by Flynn, Mac
The most startling part of the room was the countless words scrolled on the walls. They were written in various hands by every variety of ink. It was a rainbow of language, and most of them I didn't understand. Some appeared to be Latin, others Arabic, and there was definitely some German written in a strong, black ink.
Basileus's eyes bulged out of his head. He raised his head and blinked at Simon. "My god. . ."
"Not quite." Simon reached into the ball with his fingers and plucked at the a short bit of writing on the wall. I recognized the name 'Mirela' among the words. Simon smudged and pulled the words from the wall until I couldn't recognize the letters.
I heard a gasp close by and looked to Mirela. She clutched her head and swayed from side-to-side.
"Mirela!" Trica cried out. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her side against his chest.
She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm so sorry, Trica. I wanted to speak to you all these months, but I just couldn't."
He smiled and shook his head. "It's not your fault." He glanced up at Basileus. His eyes narrowed. "It's his."
Simon closed his hand and the ball vanished. "Hey!" I yelped as I grabbed his hand. "What about my curse?"
Simon grinned. "Your curse was extinguished an hour ago."
I glared at him. "If you could do that why then didn't you do it earlier?"
"Never show your full hand to your enemy," he scolded me.
Specter pointed at the door. "We have a runaway!"
CHAPTER 12
Our attention returned to Basileus, or where he once stood. The asshole had bolted for the door.
Dolf slid between him and the door, and grinned. "Going somewhere?"
Basileus backed up and glared at him. "Step aside, werewolf."
Basileus felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to face the wrath, and fist, of Trica. Trica slammed his fist into Basileus's face. Vampire and witch toppled to the floor, and both were very much unconscious.
Trica brushed his hands together and turned to us. "Any more loose ends?"
I turned to Simon. "What about Certus?"
Simon smiled. "A slip on my part, but he was in need of rest."
"So he's got his soul back?" I guessed.
Simon nodded. "Yes, and should awaken soon." I whipped out my hand to give him a good slap, but he caught my wrist. His eyes glistened with mischief. "You would dare strike your master?"
"If he deserved, yeah," I retorted.
"If you guys don't mind?" Dolf spoke up as he tapped Basileus's head with his foot. "What are we supposed to do with them now?"
Simon nodded at the limo out the windows. "Dump them on the pier near his private yacht. His employees will do the rest."
"You'll need this," Trica spoke up as he pulled the vial from his coat. He held the glass at arm's length. "And tell Bentley not to worry about the explosive diarrhea. It'll go away in a few days."
Dolf frowned at him. "So it's true you don't like werewolves?"
Trica wrinkled his nose and waved his hand in front of his face. "Have you smelled how often your kind bathes?"
Dolf shrugged and took the vial. "Yeah. Some of those guys don't bathe much between full moons. Later."
"I'll go with you," Maeve offered.
"And I'll go with you for spirit support," Specter added.
Our friends left through the front door with our unconscious captives. My shoulders slumped and I sighed. My long nightmare was over.
Well, almost.
Trica set his hand on my shoulder and looked to Simon. "Mind if I have my sister-in-law to myself for a little while?"
Simon arched an eyebrow. "Your-"
"Didn't think you'd mind." He pointed me toward the door and pushed me outside.
"Hey! Watch it!" I complained as he pushed me across the gravel. The faint noise of the limo engine and its rear headlights faded into the distance. I pulled out of his reach and spun around to glare at him. "I want the truth, and I want you to stop hauling me everywhere!"
He folded his arms and grinned. "You heard the truth, and I promise not to haul you anywhere so long as you promise me one thing."
I frowned. "Why should I do something for you?"
He shrugged. "Call it a favor to a sibling."
I snorted. "After you kidnapped me and put me through a night of hell, I'm the one who's supposed to give you a favor?"
"I want you to take good care of my brother."
I started back and blinked at him. "Come again?"
He smiled. "I want you to take good care of him. He's a trouble-maker like me, so I know what I'm talking about."
I wrinkled my nose. "Why is everyone thinking I'm the one who has to babysit Simon? He's got Certus."
Trica furrowed his brow. "I believed the same thing for a long time, too." He paused and tilted his head to one side to study me. "That is, before you came along."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not that important to him."
He smiled and shook his head. "On the contrary, you're very important to my brother. Unfortunately, I couldn't gauge from a distance how much you had changed him, so I couldn't tell if he'd help me in my quest to free Mirela."
I glanced around. "Speaking of free, where did you hide Certus?"
Trica winced and sheepishly grinned. "You know, I completely forgot about him. Let's get him out before he-" The trunk of his car flew off with a loud bang.
I yelped and leapt back as a shadowy figure rose from the trunk. A pair of red eyes glared at Trica, who held up his hands. "No hard feelings for the bumpy ride, right?" Certus stepped out of the trunk and strode into the house without a word. Trica's shoulders fell and he wiped his brow. "That guy is scary."
I snorted. "Tell me about it."
He paused and studied me with a smile that was very close to that of Simon. "I'd like to, but-" he looked past me at the front door, "-I think somebody wants to talk to you."
I followed his gaze and saw Simon standing in the doorway. His soft red eyes glowed against the shadow cast by the lights in the house.
Trica slid behind me and gave me a push toward the door. "Go on. He's waiting for you."
I glared at him, but faced ahead and strode over to Simon. He looked down at me with a studious eye. I nodded at his hand. "Looks like you got a steal of a lifetime."
He closed his eyes and shook his head. "No. There is one theft that is greater, and I have yet to accomplish the task."
I arched an eyebrow. "What is-" I froze when he reached out and brushed his finger against my neck. I closed my eyes and hung my head. "Oh. That."
"That," he agreed. He stepped closer to me, so close that I could feel his chest a hairbreadth away. I opened my eyes and raised my gaze to his. "I won't force you to accept eternity with me, but I would-" He pursed his lips and took a deep breath. "I would-" He ground his teeth and turned his head away.
"Spit it out!" Trica called from behind me.
Simon glared at him, but returned his attention to me. "I wish for you to remain with me forever. Any other way would be intolerable."
I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck. I pecked a teasing kiss on his lips. "Simon, sometimes you say the sweetest things."
He arched an eyebrow. "Then. . .then you agree?"
I nodded. "Yep, but don't leave too big a hicky. The others will notice."
He grinned and wrapped his arms around me.
We embraced as human and vampire, but the deed was done that night. It was a long journey from flower shop to vampire, but through it all I made friends, and a few enemies, and a lover. An eternal lover who would remain by my side through the ages.
And what wonderful heists we pulled off.
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Flynn, Mac, Blood Thief Box Set (Alpha Billionaire Vampire Romance)