Every muscle in my body tensed, but I didn’t open my mouth and say what was really on my mind. I knew he was a trickster and the Ray-pacs who followed him were not only evil, they were stupid and ignorant. Blind perception at its best.
“I expect you to look and act like a queen because that’s what you’ll be.” His voice was firm and proud. “My queen. And before long, others will flock to us and want to join our pack. Under my leadership and with your Essence, our domination and power will be unstoppable. We will grow in numbers, and with you by my side, I will reign supreme among the Ray-pacs. We will be unstoppable.”
I’m sure I turned pale. The depth of his delusions was mind-boggling. Fate must have set our paths to cross for one reason and one reason only. So I could destroy him. I tried again – one last time. “Please, let me see Ava.”
Shaking his head, he turned on his heel and walked to the door. “Stop. I’m all out of patience. Maya will take care of her, and I will check in on her as well.” He smiled like only the devil could. His eyes glowed amber, but I could see the flames of hell burning within them. “Until tonight, my Queen.” He blew a kiss, and I imagined throwing a dagger in return.
The door closed and the lock clicked into place. I stared at it long and hard before softly vowing aloud, “I will never be a Ray-pac. And you won’t be one much longer, either.” With that, I took myself off to the bathroom. I needed a long hot shower to wash away all traces of having been in his revolting presence.
How ironic, I thought several hours later, as I gazed at myself in the mirror. The sleeveless, flowing evening gown that Kieran had chosen for me was amethyst in color. In fact, the shade was pretty darn close to the bridesmaid dress I’d be wearing in Ally’s wedding. That is, if I survived this mess and made it home to be a part of Ally’s wedding. I’d only been gone a week, but I missed my best friend. I even missed her sassiness. She was the only one, besides Kieran, who could boss me around and get away with it. Big difference was, hers was done with love and laughter, not threat-management.
One step at a time, Lexi. You just have to get through tonight first. I turned sideways for a profile view and then spun all the way around, finding it difficult not to admire the chiffon A-line dress with its halter neckline and crisscross back straps. Narrower at the top, it flared wider at the bottom, resembling the letter A. I sighed. The only reason I knew so much about it was because Ally, the fashion guru, was always imparting her vast knowledge. Right about now she’d be pleasantly surprised at my attention to detail since she always accused me of tuning her out, which normally I did, unless of course we were talking about jeans. I decided right then and there that if I lived through this, I was going to splurge and buy that ridiculously trendy pair of Rockstar tie dye biker jeans.
Looking at the face staring back at me in the mirror, I just shook my head and tapped on the glass. Was that really me? Kieran had not warned me a cosmetologist would be coming in to style my hair and do my make-up. Obviously, he hadn’t trusted me to do it properly. And he would have been right. I hated to admit it, but my hair looked awesome – smooth and full on the top, becoming wavier with big, soft curls toward the bottom. I guess that’s what happened when you used hot rollers.
The cute, petite woman who’d transformed me looked like someone straight from behind the MAC counter at Nordstrom. She’d talked technique the entire time. Not only had she rudely plucked my eyebrows, she’d even highlighted them with a brow pencil before applying a shimmery purple eye-liner around both my eyes. She followed that up with some light browns expanding outwards onto my eyelids. Then she used an eyelash curler before applying mascara, so my eyelashes were twice as long as normal. When she tried to cover up the mole under my eye with concealer, I brushed her hand away and said, “I like my mole.” Crazy thing was, I’d always complained about it before. Funny how someone trying to control you and change you makes you fierce, and suddenly you’re more than happy with who you are and how you look.
I’d never been this dressed up or made up in my life. The only time I could ever imagine going this far out would be on my own wedding day. And even then, this was over the top. This was Vogue magazine kind of stuff. Did Kieran view our linking like a wedding? Oh, man! How sick! Thank goodness it was Ash, not Jason, witnessing this event – well, this event which wouldn’t be a linking but would turn to an annihilation real quick.
Before I knew it, the wee early morning hours had arrived, bringing with them Aria, Aiden, Zola, and Rafe. They practically knocked down my door and heralded me out the door. I was impressed I warranted such an escort. I knew the moment of the moon’s absolute maximum size had come and gone. Not because of the time on the clock but because I could sense that Aria wasn’t linked. I was, of course, still linked with Ash, but no one knew that. After a few vulgar comments from Rafe about my body and the how the dress accentuated all the right curves, I raised my arm and slammed my elbow into his face. He yelped and started back at me, but Aiden held him off, reminding him I was Kieran’s possession and that I needed to arrive in one piece or Rafe would receive a much more severe beating.
Holding his cheek, Rafe eyed me furiously and said, “You can just use a little of that Essence to fix my face, and I’ll forget it ever happened.” He stepped closer as if he really expected I would do it.
I laughed in his face. “Not a chance. I’m not touching you. But if you get me some super glue, I’d be happy to cement your lips together. Maybe that will shut you up for a while.”
He turned bright red, and I thought he was going to blow up and attack me. But Aiden grabbed him by the arm and pushed him forward. “Let it go.” Then he turned around and said, “You better watch yourself. You’re not making any friends here. And you’re going to be part of our pack after tonight. I suggest you think before you say or do anything you might regret.”
I shot back in a nasty voice, “Make no mistake about it. We will never be friends. And once Kieran and I are linked, I won’t be part of your pack. I will rule this pack alongside him. And if you screw with me, I’ll find a way to get rid of each and every one of you. So maybe you should think before you speak.”
Aria snapped at that comment, and came at me.
I stopped dead in my tracks as her fist came in swinging, and allowed her to graze me. But she sliced through more air than anything else and lost her balance. I dodged for her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and shoved her against the wall. With anger and adrenaline pumping, I kneed her in the stomach and then slapped her across the face multiple times. I didn’t punch her out of fear I might reveal my actual strength. I didn’t want to give the slightest hint that I was still linked. She wasn’t used to being unlinked and seemed to have no natural fighting abilities whatsoever. The humorous part was that the others couldn’t pull me off her without getting burned. She started to fight back, but I kicked her, which wasn’t as easy in a dress. But since it flared so nicely at the bottom, I had no problem knocking her off her feet. Suddenly, Kieran’s voice was loud and clear in my ear, promising vengeance if I didn’t move away from Aria. I looked around and saw that Aiden was holding a walkie-talkie next to my ear.
Stepping back, I swiped the walkie-talkie out of Aiden’s hand, cleared my throat, and spoke into it. “Yes, Kieran,” I said sweetly. “I’m sorry. Sort of. But Aria attacked me first. I figured I’d better defend myself. I mean otherwise, she could have ruined this beautiful dress and messed up my hair. But more importantly, I didn’t think you’d want your new partner to show weakness. You said I needed to be strong – that we were going to be strong together, right? And although I’m not linked, and therefore not at my best, I’m obviously a lot tougher than Aria.”
For the first time ever, Kieran was silent. I guess he didn’t know how to respond. Was I full of crap or telling the truth? He had no way to know, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out I was full of it. Unfortunately for him, he had tunnel vision right now. His judgment where I was concerned was clouded. I smiled smugly at th
e surrounding Ray-pacs, all of whom were glaring at me with white hot fury. Finally, Kieran mumbled something about that being true, but I need to learn some self-restraint. Clearing his throat, he barked orders at Aiden about getting me to the compound in one piece. He also forbade them from provoking me again.
The smile on my face must have been priceless. I wish I could have seen it. I’d just royally pissed off my enemies, but it had been so worth it. I needed an ego boost before heading into this duel to the death with Kieran. As they shepherded me to the elevators and down to the ground floor, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Aria. She was unaccustomed to being on the receiving end of a fight and looked like a newborn fawn trying to walk for the first time. Kieran would probably make me heal her, but that wouldn’t diminish the pleasure I’d already gleaned. Our group was silent from that point on, and I had a moment to touch base with Ash and update him on my current status.
“Must have felt good to slap her around,” Ash responded after I filled him in. “She and Aiden were the ones who met us at the airport. She’s a real piece of work. At least now we know for sure that Kieran is unlinked and vulnerable.”
“Yeah. That’s good, but why do you think Aria hasn’t linked with Dakota yet?”
“Who knows? Maybe Kieran is planning to include them in part of his show. Another Guardian and Ray-pac linking allows him to flaunt his stuff. You did say he was expecting quite a crowd. I just wish we knew how many Ray-pacs we’re talking about here.”
“And I’m hoping Dakota hasn’t died.”
“Let’s not go there,” Ash said with an edge to his voice.
“Hard not to. I’m worried about her. And I’m double worried that if something terrible happened to Dakota then Aria might have to use you as a back-up plan. That would be bad for our business.”
“There’s no way Kieran is going to allow me to live. He’s sweet on revenge.”
At that moment, my escorts and I stepped outside. The night was clear and the moon was bigger, brighter, and more beautiful than ever before. Or maybe it was simply my appreciation for it. Tonight was the first time in seven months I’d been thankful and relieved my link with Ash had not broken. What a disaster that would have been. The Ray-pacs led the way to the compound, and I realized we were about to enter through the same door I’d used when sneaking in behind James.
“Any idea when they’re going to move you? I’m about to enter the building.”
“Nada. No action here. Yet. I’m still in the holding cell. One interesting side note is that they covered my window a few hours ago so I can’t see out. Don’t know what that’s about. ”
“Doesn’t sound good.”
Aiden opened the door, and I followed him in.
“Okay,” I said to Ash, “let me know if that changes. I’ll keep you updated from my end. Gotta go.”
We walked no further than 20 feet down the dim corridor when Aiden stopped beside one of the many bolted doors; they all looked the same to me. A heavy duty lock, in the form of a long orange bar, stretched the entire width of the door. It reminded me of one of those funky steering wheel locks, only this was a serious piece of equipment. Definitely bolt cutter proof. Once he had the bar off, he opened the door and shoved me inside.
Nothing could have prepared me for the sight before my eyes. I couldn’t decide which was more daunting: the ominous warehouse room or the sheer number of Ray-pacs gathered within its concrete, steel-reinforced walls. I’d never sensed so many links all at one time. Fear seized me by the throat, and I fought for a breath. My hands turned to ice, and the only part of my body that continued moving was my eyes. I was going to die today. And so was Ash. I’d never see Jason or my family again.
“At least 50, Ash.” My words were shaky. I could feel the fear in them.
“Huh? 50 what?”
“Ray-pacs. Here. In the room with me.” Some of the Ray-pacs were standing about, and others were sitting in chairs which had been placed in rows off to the sides. The group as a whole made the outlaws on Sons of Anarchy look like hospitable neighbors from next door. This was a gathering for Satan’s wild beasts. It was no place for Guardians of the peace. The vibe in the room was extremely dark, foul, and demonic.
“What?” Ash replied. “That can’t be right. How the heck are we…? Hey, someone’s here. Back in a minute. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Like what? Run?” I said, wishing that’s exactly what I could do. Trying to lessen my fear, I turned my attention away from the intimidating horde of Ray-pacs and looked around. We were standing in an abandoned warehouse, which was strange, because from the outside it appeared to be nothing more than a condo building under renovation. My mouth dropped as I gazed upwards. This place had been gutted and redone in a weird way. There were levels above us, but they were a series of metal grated floors you could see through. And there were ladders and huge pipes that you could travel along to move from one level to the next. It was like a maze, and the fixtures resembled scaffolding but were permanent. Like the multi-leveled metal walkways you’d find in an industrial building. Strangely, it reminded me of a scene in one of Ben’s video games, where you made your way through an old factory, killing zombies along the way. How uncanny, I thought. Only I had to kill Ray-pacs and would have gladly welcomed zombies. I could see straight to the ceiling, ten or so floors up. A few opaque skylights glowed from the moonlight, but other than that, there were no windows.
“Welcome, Lexi.” Kieran’s excited voice broke through the crowd. It was amplified, almost like he was speaking into a microphone. “Welcome to our training room.” Makes sense, I thought. This impenetrable room was where they tested their Flairs. That’s why this main level was filled with stacked barrels, rectangular metal-plated sheets standing on end, mounds of rubber tires, and huge galvanized steel culverts – a perfect setting. And by the looks of scattered red stains on the concrete floor, people died here. “Sorry it isn’t fancier,” Kieran continued, “but this is the only place that would hold all our guests. We don’t want anyone to miss history in the making.” There were shouts of agreement.
Even though I could hear Kieran loud and clear, I hadn’t caught sight of him yet. But as the crowd to my left parted, he came into view, and I gasped. He’d actually dressed for the occasion. Sort of. His casual black suit jacket and white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. The top few buttons of his shirt were undone, and his loosely fitted purple tie was a perfect color match to my dress. Along with his black jeans, he wore one of his signature D ring chain belts. I hadn’t seen one on him since Bellingham, but in a weird way this one was rather trendy and eye-catching. Despite all his efforts, Kieran’s savage face and ugly pug nose weren’t any prettier to look at.
Striding briskly toward me, he stopped only inches away. He smelled musky, like lavender. I hated lavender. Always had. “You are a beautiful creature.” Tentatively, he reached out with both hands and touched my face. I flinched. He sighed and closed his eyes. A dreamy smile, like that of a love-struck idiot, passed over his face. “You feel amazing,” he crooned.
He felt like poison.
His eyes popped open and his creepy, glowing amber eyes devoured my face. “Oh! To be able to touch you without getting burned. It’s a rush! You’re my addiction but you work faster than an intravenous injection, and I just can’t get enough. I crave you. I want to taste you.” Without warning, he pulled my face toward his and covered my lips with his entire mouth. The wet sensation of his mouth sucking my face was beyond repulsive. This was not a kiss. Now I knew what the term suck face meant. He bit both my lips and tugged. Shocked and appalled, I made a gurgling sound of protest. Luckily, instinct kicked in right before I lifted him off his feet and body-slammed him onto the floor. I couldn’t let him know I was still linked. Instead, I jerked my head back and pushed him away. But he’d clasped onto my lip so tightly with his teeth, pain streaked through my mouth as we separated. I wiped my mouth on my arm and then spit on the floor.
“How
dare you –” I started to say.
“No. How dare you act like this in front of everyone,” he hissed. “Don’t do it again.”
I knew he was going to slap me, but I made no move to deflect his hand. A shocking tingle ran through my face, and my head swung sideways. Recovering quickly, I lifted my head and glared at him.
“Missing your Flair right about now, aren’t you?” he said placidly. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get something better when we link.” Turning to the crowd, he said, “She will learn obedience over time. But I must admit, I like a sassy, arrogant woman who’s not afraid to put up a fight. She has the true qualities of a Ray-pac. She will make a perfect mate.” At his words, clapping and cheering erupted.
Without further ado, Kieran commenced the ceremony. In a matter of minutes, most of the Ray-pacs were seated, and Kieran even had a chair brought in for me. Well, actually it was more like a throne – a red velvet one at that – and one that looked like it had come straight out of an antique store. Sitting there, uncomfortable, nervous, and irate, I puzzled over the three empty chairs sitting opposite me. They were about 15 yards away in the center of the room, but there was a good distance between those chairs and the Ray-pacs seated on either side.
“I have a surprise for Lexi,” Kieran announced loudly. “One that all of you will find highly entertaining.” He looked at me with mirth-filled eyes. “I’ve invited a few special guests to join our party. They might not find it as enjoyable as the rest of us, but it will be fascinating all the same.”
Uh-oh! I thought. I knew he was talking about Ash and Dakota, but who was the third seat for? Izzy? Had he tracked her and Ava down since the last time we’d talked in my bedroom? I sat taller, gripping the padded armrests. When Aiden and Zola dragged Ash into the room and sat him down, Kieran watched me closely. I jumped to my feet, but Kieran grabbed hold of me. Using restraint, I pummeled his chest and called him all kinds of names before begging him not to hurt Ash.
Dentelle #3 Guardian series Page 36