by A and E Kirk
So he lived. A bittersweet notion.
Little time remained. She retreated to the hearth and worked quickly to unravel her braid. When the last woven strands shook free, she ran her fingers through the glossy waves and let them tumble down her back.
Behind her, Leontes murmured, “Is this Heaven?”
Kiara froze and took a controlled, measured breath.
“No, my lord,” she replied softly, then turned to face him, framed in the fire’s warm glow. Her eyes narrowed. “As you were oft so kind to remind me, I am truly Hell.”
Confusion wrinkled Leontes’ brow as his gaze focused. “Kiara? You are safe? Thank God.” His eyes dipped down. “For Chrissake, are you naked?!”
With a noise of contempt and roll of her eyes, she stalked across the room and wrenched open the doors of the wardrobe, practically pulling them off their hinges.
“Good, yes, find some clothing,” Leontes said. “Then tell me what happened? Where is Fauxleander?” Leontes struggled to rise, but his body refused to cooperate. “What is wrong with me?”
Someone banged on the trapdoor.
“Kiara!” Frankie yelled. “Are you in there?”
Kiara’s stomach hollowed. Panic iced her veins. She had been a fool and stayed too long.
More pounding. Harder this time.
“Open up!” Jaeger demanded. “Who just dumped me on the floor? I could have bled to death. It was gramps, wasn’t it? And here I saved his rotting vampire hide.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Frankie said. “It’s just a flesh wound.”
“Flesh wound? There’s a bullet in my shoulder.”
“That would be in the flesh. Hence the term—”
“Kiara!” Jaeger resumed his pounding. “Gramps!”
Kiara ripped a gauzy pink gown off the hanger and yanked the dress over her head. Then she closed her eyes and muttered under her breath. She felt her consciousness begin to pull away, but feared it would take too long.
Jaeger yelling. Leontes ordering her to open the hatch. None of it helped.
Then the familiar, agonizing pain raked through her head. Sharp and savage as jagged glass, it manically slashed through her brain with vicious precision, shredding away the memories into oblivion. But the true Oleander welcomed the shadows that edged her vision, and she sighed with pleasure as the darkness overcame her.
She caught Leontes’ gaze and could not resist.
“Prepare yourself,” she said, her eyes stuttering from yellow to green. “Because once I have ended that woman, I am coming for you.”
A cold, feral smile prowled onto Kiara’s lips.
Leontes recognized it.
His jaw dropped.
“Kiara?” he whispered. With a great effort of will, he heaved himself up. “No!”
In her last moment of consciousness, magic zapped from Kiara’s fingers, and an explosion rocked the room.
CHAPTER 113
Jaeger’s head popped up through the smoke. “They’re here!” He pushed aside the rubble and climbed through the door, holding his left arm at an odd angle. “Nice job with the kabooming, Frankie.”
“What the hell is going on?!” Leontes demanded, coughing and waving away the smoke.
Kiara’s green eyes widened when she spotted Leontes. She launched across the space and tackled him onto the bed, her face buried in his shoulder. “I was so scared!” she said. “But…I don’t know why.”
“Hey, gorgeous, I could use a hug too,” Jaeger said.
“Go away,” Leontes snarled, trying to blink away the confusion that muddled his head.
“Hey, you should be nicer to the guy who took down Fauxleander and saved your life.” Jaeger reached through the splintered remains of the hatch, wincing as he hauled Frankie up. Blood soaked the shoulder of his shirt.
Leontes gently removed Kiara and eased himself up to sit on the bed. He cast a doubtful eye at Jaeger. “You saved me from Fauxleander?”
“When did Fauxleander have you?” Kiara cried.
Leontes rubbed his forehead. “The car crash. A fight? That is the last I remember.”
“Must be the old age setting in, gramps,” Jaeger smirked. “Let the young royal prince explain a few things.”
While Frankie made sure Kiara and Leontes were physically unharmed, Jaeger caught everyone up to speed. As he regaled, it became apparent that Kiara remembered nothing after they had landed in Jaeger’s room at the werewolf den.
“…so the gist is, I woke up, called Frankie to fly us in the helicopter to the house using the tracker, and when the fog was too thick to land, I rappelled down, took out Fauxleander, and saved you and Kiara. You’re welcome.”
“How did you get back here?” Leontes asked.
Jaeger snapped his fingers and pointed at Leontes. “That’s still a little fuzzy.”
The words fuzzy, hazy, and blacked out were used far too frequently for Leontes’ liking, but seeing Kiara’s lips tremble, tears welling in her eyes upon hearing actions she could not remember, he did not press.
“So, gramps,” Jaeger said, strutting an avalanche of cocky, “I just, you know, took a bullet for you. No big deal. Think nothing of it, other than you owe me your life. And don’t forget it.”
“Indeed,” Leontes said.
“Kiara,” Frankie said, “Why don’t you go tend to Jaeger’s wound in my lab. Mabel can help. We cannot very well let the royal prince bleed out.”
All somber uncertainty disappeared from Kiara’s face. She grinned and wrapped Leontes in another hug. “Then we can celebrate!”
“That is quite enough of that.” Leontes pried her off, and after she left with Jaeger through the shattered hatch, he turned troubled eyes on Frankie. “There is an abundance of holes in that narrative.”
“Ya think?” Frankie plopped down on the bed next to him and released an exasperated sigh. “I really don’t think the puppy remembers putting the tracker on her. Or much of anything else. And between the damn forest being so dense and the fog thick as muck, I couldn’t get near this supposed house, let alone see it from the helicopter. Then it blew up. Nothing but rubble once the fog cleared. Thought you were all dead.” She punched his shoulder.
Leontes winced and rocked gently from the hit. “You think the puppy is covering for Kiara?”
“I’m not sure about anything anymore,” Frankie groaned. “Things were much simpler when Kiara would just kill all our problems.”
Leontes smiled. “But since that is not a current option, we must handle things by our own means, starting with the first and most important item of business.”
“Which is?” Frankie asked.
“For you to get rid of the puppy, of course.”
“Get rid of Jaeger?” she said. “Why?”
“It is obvious.” Leontes rose stiffly and limped for the hole in the floor. “Because he is the root of all our misfortunes.”
Frankie stared at Leontes for a long moment. Then she broke into peals of laughter. So overcome with hilarity, she fell back onto the bed and held her stomach, trying to catch her breath.
“Gadzooks!” she managed to say. “You’re serious?” More laughter spewed from her lips. “You think, oh God, you think Jaeger is the problem? Because things were going so smoothly before he showed up? Oh, oh. And people say you don’t have a sense of humor.”
Leontes puffed up with indignation. “Who says that?”
“Who says—?” Frankie dropped back on the bed, grasping her stomach, overcome with hysterics once again. “Thank you. After the day I’ve had, I needed that. But okay, sure. Let’s say I deal with the puppy, the real problem, what are you going to do?”
CHAPTER 114
Leontes squealed into Nightmare Mansion’s garage, still feeling satisfied over the meeting with King Oberon. The ambassador had been away for several days brokering a deal with the summer fairy king. Mab had obliterated enough protocols that she was honor-bound to accept punishment.
Summer was coming into full p
ower in less than a month. The winter queen would be nearly dormant soon. Oberon had agreed to keep her and the entire winter court imprisoned in her castle without access to leave the fairy realm from now through the duration of summer’s reign. That bought Leontes some time to determine how best to deal with the threat of the Ice Queen and the dangerous woman in the mist, whoever she may be.
As for Fauxleander, there were no new killings, sightings, or messages of any kind. Everyone was on high alert, but the assassin seemed to have gone to ground as fast as he had appeared. All in all, the threats to Kiara were currently not imminent, and Leontes could breathe a little easier.
As he approached his assigned parking space, driving the latest Aston Martin, a prototype which was not even available to the public yet, a motorcycle raced past and zipped into the spot, blocking Leontes from entering.
The vampire jammed on the brakes and stared with stunned aggravation. Everyone at the VLAAD Institute knew this was his section of the garage. These were his vehicles. His parking spaces. Who would have the nerve? Well, the imbecile would soon learn the error of their ways.
The jeans and bomber jacket-clad rider swung off the bike, removed the helmet, and hung it on the handlebars.
“Hey, partner.” Jaeger lifted his chin in greeting and strolled off.
Leontes’ jaw dropped. “What the—?” He jumped from the sports car and chased after Jaeger. At a loud noise, he stopped and turned.
The sight made his blood boil.
He had forgotten to turn off the engine or put it in park, so the brand new car, also known as a work of art, had just crashed into two of his favorite antique vehicles.
“Dammit, puppy!”
Leontes raced to the door that led into the mansion and used his body to block Jaeger’s path. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Who?” Jaeger looked around with overdramatic innocence, and then pointed to himself. “Oh, me? Funny you should ask. I’ve been employed as a consultant for the VLAAD Institute. I can come and go as I please. Day or night. I’ve got this all-access pass and everything.” He pulled out an official VLAAD Institute ID badge that bore his picture. “See?”
Leontes snatched it from him and stared in shock.
“Hey, gramps. Do you have one of those too? Because if you don’t, I can put in a good word for you,” Jaeger said through a smirk, and closed with a wink.
Leontes struggled to find his voice. “Con— Consultant for what? You have no skills!”
“That hurts a little, but I must have forgotten to mention that I actually have degrees in bioengineering, chemistry, and zoology. See, when I worked at a bar in England, I attended this little university called Cambridge. You might’ve heard of it. And when I went to Harvard I worked—”
“Rubbish!” Leontes threw the badge on the ground.
“No, it’s all true. I’m super smart and highly qualified. And here at the Institute, I work directly under a brilliant doctor. What was her name? Oh, yeah. Victoria Frankenstein. I believe she has a lab right here in the mansion. Where I’ll be spending all of my time.” Jaeger snatched up the badge and gave Leontes a look. “And I don’t want to be late, so if you don’t mind.”
The vampire glared, but stepped aside, his movements tense. When the badge unlocked the door and Jaeger walked in, Leontes scowled and followed, his fists opening and closing, causing his knuckles to turn white.
They entered a foyer with an elegant staircase that curved up into shadows along the wall to the right. Jaeger headed down the hall to the left.
“No,” Leontes said firmly. “They would never trust a shifter with this level of access.”
Jaeger paused and turned around. “That’s where you’re wrong. Rusila loves me because…” He gave Leontes a devilish grin. “And you’ll appreciate this, I just recently helped stop a war between vamps and shifters. And I saved the vamp’s Number One Ambassador from the lethal clutches of an evil assassin. Even took a bullet for him. Rusila really appreciated that last bit.” Another wink.
Leontes gritted his teeth so hard he was surprised they did not grind to dust. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“Would I kid a kidder like you? Where’s Kiara? I want to surprise her with the good news.” Jaeger rotated his shoulder. “And my bullet wound is a little sore. Thought she could play nurse again. I’m sure she promised me a sponge bath. See you around, gramps!” With a wave over his shoulder, Jaeger sauntered off.
After a long moment, Leontes said, “How could you allow this?”
From the top of the staircase, Rusila uttered a low, throaty chuckle. “Because you just allowed that impertinent boy to walk away with his throat still intact. You are not the beast you once were, and I need results.” The queen descended with imperious grace. “I need you back.”
Leontes turned dark, dangerous eyes on the queen. “For what you ask, there will be hell to pay.”
Rusila shrugged. “Seems a small price for a drop of Midnight Poison.”
As Leontes watched her glide down the hall, he was not sure he agreed.
CHAPTER 115
Dr. Lyons strode down the hall of his elegant Beverly Hills estate and patiently listened to Kiara regale her recent exploits. Every bit the distinguished gentleman, the doctor appeared to be in his mid-forties. Black hair gelled back into smooth waves. Stylish glasses perched on a proud nose. Kind, walnut-brown eyes brimmed with intelligence.
When Kiara paused to take a breath, he interjected, “Be careful. You’re doing it again. Thinking and speaking of yourself in the third person. It’s good in some ways, but I’ve been worried since I couldn’t bring you out during our last few sessions.”
“It has only been a few days since I had the encounter with Fauxleander.”
His brows knitted together. “No, my dear. It has been over a month.”
“Oh.” She blinked. “I did not realize.”
“And now you’re telling me you’ve been quite the busy bee. Revealing several times on your own. At Mab’s castle and with the assassin. And even with the young werewolf?”
“Yes. But I did not mean to. I still cannot control it.”
He touched a large, gilded mirror and the bookcase slid away to reveal a stairway. The doctor and Kiara descended. Fluorescent lights flickered to full strength as they reached the concrete floor at the bottom.
Other than one table holding a stack of old leather journals, pages crammed with scribbled notes and drawings, the state-of-the-art lab rivaled those at the VLAAD Institute. Stainless steel, glass, and high-tech equipment, some of which was new since she had last visited. An antiseptic odor permeated through the many unique scents that always wrinkled her nose.
The doctor snapped on rubber gloves. On the table, Kiara placed the dagger Leontes had sent over, the one she had taken from Fauxleander and then lost in the fight for Giselle. She and Lyons shared a long, hopeful look, then she raised her hand over the weapon and sprinkled the handle with tendrils of magic.
As the spell swirled onto the handle, the jewels glowed. A low hum entered the silence. The knife vibrated against the table, sounding like teeth chattering from the cold. After a muted pop, the handle split open lengthwise into two neat halves to reveal a clear glass vial nestled inside.
The bottle held a fine pale powder, which glistened with a vague iridescence. The doctor held it up against the light. “The color is right.” He twisted the stopper out and waved the bottle under his nose. He nodded. “Now the rest.”
Kiara sliced the dagger across her finger and squeezed in the correct measure of blood. Dr. Lyons replaced the stopper, shook the vial, then held it up to the light again. The liquid shimmered like mercury. Seconds ticked by. Kiara’s face began to fill with disappointment.
Then the liquid cleared to a pristine glacial blue.
The doctor smiled.
Kiara leaned on the table, weak with relief. “Now we just need the remaining items.”
“The rumor I circulated about artifact
s from your past life has gained credibility faster than I had hoped. Once we obtain all of the artifacts, we can re-create the Midnight Poison.”
“And I can finally have my life back. Get rid of this silly girl.”
Dr. Lyons chuckled.
She jerked her head toward him. “What is so amusing?”
“I keep telling you, that silly girl is you.”
Kiara huffed. “She is so not me.”
The doctor outright laughed. “That inflection and vernacular you just used, it’s present day. Even the old you is taking on bits of the new.” He rolled his eyes at her imperious sniff. “She is you. More of the person you would have been if he had not gotten hold of you.”
“You have told me this before.”
“You don’t seem to listen.”
“It makes my head hurt. I just want to go back to my old self.”
“It won’t be that simple. She has become a part of you. The two must integrate one day.”
She put her hands over her ears and babbled, “La, la, la, la, la.”
“Ah, yes. You are the epitome of maturity.”
“Dear God,” Kiara moaned. “The ridiculous girl is rubbing off on me.”
“This will all work out. Even if, God forbid, someone gets the ingredients, the formula and your part in it were never written down.” He patted her hand. “A brilliant decision on your part, my dear.”
“On our part,” she corrected. “We do this together. As always. My brawn and your brains.” She laughed and hugged him tightly, reveling in the warmth and comforting presence of the only father she had ever known. “After all, you are the great Leonardo da Vinci.”
Excerpt from
DEMONS AT DEADNIGHT
BOOK ONE OF
THE DIVINICUS NEX SERIES
CHAPTER ONE
Someone’s car was totaled and it wasn’t my fault.