Kaden had to laugh. Though he tried, he knew he didn't always manage it. Far from it in some cases.
"Why do you laugh?" she asked, frowning.
Kaden took her hand in his. "I wish I had as much faith in folk as you do, Princess." He really didn't think Lena would thank him for telling Thorn exactly where she was. In fact, he really didn't want to think about the whole situation at all.
Soraya smiled as she turned to leave. "Trust me, Kaden. You're doing the right thing."
Kaden watched her go, and in that moment he believed her. If only that were true for the rest of the time.
Thorn stepped out from the shadow of the Huguenot Protestant Church in Soho Square. The stench of Fallen hung heavy in the air, making the bile rise in his throat. But what made him nauseous was the delicate scent of Lena's blood that rode the air with that of the Fallen.
Flashing across the small park, he found her.
His first thought was to go to her, but as he rushed towards her he realised she wasn't alone. Lena cradled the human to her as the air around them hummed and crackled. Thorn's jaw went slack as the realisation of what he was seeing hit him.
The faint green glow of the human's soul shifted and shimmered as Lena's power forced it back, moulding it, shaping it. Binding it. The pale green shone more brightly as Lena worked, the air becoming more dense as the spring greens turned into a deep emerald.
Lena's raven hair whipped across her face and her eyes glowed a vibrant sea-green as she forced the woman's soul back to her body. A great roar echoed around the park and for a moment the air stood still before a blinding light made Thorn shield his eyes. And then it was gone.
Thorn heard the woman's heartbeat kick-start as her soul found home again.
Lena released her vice-like grip on the woman and fell backwards. Thorn caught her before her head could hit the ground. She was ghostly pale as Thorn cradled her against his chest, her breathing shallow. The exertion of holding the human soul showed in the sheen of sweat across her brow and Thorn winced at the bruising on her cheek bone.
"For the love of all that is holy, Lena! What the hell were you thinking?"
Lena's now black eyes fluttered open and stared up at him in disgust. Even injured, with her powers severely depleted, Lena's contempt for him was tangible. "No one should hold dominion over another's soul," she spat back at him.
Thorn closed his eyes. So she knew. In that moment he realised he'd convinced himself that she hadn't really seen through him that night in her bedroom. That she'd just rejected him because she didn't want him, even told himself that it would all be fine. The look on Lena's face told him otherwise.
As if on cue, the delicious scent of her blood became overwhelming. Thorn gritted his teeth as exotic spices assaulted him. It was almost overpowering.
"You need to get away from me," Lena said as she struggled to get up. She made it to her feet, but it wasn't without considerable effort. She hissed as she stood upright, clutching her ribs with a shaky hand.
Now she was standing Thorn could see the vicious gash across her side. The blood flow had stemmed, the wound already starting to heal, but it must be agony. Thorn winced as he watched her, but he was powerless to help. She was too wary of him. If he went anywhere near her, he had no doubt she wouldn't hesitate to do him some serious damage. Just the thought made him want to cross his legs and protect his manhood.
Lena started across the lawn, grunting with every step. "Lena, stop! You need to see Soraya," Thorn called after her.
"I need to clean up this mess," she replied without missing a step.
"Listen to me, Lena," Thorn said as he followed her across the green. "That wound needs looking at. You can't just go traipsing around without a single thought for your own safety!"
Lena rounded on him, her eyes wild. "I've had worse and you know it!" she hissed.
"Yes, but…" That was before, he thought to himself.
"But nothing, Thorn! If you're going to help, then do it. If not, then do us both a favour and leave me alone!"
By Faerie, she was stubborn.
Again, nothing new, but he wasn't used to having her stubbornness so squarely directed at him. Determined not to abandon the damned mule, he followed her. Halfway across the square, the ridiculousness of the situation hit him; here he was, the King of the race, wandering around the middle of London, chasing after a girl.
The smile teasing the corners of his mouth disappeared as he caught up with Lena, crouched over a dead Fallen. The stench of his decaying body caught in Thorn's throat but he felt truly ill as Lena turned the remains over. "Fuck!"
Lena laughed as she looked up at him. "What's the matter, Thorn? So lofty you can't deal with a little blood and gore?"
Thorn shook his head and he stared at a face he'd known all his life.
Lena's patience was wearing thin. Despite her wariness of him, Thorn still ignited a fire within her and she needed to get as far away as she could from him. She looked up at him and gasped.
His golden eyes burned as he stared down at the Fallen. She realised it wasn't the look of disgust on his face. It was recognition. "Thorn?" she whispered.
Thorn ran a shaky hand through his unruly hair. "Do you have any idea who that is?"
Lena looked back at the body. The skin on Joker's face was already desiccated, the bones starting to crumble. Lena doubted she'd recognise her own kin in this state.
"Am I supposed to know?" she asked.
Thorn rubbed his clean-shaven jaw, like he was thinking of the best way to answer. It seemed to take an eternity before he spoke. When he did, it wasn't exactly illuminating. "No, I suppose not," he said quietly.
"But you do?"
Thorn just nodded.
Well that was helpful.
Lena sighed. "And?"
"And I need to talk to Kaden."
You and me both, buddy!
Angry at the lack of answers her temper rushed to the fore. "Right. Well, if that's all you're going to say, how about you actually help me deal with this," she tapped the body with her foot, "and then we can both get the hell out of here. That woman's not gonna stay nice and quiet forever, you know. She's gonna scream merry hell when she wakes up!"
Thorn matched her anger as she saw his eyes flash platinum. An errant thought coursed through her mind, questioning why she wasn't as afraid of his anger as she used to be, but it disappeared as she watched Thorn crouch down over Joker's body.
He placed his outstretched hand across the Fallen's chest and a crackle of energy rippled through the air. The body disintegrated. One moment it was there, the next, nothing. Not even dust.
Lena stood there open-mouthed.
She had never seen anything like it. What Thorn had just done would take a warrior hours to complete. Joe Vampire wouldn't have the strength to do it at all. Lena's version of cleaning up usually involved killing in dark alleys where no one would see or burning the bodies.
Like all Fae, Fallen burnt like a slow-burning funeral pyre when they died. Their bodies would disintegrate to ash and leave practically no trace that they ever lived. The process wasn't pleasant and it took a long time. Speeding the job up was a messy business and the smell was worse than freshly-spilled Fallen blood. Well, usually.
Her brow furrowed. "How long have you been able to do that?"
Thorn shrugged, like blasting something into oblivion was an everyday occurrence. Maybe it was for him. Lena's frown deepened as she realised she didn't know. How could she know someone her entire life and not know them at all? The realisation startled her.
Another energy pulse from across the square brought Lena's attention back to Thorn. She watched him despatch the other two Fallen before he made his way back over to her. It shamed her to admit the raw power of him set her on fire. Even in the dim glow of the street light she could see the muscles in his long, jean-clad legs bunching and flexing as he strode towards her, his t-shirt straining across his broad shoulders. The closer he got, the more her tem
perature rose.
By the time he stopped in front of her, Lena thought she might actually melt. Just one look into those glorious golden eyes of his and she knew she'd be lost. And yet, she just couldn't help herself.
Thorn towered over her, not moving. In fact she didn't think he was even breathing. His golden eyes burned as he looked down at her, the passion she saw there scorching her.
Unable to stop herself, she reached for him. As she laid her hands on his huge chest, Thorn dipped his head and finally took a deep breath. She didn't know why he did that, but somehow she was used to it.
He moved slowly, rubbing his cheek against hers, his uneven breathing tickling her ear. The closeness kindled the need for more, made her body hum with desire for him. Lena's hands shook as they travelled up over Thorn's strong shoulders and into his rebellious black curls. She tugged gently so that he moved back and she could look into those eyes again. Lena whimpered as he stared back at her; there was so much emotion there, it overwhelmed her. The growl he gave before he claimed her lips set her on fire.
Lena clung on with all she could as Thorn's strong arms wound around her. She shivered as he sucked on her bottom lip, moaned as his fangs nipped at her. Strong hands pulled her closer, crushing her breasts against his chest as his tongue teased her, begging her to let him in. Something in the back of her mind told her she should stop. Something that said she needed to remember why she was angry at him. Her mind swam with confusion, but before she could think any further, Thorn pulled away.
More confused than ever, Lena nearly cried out at the loss of him.
Thorn snapped his head up. They were no longer alone.
Heat still coiled through him, telling him to ignore the interruption, to hold on to Lena with everything he had. But one look into her questioning face told him the moment had gone. She had been right there with him, but as soon as he pulled away, he'd lost her again. Distrust and doubt returned to her midnight-blue eyes.
Thorn swallowed hard as shame enveloped him once again. He wanted desperately to say something, anything, to make her understand. Make her trust him again. But his need for her blood still rumbled deep within him and he knew anything he said would be a lie.
He watched two human men holding hands and laughing as they ran into the park and he realised this was neither the time nor the place. "We need to leave," he said as he finally dropped his arms and let her go.
Lena closed her eyes and shook her head. For the briefest of moments, Thorn's heart soared but it came crashing back to earth when he realised she was shaking off the feeling he'd left her with. The realisation made him ill.
Shouts from over where the human woman lay focused his resolve. "We're going," he ordered. He gripped Lena's shoulder with the intention of dematerialising with her, but she shoved him away.
"Don't touch me! I'm not going anywhere with you," she snapped as she made to walk off.
Damn her, but she ignited such fury in him. Knowing he would regret it later, he materialised in front of her, blocking her path. "Now is not the time to argue, Steward of the Watch." Without waiting for her reply, he gripped both her shoulders and willed them both back to House Blackwood.
Chapter 23
Ryver took a good glug of his ice-cold beer and promptly spat it all over Kaden. Seconds later, right before Kaden voiced the tirade Ryver had already heard in the guy's mind, all hell broke loose in the hallway.
Ryver cringed as he watched Kaden bolt for the door. The expletives Lena screamed were pretty bad, especially since she was directing them at Thorn, but they were nothing compared to what Ryver heard from her unguarded mind. Holy Fuck!
He raced across the room, desperate to stop Kaden. He dived at the Keeper, grabbing him about the waist and rugby-tackled him to the floor. Their momentum carried them across the floor in a roll until Ryver's back clattered into the leg of the pool table.
Kaden leapt to his feet. "What the fuck are you doing, Ryver?" Kaden demanded as he loomed over him.
"You really shouldn't go out there, Boss," Ryver replied as he mentally checked himself for a broken spine.
"And I really think I should, so get out of my way, Guardian."
They both winced as Lena continued to wail like a banshee. "I'm serious, Kaden. What's going on out there is no place for either one of us."
Ryver could literally hear the cogs in Kaden's head turning, though he was more guarded than either Lena or Thorn. Ryver didn't know that he could ever unhear what both of them were mentally screaming right now. It was a damned sight worse than what was coming out of their mouths. Lena's current tirade alone was enough to make his granny blush. Ryver grimaced as he heard glass breaking, knowing full well that Lena had aimed for Thorn's head and missed.
Kaden's brilliant blue eyes widened in alarm. "What the fuck was that?"
"That would be Lena's attempt at regicide," Ryver replied with a laugh he didn't really mean.
"This is not a bloody joke, Ryver!"
"Don't I know it."
Kaden narrowed his eyes, and Ryver's shoulders slumped with what he knew was coming. "Tell me," Kaden ordered.
Ryver sighed. He really, really didn't want to get into this; telling tales on his friends, let alone his King had never gone well in the past. And friend or not, Lena was definitely the scariest being he knew.
"That was an order, Ryver," Kaden insisted.
The words weighed heavy on Ryver's shoulders but no matter how much he struggled against it, there was no way he could deny a direct order. In fact, the only person who could say no to Kaden was Thorn. Conflicted, Ryver's brow knitted as he tried to decide what he should say.
Where the hell did he even start? Kaden wasn't stupid, but Lena was like his kid sister and big brothers had a tendency to shoot the messenger when it came to their sister's love life. Or whatever the hell she had going on with Thorn.
The argument moved down the hall, but Ryver could still hear everything they said. And everything they didn't. Christ, this was a nightmare.
Kaden waved a bottle of beer in his face, reminding him he still hadn't answered. He tried to get a read on just how pissed off Kaden would be when he found out that Lena was shagging the King, and said King wanted her soul. But all he could hear was Kaden reciting his times tables. He was currently on thirty-sevens. Ryver had no idea how he could compartmentalise like that.
Kaden broke the deadlock. "If it helps, I know that Lena is Thorn's Amocinta."
So, Kaden wasn't completely in the dark then. "I don't think she knows that."
Kaden shook his head as he replied, "No, probably not."
Ryver swigged his beer. "Don't you think someone should tell her?"
Kaden's jaw twitched, the only sign that Ryver had hit a nerve. "No."
Ryver tried again to listen in on what Kaden really thought, but all he got was thirty-eight times seven is two-hundred and sixty-six. Ryver shook his head. "Right. Erm, sorry but why the hell not?"
The twitching got worse. Kaden ground his teeth. "We just can't."
"Says who?"
"Soraya."
"Oh." He hadn't expected that answer. "Who else knows about this?"
"Just Soraya, Thorn, you and me."
Right. "I'm guessing that Thorn doesn't know we all know." Kaden just arched a blonde eyebrow at him. That would be a no then. "You do realise that Lena thinks Thorn wants her soul?"
Now it was Kaden's turn to choke on his lager. "What?" he roared. Ryver winced as Kaden's temper reared its head. "Why in the name of Faerie would she think that?"
Ryver stepped back before he answered. If Kaden swung for him, he wanted even the smallest of chances that he could get out of the way. "Because she sensed his blood-lust," he whispered.
Ryver watched Kaden trying to rein his anger, but his wild eyes betrayed him. "When was this?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
Ryver took another step back and swallowed hard. "The first time was when they were…" he paused, trying to find the best way of saying it
. He finally went with, "When they were together at House Bowman."
Kaden's intense scrutiny made Ryver's skin crawl. The fact that he didn't reply just scared the crap out of him. With no other choice, Ryver cleared his throat and carried on. "The second time was the other night when Thorn went to her room. She didn't realise what it was when it first happened and thought Thorn regretted sleeping with her. That's why she was so mad at him.
"But the other night she saw it for what it was. Thorn doesn't really want her soul, well not the way she thinks anyway. He does need her blood though and she needs, well, let's just say she needs him too. But cos no one's bothered to tell her what the fucking hell is going on, she thinks she's actually going mad.
"Aaand I'm rambling. It's part of the mating ritual isn't it?"
Kaden stared through him. Ryver listened again; apparently Kaden also knew his forty-two's times tables. Ryver had no idea if Kaden heard any of his monologue. He kinda hoped he hadn't heard the part where he'd said Lena was sleeping with Thorn.
He waved his hand in the Keeper's face. "Hello? Kaden?"
Kaden seemed to remember Ryver was in the room as he blinked in recognition. He looked confused. "What did you say?"
"That blood-lust is part of the mating ritual," he said not wanting to reiterate the rest of the conversation.
"Yeah."
"Great."
"Isn't it just," Kaden snapped.
Ryver shifted from one foot to the other, not knowing what to say. Kaden had taken to pacing. That was usually a bad sign. Ryver took a couple more steps away.
"What were they fighting about just now?" Kaden asked.
"As far as I can make out, treating her like a child, kissing her and then making her materialise back here. That and the fact she actually wanted him to kiss her but she has no idea why."
"That sounds about right," he replied taking a large gulp of lager. "Well, at least they didn't kill each other!" he said with an almost maniacal laugh.
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