he contacted Eric. She’d be sent to a Sentinel compound, usually a large mansion where dozens of Sentinels, their children and allies lived and worked.

They’d keep her safe since she was on a Master’s wish list and try and train her. When that failed, and he really couldn’t imagine it working, they’d send her off to one of the many islands the Council owned and used for protection and rehabilitation.

No matter where she ended up one thing was clear, she would never be free again. A Sentinel in this much hot water with absolutely no way to defend herself would never be safe and he knew that and had no doubt his father had already figured it out. Wherever she went she’d be a danger. He knew that even if Eric started her out at a compound to give her a chance that she’d mostly likely end up on one of the island where she’d spend the rest of her life.

Personally he wouldn’t want that type of existence, but he knew it was probably her best bet if she wanted to live.

“It’s her only hope,” Chris said quietly.

Ephraim raked his hand through his hair. “I don’t like this, Chris. I know she f**ked up tonight, but with the right training and a little time-“

“We don’t have that kind of time on our hands,” Chris said, cutting his father off.

“I think you should give her a chance,” Ephraim said, leveling a look on him that told him just how much his father hated this situation. It was the same look he used to give Chris before each surgery, the one that told him how helpless his father felt. Not really helpful then and it sure wasn’t helpful now.

Right now he had a war to put an end to before it came to his front door and five vulnerable siblings to take care of, two who weren’t even born and needed his help the most. The danger Izzy brought to his family wasn’t worth it. As much as it pained him to sacrifice his mate he would do it. If it meant that his family was safe he would do it in a heartbeat.

“Would you trust her to keep our family safe?” Chris asked, already knowing the answer.

“No,” his father said with absolutely no hesitation.

“Then you know that we don’t have a choice. She has to leave,” Chris said, getting out of the car. With a reluctant nod, Ephraim followed.

“Do you want me to get her?” his father asked, gesturing towards Izzy.

“No,” Chris said, shaking his head. “While she’s here, she’s my responsibility.”

She might not be able to protect his family, but he’d make damn sure she didn’t do anything to endanger them.

Chapter 14

“What should we be doing?” one of the men Logan insisted on working with him asked.

“Getting the f**k away from me would be a good start,”

Kale said, glaring down at the much shorter man until he backed away from him. Without a word his friend moved away from him as well.

At least they were well trained, Kale mused as he stepped into the ransacked apartment and looked around the mess Logan’s men had made.

“Look, we already told you there’s nothing here,” the second vampire said as he folded his arms over his lean chest and tried to look intimidating.

“And I told you to be quiet and stay out of my way,”

Kale said, gesturing for one of the men to close the door behind them. The last thing he needed was some old lady in curlers to see them and alert more humans.

With a glare the second man let his arms drop by his side and shut the door.

“We should be-” the man started again, testing Kale’s last f**king nerve.

“One more word,” Kale said, letting his eyes turn silver, “and I’ll rip your heart out.”

The man noticeably bristled under the threat. “You wouldn’t dare cross the Master,” he said with such conviction that Kale knew the leech truly believed he was safe with him, which of course was f**king stupid since he planned on getting rid of them both very shortly.

Logan knew how much he hated leeches and was just trying to push his f**king buttons by sticking two of his men with him and of course he couldn’t forget the two minions he’d spotted following him. If it had been any other client Kale would have given him a courtesy warning to back the f**k off, but that wouldn’t work with the man who’d been waiting damn near nine hundred years for an opportunity to string him up by his balls.

He had to be a f**king masochist to keep coming back for this shit, Kale thought. Seven hundred years ago when Logan trapped and caged him for the first time should have been the end of all of this shit, but he hadn’t been able to walk away from Logan then and he sure as hell couldn’t walk away from him now.

None of this bullshit would have happened if it hadn’t been for that bitch. Then again if he’d just opened his mouth up when Logan announced his intentions towards the cold hearted girl that hadn’t deserved a moment of Logan’s attention, none of this would have ever happened. Logan would have found a girl worthy of his kind heart, raised a family, grown old and died a peaceful death surrounded by loved ones.

Instead the man dedicated ten years of his life on a girl who simply hadn’t been worth it. He’d taken every single job he could get his hands on, gone without and all for the sake of his compassionate besotted soul, leaving Kale with absolutely no choice but to go with him and protect him.

Not that anyone would believe him now, but Logan used to be the kindest man Kale had ever known. He would never willingly hurt anyone. He always went out of his way to help others, never had a bad word to say about anybody, and always had a ready smile. He’d also been the best and only friend Kale ever had, which was probably why he was here when he should be resting.

Resting? He snorted at the concept since that’s all it was him to him. No matter how many times he tried to bullshit himself with promises of a break after each job he knew it was all sugar coated bullshit he told himself as he tried to find the will to keep pushing through to the next job. A few more jobs and he would be set for life, which is why he should never have accepted this job in the first place.

A war was starting and he was in high demand. Instead of accepting Logan’s summons, which he knew was only going to end poorly, he should have entertained one of the higher offers since one of those offers would have brought him one step closer to his goal. Unfortunately for him he couldn’t forget the pain on Logan’s face the moment his world crumbled at his feet.

Sentiment had no business in his life and sometimes he wondered if he should do them both a favor and ram a stake through Logan’s heart. Not that the man had much of one these days. The man was cold, brutal and unforgiving. He was nothing like the young human who could fill a two day walk while they searched for work with endless excited chatter and couldn’t seem to stop smiling.