I raised my eyebrows at her chuckling. I was about to ask her what was so funny when Camden interrupted us. He handed her a glass of water. She took one sip then nodded at me. “Make sure you take Stephan with you tomorrow.”
Camden looked like he was about to argue, but Ariana cut him off with a wave of her hand. “I’ve come here to do what needed to be done, now I shall go.”
We both watched her as she left. “I’m not sure if I fully understand the point of her visit,” he said.
“It was strange.” I turned around to face him. “She knew that I’m your… um, your mate.”
“Of course, she knows. She knows everything. Ariana told me the day you were born but other than that, she has never given me any information about who you are or your whereabouts. When I stepped into your town hall, I thought I could sense you, but I was hoping that I was mistaken. But when I saw you, I knew. I also knew the real reason behind her wanting me specifically to go after you.”
“She wanted you to find your mate? Even though she knew how against it you were?”
“Ariana is a master at planning everyone’s life.” His fist clenched beside his body before he inhaled deeply. The anger that colored his face was gone as quickly as it came. “Let’s go finish the movie.”
We went back to the couch to resume our movie, but I couldn’t help but think of the crazy soothsayer. Camden almost seemed bitter that Ariana was behind the scenes planning his life, but he still trusted her so wholeheartedly, and yet I was on the fence. When the key rested in Camden’s hands and we were both still standing, then maybe, just maybe, I would start to trust her.
Chapter Twenty-One
That night everyone moved in silence as we got ready to go to Merek’s estate. The six of us met outside, pretending to be prepared for whatever came our way. Celia was still locked in Camden’s dungeon. If I never laid eyes on Celia again, it would be too soon.
We all started loading up into the Hummer. The charming vamp, two werewolves named Garren and Evan, and Lil climbed into the backseat. I sat in the passenger seat, just as Camden was jumping into the driver’s seat. He started the Hummer, and we began the drive to Merek’s estate.
To kill off some nervous energy, I turned around, facing the backseat to ask Stephan a couple of questions I had been dying to know. “Stephan, how is it that you’re able to walk around in the daylight? Is it just a myth that vampires will burn in the sunlight?”
Stephan kept looking out the window instead of making eye contact. “No, it’s a rarity. I am the Prince of the Vampires, and that in itself allows me to be a daytime walker.”
There was a heck of a lot more to that story, but I knew that no matter how many drunken karaoke parties we had together, that’s all I was going to get out of him. Hello, steel trap. I veered away from any conversation having to do with his past and asked, “So, if it’s an uncommon thing, we probably don’t have to worry about too many rogue vampires strolling around Merek’s property?”
Camden answered me. “Right. That’s exactly why we are going to meet with Merek and his clan during the day.” Then he addressed the group. “I have told Merek that I wanted a meeting, but I failed to mention over what. He probably assumes it’s about his daughter or the wedding. Lil, I want you to hide somewhere on Sadie.”
Lil flew over to the console between the driver and passenger’s seats. She crossed her little arms over her chest. “First, you insist that I come along because I might need to fairy dust some people, but then you tell me I need to hide my beautiful self. You better be glad I like you.”
Camden did his best to stroke her ego. “Think of it like this… you’re our secret weapon.”
“What’s the plan?” I asked. “And what is our reason we didn’t take Celia?”
“You should pretend that you’re the weddin’ planner,” Lil said. “When he asks about his crazy daughter, tell him that she’s off with her life coach. I mean, seriously, has anyone else noticed how messed up in the head that girl is? I can understand being biased when it comes to your own children, but the fact that he thinks CG would fall head over heels for a basket case is a little funny, no?”
Stephan and Camden laughed. Finally, they were bonding. I didn’t point out the bromance because I didn’t want to ruin the moment. “So basically, we have no plan; we’re just going because Ariana told us to.”
“Nailed it,” Lil said.
Stephan weighed in. “Can someone please explain to me why we don’t just take the key from him?”
“We don’t know where it’s hidden,” Camden said.
“So, we torture him.” The vamp shrugged like torturing someone was no big deal. “I bet I could make him squeal like a pig within an hour.”
Camden sighed. “I’ve already thought of that. Ariana said that if we go that route, I’ll lose the key for good.”
I trusted Jo with my life, but I wasn’t sold on Ariana. I didn’t know why she didn’t just tell us straight up where the stupid key was. Why all of this running around? It was like she was playing chess, and we were the pieces she moved around on the board. Yeah, the jury was still out on that one.
Lil floated over to my knee. “Sadie, are you sure you can read Merek’s mind?”
“I’m positive. Camden asked me earlier to read his mind.”
I almost sighed with part frustration and maybe a smidge of lust when I thought of where his mind had been and the kiss afterward. Perhaps a lot of lust and maybe I had denial issues.
Lil sat on my leg and narrowed her eyes at me. “All right then. Tell me what I’m a thinkin’. Pretend that we’re at the circus. Dance monkey, dance.”
“Um, that is not insulting at all.” I still did what she asked. “Yes. Theo James does look a little like Stephan, and Camden could pass for Jason Momoa, and no, I’m not following you. Who is Markie Mark? But popcorn with extra butter always sounds good.”
Lil stood up and started twerking. On. My. Freaking. Leg. Just as I was about to move her, she flew over to the console.
“Who the hell is Theo James? And there is no way that he comes anywhere near my stunning good looks.”
“Whatever, vamp.” Lil said to everyone, “I was thinkin’ that if we make it out of this alive today, it would be fun to have a Mark Wahlberg marathon with some popcorn.”
The next three hours were of me guessing Lil’s thoughts. I swear, I was never going to be right in the head again. The fairy was as perverted as they came.
Thanks to Lil, I was happy to pull up to the gate outside of Merek’s subdivision. The fairy jumped onto my shoulder and draped my hair around her to make a curtain. She whispered in my ear, “This is demeaning. But let’s say hell freezes over and we do this again, remind me to buy you a pair of hoops, so I can at least have a place to sit.”
I said, “It’s a deal.”
Then everything got quiet as the security guard at the main gate stepped up to the Hummer. “Can I help you?”
Camden said, “We have a meeting with Mr. Merek Davis this morning.”
The guard talked into his walkie-talkie for confirmation. “All right, you can pass.”
Camden put the Hummer in gear, and we started up a curvy drive. We finally pulled up to a normal looking Tudor home, appearing as if it could have belonged in a subdivision housing a soccer mom or a business executive. The house was humongous but completely normal on a nice sized lot. There were no nearby houses, which was great. No innocent bystanders. As a group, we marched up the six stairs and the butler let us inside Merek’s house where we were intercepted in the foyer by two beefy guards. A robust man with ruddy cheeks and a full head of gray hair came clopping down the stairs. He wore suspenders over a pristine, pinstriped, collared shirt. The only thing that would have made him look more like a 1920s gangster was a cigar.
He came over and slapped Camden on the back. “My future son-in-law, have you come to visit with me, or is this meeting of a business nature? And why is my princess not here with you?”
Lil whispered in my ear, “So much for my ‘she’s trying to better her life’ speech.”
Hmm. Note to self, never play poker with Camden. I could have sworn he was telling the truth by just looking at him.
Merek grumbled, “I’ll have to tell her later that I am disappointed with her for not coming. Please, let’s go into the study to talk about your business, and perhaps you can explain to me why the Prince of Vampires is with you.”
Camden nodded at Garren and Evan, who took a stance outside the door to the study right off the foyer. I was uncertain of what I should do when Camden motioned for me to follow him. Stephan didn’t wait for an invitation but followed us both into the study. Merek walked around an antique desk, gesturing for us to sit. I took a seat in one of the leather chairs, and both Camden and Stephan remained standing on either side of me. Merek pulled open one of his desk drawers and pulled out a Cuban cigar, and I had to stifle a laugh. I so called it. Gangsta. He snipped the tip of the cigar then walked back around his desk and sat on the corner. Two men entered his office, and my nerves began to triple. One man was beefy and bald. He headed towards the bookcase looking bored. The other man was maybe five feet tall if he wore heels. He went to the right of Merek’s desk and sat on the windowsill.
We waited impatiently for Merek to get his cigar lit. I started to channel him. His aura was a bluish-black color, and my body didn’t want it anywhere close to me, but I fought through the disgust. Concentrating on pulling my father’s powers forward, I applied it to Merek. Bits and pieces started coming together, and I felt physically sick. We had been played.
I started to stand. “My head is pounding and—”
With steel in his voice, Merek commanded, “Sit.”
The bald man standing by a bookcase was obviously a teleporter like my brother because in a flash, he was in front of me, and the next second I was in his arms. Before I could blink, we were now behind the desk facing Camden and Stephan. Did I show my cards? Before I could make the decision, the short man strolled towards me and grabbed my arm. Now, I was in between both men while Merek clapped.
Camden and Stephan took a step forward, but Merek stopped them both with his next words. “She will be dead before you reach her. As you can see, I’ve acquired new employees.” He pointed to the tall, lanky bald guy who had snatched me. “Carl, here, is a teleporter, and Ricky is pretty handy to have around also. Can you guess what he is?”
I glared at the short man holding my arm. “He can nullify powers.” With the way he was clenching my arm, his power must only work if he was touching someone.
Camden made eye contact with me, and I could tell he knew how dire of a situation we were in. “What are you doing, Merek?”
“Let’s cut the bullshit, shall we? Your infamous soothsayer, what’s her name? Ariana? She called this morning before your arrival and said there was a chance I would never get my son back if I didn’t get a blood oath from you at this moment.” He took a long drag from his cigar. “She also mentioned that the wedding was off. So, here is the deal. I want a blood oath that you will go through portal fourteen tonight and not only find my son, but bring him back to me alive. I also want a blood oath that my daughter will be returned to me alive as well and no later than tomorrow morning, or the girl dies.”
Why? Why would Ariana betray Camden like this? This made no sense. This was a trap, and we walked right into it.
“What if your son is dead?” Camden asked.
“He’s not. Your soothsayer said that not only was he alive, but she could see his path. Soon, he will be engaged to the Zombie Queen.” He chuckled. “It’s just like Cecil to come back and make up for lost time.”
Camden and Stephan exchanged a look, and I knew Camden was about to agree to the terms. Then what? The game would be over before it could even begin.
“Don’t do it,” I said.
Merek smiled at me. “Oh, but I think he will.”
Camden stepped forward. “I vow that if your men release Sadie, I will immediately take a vow to find your son and bring him back to you and vow to return your daughter alive.”
Merek chuckled. “Smart man.”
“I’m assuming you will be giving me your key, so I can cross through the portals?” Camden asked.
“You assumed wrong.” Merek smirked. “Since we couldn’t work things out between us and we must part ways after you deliver my children, I insist on keeping my key. I think I should let you know that the key is not here, so looking for it would be futile, and you’d be wasting precious time. Rumor has it that the Vampire Queen has a key in her possession. Go retrieve that one.”
Stephan snarled, “Not likely.”
Merek shrugged. “There is also another rumor that the Undertaker has one or is about to retrieve one. Go get his.”
“Death?” Camden scoffed. “You want us to stroll up to Death and take his key?”
I assumed Death was a major badass the way both Camden and Stephan were shaking their heads. Camden sent me another look. “We will figure something out, just release her.”
As soon as both men let me go, I took in their auras and teleported across the room just in the nick of time. The man who had suppressed my power had a knife in his hand and was jabbing at thin air.
Merek clapped. “It appears my daughter might have been wrong. Interesting. Do you know what a power manipulator is worth? I want her. In fact, I’d trade the key to you right now. What do you say, King of Wolves?”
“I think I’m going to have to decline your offer.”
“If I can’t have her, I don’t want you to have her either.” He turned to the guy who’d short-circuited my powers. “Next time be faster, Ricky. I’m disappointed in you.”
Camden let out a string of curses. Merek shrugged. “You said ‘release,’ not let her escape unharmed. You’ve really backed yourself into a corner. Now, your other vows, please.”
While Camden recited his vows, I cleared my mind and focused on all of the auras in the room. I wanted to visually see them in case I needed to use my powers, or rather their powers, quickly.
Merek hit a button on his intercom. “Please send Zander and Chron in.”
My palms started to sweat. As soon as the two men stepped into the room, I could sense the power radiating off them. Both were identical twins, and with a few choppy words directed to Merek, I realized they were of Russian descent. They had matching cropped blond hair and pale blue eyes and were more than six feet of pure muscle. They didn’t need the guns in their holsters for them to look menacing. I started searching for their aura, gently tugging both dark blue auras into my body. Aww. They had matching auras. Cute. Merek stood up and started for the door.
He nodded at Zander and Chron, as they went around us to stand behind the desk. Carl, Ricky, and Merek headed for the door. “Our meeting is over. Find a key and bring me my children.” Right before the door closed, he said, “Oh, and I was serious about not letting you keep the power manipulator.” The door shut and a quietness filled the air. Great. Just great. When we left here, I was going to kill Ariana.
One of the twins sat down at the desk and opened up the bottom drawer, grabbing a large wooden box. He laid the box on top of the desk and opened it, revealing several different sized knives.
Lil, who had been deathly quiet until this point, whispered into my ear, “If that large white dude starts going into serial killer mode, I’m gonna be gone, like yesterday.”
“Zander,” the other twin said, as he stood off to the side. “Make the vampire kill the manipulator.”
Stephan started to tremble. His voice sounded like he had swallowed gravel. “CG… get her away from me.” He raised his arms like Frankenstein and took a giant step towards me before he started laughing. “Yep, hate to break it to you, you oversized salt shaker, but mind control doesn’t w
ork on me.”
Zander’s gaze swung to Camden, who wore a bored expression on his face. “I’m not as good as the vampire when it comes to theatrics, so I’ll just go ahead and tell you that you’re wasting your time.”
The twins stood together holding hands, looking like overgrown Children of the Corn. It was not a good look but it was intimidating. I’d give them that.
Stephan’s brow furrowed. “Um. That’s interesting.”
Camden was pulling on his legs. “What the hell? I can’t move my feet.” He glanced over to Stephan, who nodded in return.
“What’s going on guys?”
“I’m assuming,” Stephan said, “that twinkle dee and twinkle dumb are combining forces somehow.”
Lil flew off of me. “Hold on, y’all. I got this.”
Zander threw his hand out towards Lil, focusing his energy on the fairy, giving Stephan a bit of reprieve. The tiny fairy flew by Stephan and hit the wall. She flew backwards just to repeat the action. Without moving his legs, Stephan reached out a hand and snatched her before she could do more harm. Zander was trying to make her kill herself.
Camden was equally frozen like he was rooted in concrete. But both guys were strong enough that they fought Zander’s power. Every second that passed, they were able to pry one foot off the ground, putting them a step closer to Zander and causing the man’s eyes to widen in fear. He was having a hard time just controlling one of them, much less both. The other twin, Chron, made a motion with his hand, and all of the knives left the case. Hovering in the air, they pointed towards me. Their objective.
Stephan still held Lil gently in his hand. She was hurt but alive. Her voice was light. “Tell me you have a plan, fanger.”
Camden laughed. “We have a plan.” His head tilted towards me, and I gave him a wink. That was my cue. Let’s hope I didn’t disappoint.
I concentrated on Chron, using his power against him. I made the seven blades rotate, and now they were pointing at his chest. Let the games begin! Shocked, he lost focus, and I sent the blades flying. All seven embedded in his torso, pinning him to the wall. The twins’ connection was weakened, and Camden and Stephan were able to move once again.
The Werewolf Queen Page 12