by A and E Kirk
The sea breeze cooled the beads of sweat on her forehead, but her hands, curled into tight fists, remained slick. She started to shake. Her teeth chattered.
Jaeger’s reassuring smile slipped. “Dammit.”
Adele put her fingers to Kiara’s wrist and looked at her watch as she told Jaeger, “There’s a phone in my office. Dial zero. The operator will find Leontes for you. Just stay on the line.”
Jaeger wiped Kiara’s brow. “I’ll get Leontes. Relax. You’ll be fine.”
“Go,” Adele said. “I’ll watch over her.”
Kiara reached for him, but he was already gone. Out of the corner of her eye, something dark slithered toward her.
CHAPTER 60
Kiara tried to move away from the dark shape, but gravity pulled her down, as though she was caught in quicksand and every struggle to get out only dragged her further underneath. The black entity curled like rising smoke, but stayed at a distance, a shadowy blur. Kiara couldn’t focus and her eyes refused to stay open.
“It’s okay, dear,” Adele soothed.
She dropped Kiara’s wrist, then closed and locked the sliding glass door to the lab. Pulling a pungent cloth from her pocket, she stroked it over Kiara’s forehead in a slow hypnotic rhythm.
“Close your eyes. Drift away. Everything will soon be just as it should be. He is coming. You must heed his call before all is lost forever.”
Adele’s voice droned on, but did not calm Kiara. Her heartbeat escalated. Kiara wondered how they had found her. She had been so careful. What if they discovered the secret? Then they were all in danger.
“You must help him find you,” the voice intoned. “Let him hear your thoughts. Don’t block him out. He’s coming, but you have to let him in.”
Something scratched at her mind. A subtle request to come inside, past the walls, past the defenses she had so expertly built.
The voice urged her, “That’s it. He’s almost there.”
“Kiara, I have come for you at last.”
“Who are you?” Kiara asked the male voice.
“It’s your master. Let him in, Kiara. He has waited far too long.”
“Kiara!”
The voice muddied her mind and swirled her thoughts. Visions of him danced behind her lids until…
CHAPTER 61
Rain fell heavy through the holes in the ceiling, providing plenty of moisture to feed the thick vines of ivy that climbed over the walls of the ruins. Only bits of stone peeked through. The deeper she slunk into the building, the more stable it became.
Kiara’s boots splashed in the puddles as she hurried along. Her heart beat nervously. The undead would stir soon and notice her absence. He would notice, and then they would all be undone. She hugged her bundle tighter to her chest, dropping her chin over it to provide a better shield from the downpour.
A large splash echoed behind her.
Kiara whirled and stared into the darkness, but saw nothing. Heard nothing. She was being paranoid. An assassin such as herself was not so careless that anyone could have followed her. She renewed her journey into the building’s depths, moving quicker. Nothing mattered but delivering the bundle, and time was running out.
A sharp pain lanced into her back and through her chest. She seemed stuck. Her feet tried to move, but got no traction. She glanced down. The point of a blade stuck out between her breasts. The metal shimmered with a dark liquid. Her blood.
Kiara stared past the blade to the bundle she held in her arms. A baby. The knife that had stabbed through her back had sliced through the swaddling and barely missed the sleeping infant.
Kiara clutched the baby with one hand and readied to fight with the other. The knife suddenly disappeared, ripped from her back as a hand clamped over her mouth and pulled her back. She thudded against a warm, unyielding body.
A second pain stabbed her back again.
Leontes’ ragged voice hissed in her ear, “This is for Eponine.”
Without mercy or hesitation, the knife pierced her again. And again. And again. Leontes twisted the blade. The pain raged hot. Her knees buckled. Leontes released her and watched her collapse. Kiara clutched the baby, bracing with one arm to keep from crushing it, and wondered if the child was already dead.
She pressed her lips against the soft tuft of hair on its small head and whispered, “I am so sorry.”
Leontes loomed over her. Fury tremored his limbs. The blade fisted in his hand dripped with her blood as his chest heaved with snarling breaths, muscles jumped and clenched in his jaw. Kiara had never seen him so furious. Her mind reeled, trying to rationalize, understand how he had found her, how she had not noticed him sooner. But the confusion was too much. She focused on the only thing she knew how to do.
Kiara tried to draw her legs beneath her to stand, but they didn’t respond, so she gritted her teeth and dragged herself along the floor. Healing would come, but she feared not fast enough. It mattered not. She had a destination. A little thing like paralysis was not going to stop her.
She knew mud and water soaked into the baby’s blanket as she crawled through the muck, but there was nothing she could do about that. When the child squirmed against her chest, Kiara’s heart soared with relief. But it was short lived.
“You are mad,” Leontes chuckled without humor. “You simply do not know when to die.”
He knelt over her and straddled her hips. She felt a prickling in her legs, then a jolt of pain. Feeling began to return, but not enough to fight back, when Leontes grabbed her braid and yanked her head back. He pressed the knife against her exposed throat.
The baby hiccupped once and let out a sudden cry.
Firelight danced up ahead as a small toddler holding a torch tottered out from the dark depths of the ruins. “Miss Kiara, is that you?”
Leontes froze.
“Run!” Kiara pushed up, trying to knock Leontes off. But he held tighter, and in one vicious motion, he slashed the blade across her throat.
Blood gurgled. She pressed her hand to the wound. Another jolt of pain down her legs and Kiara could move.
She turned and booted Leontes hard in the groin. He doubled over with a yelp of pain. Kiara heaved to her feet and staggered forward. The now-wailing baby in one arm, she scooped up the second child in the other. No longer able to staunch the blood, it gushed warm down her neck and chest.
The child had dropped the torch, but Kiara moved through the darkness by memory. She made it through the door and shoved her back against it. She almost had it closed when a heavy weight thumped violently on the other side.
“No! Let me in!” Leontes yelled. “Now!” He hit the door like a battering ram, thudding against it, over and over. Giving up was not in his nature.
She dug in her heels, trying to find the strength, but felt her body weakening. She was losing too much blood, which meant she was losing the fight…
“That’s it,” Adele crooned. “Open the doors to him.”
A weary hopelessness shuddered through Kiara. Unable to battle it anymore, she began to unlock the doors, tumblers rumbled, gears clicked. Walls within walls in her mind began to crumble.
“Excellent, Kiara. Let him in. Your master can fix everything. He can fix you.”
Something pierced her gut.
Suspicion.
It bled into her thoughts. Her master? Fix her? He did not fix things—he destroyed them—and now if she allowed the doors to open, everything she had worked for would be lost.
Kiara took stock for a moment and listened. Waves crashed close by. Salt scented the air. She was not in the ruins at all. She was not even bleeding. And that voice was unfamiliar. Not to be trusted.
A charlatan had infiltrated.
Kiara growled. “Nice try.”
CHAPTER 62
Adele nearly burst with excitement. The chemicals on the face mask had weakened Kiara physically and mentally. It had been surprisingly effortless for the witch to cast the spell, which allowed her access to Kiara’s mind. Now,
after years of research, Adele was about to find the Midnight Poison.
Lying on the lounge chair on the patio, Kiara’s head thrashed from side to side. Sweat plastered wispy curls to her temples. Her face twitched in pain. Then she went completely still. Her breath halted.
Kiara’s eyes snapped open and glared. “Nice try.” Her eyes had turned the dark amber of late autumn’s leaves and her expression was anything but friendly.
Adele jumped back. Kiara’s hand shot out. Her fingers wrapped around the woman’s throat and squeezed. Choking gasps escaped Adele’s lips as she clawed desperately at Kiara’s arm, but her grip only tightened. The scratches the doctor made on Kiara’s skin healed almost immediately. Panic flashed cold as Adele realized the legendary assassin might be as indestructible as the stories warned.
With unnatural speed, Kiara stood and slammed Adele against the building, then she cocked her head and smiled to reveal glistening fangs that had not existed moments before. One hand on Adele’s throat, Kiara raised the woman high, feet dangling.
“You thought to steal from me?” Kiara wagged a finger in the doctor’s face. “Such arrogance will cost you.”
Adele stopped clawing, quickly stabbed a finger into Kiara’s temple, and choked out, “D-disendo.”
The powerful spell splintered into Kiara’s conscious. Blinding pain shot through her skull. Kiara winced and dropped to her knees, releasing Adele. Kiara cradled her head, trying to cage the hurt as Adele ran.
Kiara pushed through the debilitating pain. With intense focus on the swirling blue artwork on the wall, she dragged her body up, and slammed her own hand on the open palm painted in the design.
Heat blasted in a gust of wind. Alarms blared. An electric blue flash shot out in a wide arc. Sparks cascaded into the air and rained down hot, sizzling onto Adele’s grey hair.
Adele batted at her head as she turned. Then her hands stilled, and she stared in awe. The painting that served as the island’s security system had come to life.
The red stone glowed bright and radiated an intense hum that vibrated through the air. The painted hand lifted off the wall, seemingly alive. It contorted in complicated motions and, around it, an electrifying pinwheel of colors burst to life. The dizzying array of swirls transformed into a hoard of snakes with scales that glittered like gemstones. The serpents coiled around each other in a writhing, twisted mass. Fangs bared, they hissed with menace.
“Impossible,” Adele breathed.
She caught the look in Kiara’s eyes and her awe quickly turned to terror.
CHAPTER 63
On one of the lawns overlooking the beach, Leontes sat across the table from Nicolette. Even in this heat, she wore her signature fur coat, which still had that hideous aroma. Mai had left to take an emergency phone call, but the mistress’s departure did not seem to make a difference. Nicolette continued to babble her innocence.
“I told you, Dimitri is lying,” Nicolette said, anger flashing. “I’d tell you to bring him here so I could confront my accuser, but he’s dead. And from what I hear, that’s on you.”
“Why would he accuse you?”
“How the hell do I know?” Nicolette snapped. “Trying to distract you. Cause trouble between us all.”
Leontes’ patience was wearing thin enough that he considered calling in Kiara. But she already loathed Nicolette, and after her unstable behavior with Adele, he thought it best not to risk it. Nicolette had the answers, but if Kiara lost control they would get nothing from a corpse. Still, they were getting nowhere now.
“Perhaps you would like to try to convince Kiara of your innocence,” Leontes said. “I am sure she would be most anxious to speak to you personally.”
Nicolette tried to cover her fear, but Leontes saw through her effort and hoped the threat would be enough.
Nicolette looked away, then stood and paced along the grass, wringing her hands. “You’ve got to believe me. I mean, come on, it’s a shifter-only club. I couldn’t get in even if I wanted to. I swear, I’ve never been. I was nowhere near the club that week. I can prove it.”
Leontes’ eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Why did you not mention that before?”
She flicked a nervous glance over her shoulder. “Because I don’t want Mai to know how I can prove it. She’ll kick me out of the coven if she finds out. And you’re not about to keep my secret.”
“And if I give my word to keep the secret?”
She chewed on a nail for several moments. “Then I’ll tell you. But I want my guns back, too.”
Leontes closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. “Fine. As long as keeping your secret does not jeopardize the vampires in some way. Now, tell me what you know.”
Alarms blared.
“What is that?” Leontes asked, looking around in surprise.
But Nicolette only shrugged. “Our security alarms. There’s been a breach.”
“And that does not concern you?”
Her nervous behavior from only moments ago disappeared. She turned to face Leontes with a smug smile. “My only concern is that it took so long. But I’m glad I’ll be here to watch you die.”
There was a disruption of air, and a small black hole appeared between the witch’s beady eyes. The back of her head exploded. Blood and brain matter splattered. Her expression had a split second of surprise, and then she toppled backwards.
Before Nicolette hit the ground, eyes staring blank, Leontes was on the move.
CHAPTER 64
“I already told you.” Kiara rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms. “I don’t know how I did it. If I did it at all, which I’m not saying I did. Besides, Adele’s fine!”
The High Sorceress of Healing, Dr. Osana looked to be in her fifties, with brown hair cut in a chin-length bob. She flicked a nervous look at Kiara. “Mistress Mai, I’ve told you all I know. I should go.”
“Not yet,” Mai ordered. She stood rigid by the window of her opulent office above the main lobby. A few raven wisps escaped her tight bun. “I still don’t understand what she did to Dr. Geltin. You reversed the aging spell, Dr. Osana.”
“Partially reversed it,” the sorceress said.
“Yes, fine,” Mai said. “So if this is a simple forgetting spell, why can you not undo it? Or partially undo it?”
“There’s nothing simple about it.” Dr. Osana said. “I’ve never seen anything remotely similar and nothing I do has any effect. Right now Dr. Geltin’s fine, other than she has no memory of Miss Blackwood, including all the research she’s done over the years.” The witch flicked another nervous glance at the subject in question. “I really do think I should go and tend to Dr. Geltin.”
“Go!” Mai snapped with a sharp wave of her hand.
“Thank you, mistress.” She hurried out.
Kiara began reorganizing the bookshelf of medical volumes alphabetically in reverse. She was tired of Mai’s icy looks. She wanted to go home. Find the baby. She slammed a book into place. “This is a waste of time. We need to find Giselle.”
Mai gave her yet another cold stare. “You need to explain the damage you have inflicted.”
Kiara slammed in another book. “Allegedly inflicted.”
She remembered Adele’s stupid voice droning, asking about something that made Kiara furious, but she did not remember what or why. And then…
Nothing until Leontes and Jaeger found her on the beach in the shallow, swirling surf, kneeling over Adele’s unconscious form. Leontes had swept Kiara up in his arms, full of questions, but she had no answers. She was used to not remembering the pre-coffin days, but never something so near the present. And it terrified her. She squeezed her fingers around a book to keep her hand from shaking.
Mai turned on Leontes. “How could you let this happen?”
“He didn’t let anything happen,” Kiara threw the book down and whirled. Amber flecks flashed hot in her green eyes. “You sent a witch to infiltrate my mind. You only have yourself to blame that your plan backfired!”
“Oh, I see.” Kiara tapped an index finger to her chin. “So between her and Nicolette’s actions, you’re saying you’ve lost control of your own coven.”
“Kiara!” Leontes rounded on her. “That is enough.”
“But she—”
“Is our hostess.” His hard look quelled further protests, although Kiara managed a squint and low growl. He gave Mai a deferent nod. “We will accept Mistress Mai at her word. And now, it is time for us to thank her for her hospitality and take our leave.”
Mai barked out a harsh laugh, then gave the trio a beady-eyed stare. “I don’t think so. I’m not even going to mention the fact that Kiara almost killed Adele.”
“Allegedly,” Kiara said.
“You arrived uninvited, disabled our security, and my ambassador has been murdered. You will remain here while I speak to my council, as well as Rusila and your superiors.”
“That’s a joke,” Kiara said. “I did things today that Rusila and my superiors couldn’t. So how can they, or for that matter you, be my superiors? Truth is, I can leave anytime I want, the only question is whether or not I leave you and your kind alive.”
Fear flitted almost imperceptibly across Mai’s face.
Almost.
The mask of confidence quickly reloaded, but Mai knew Kiara had seen the breach. The air between the two women crackled with magic, sparks snapping like fireflies.
“You aren’t supposed to be able to do magic,” Mai said.
Kiara stepped closer. “You aren’t supposed to be this incompetent.”
“Damn,” Jaeger murmured.
“I have an idea,” Leontes said before Mai’s rising fury brought another outburst. He laid a hand on Kiara.