Seducing Death

by Cassandra Lawson

  Cam shook his head. “No, you don’t, and if you don’t want to end up dead, I suggest you admit that to yourself soon.”

  “So, you are threatening to kill me?” she asked, sounding a little disappointed.

  Cam shook his head. “Nah, I don’t threaten to kill people. If I was even thinking about killing you, you’d already be dead. Now, my vampire friends are a different story. See, they’re too soft for their own good. They don’t really want to kill you, but they’ll do anything to protect their own people.”

  The woman was quietly studying Cam. “For some reason, I get the feeling you aren’t lying to me,” she said softly.

  “I don’t lie,” Cam said with a shrug. “I’ve also got no reason to help these vampires. It’s not my war, and my people aren’t in any danger.”

  The woman nodded. “Fine. Get me out of this hole, and if they can somehow convince me they’re not all evil killers, I’ll help them.”

  Simon looked like he was getting ready to throw out a scary threat, but Ian caught his arm and shook his head. Ian helped the shifters get the woman out of the pit, while Simon went to get a collar and cuffs from the jeep.

  When Simon returned, the woman started to panic and struggle to get out of Cam’s grasp. Obviously, she’d heard about the collars. Cam tackled her to the ground and pinned her while Simon put the collar on her. Under Cam’s weight, she glared at Simon as he started to put the armband on.

  “Have the shifter wear it,” Ian said.

  Simon froze, looking at him like he was crazy.

  “She’s responding better to him,” Ian said. “Our goal is to get her to give us information, and that’ll be easier if she feels less threatened.” Listening to himself, Ian realized he really was getting soft, or maybe he was just less bitter.

  Simon nodded and put the armband on Cam, who was already familiar with how it worked.

  “Is there any reason you both ignored my messages?” Connor asked as he emerged from the trees.

  Simon shrugged. “Bad coverage out here.”

  “How about the truth?” Connor suggested. “Could you also tell me why the shifter is wearing nothing but an armband, and lying on top of a vamp in a collar?”

  “We didn’t want to wait to question them because it had been so long since they’d had blood,” Ian explained.

  “You had blood in the jeep,” Connor reminded them.

  “Two bags,” Simon said. “Not enough for three vampires, and we didn’t want to try guessing which ones were worth saving.”

  Connor let out a frustrated breath and nodded. “Fine, but next time you’d better explain that to me instead of ignoring my messages. What happened to the other two vampires?”

  “We had more than that, but only three had heart beats,” Ian explained. “The other two put knives in their own hearts before we could do anything to stop them.”

  The female’s sharp intake of breath was the only sign that the deaths of her fellow vampires bothered her. Ian had to respect her strength. Hopefully, they wouldn’t end up having to kill her.

  “Okay, so we’ll get blood for her first,” Connor said, motioning toward the female. “Then we’ll start transporting the humans.”

  “She’s already had blood,” Simon said. “Cam fed her.”

  Connor simply raised an eyebrow.

  “I’ll fill you in on the details later,” Simon assured him.

  Cam had moved off of the female, and she was sitting on the ground in cuffs and a collar, looking like she might kill someone.

  “She kind of reminds me of Shelby,” Connor said as he eyed the woman.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Simon said.

  “Any chance we can get the shifters some pants before we head back?” Ian asked.

  Connor laughed. “You know it really says a lot that I’ve gotten so used to seeing naked shifter asses that this didn’t even bother me.”

  “I hope I never get used to that,” Ian muttered.

  “I’ll check with the humans and see if we can get some pants for Cam and Zane,” Simon said before heading in the direction of the settlement.

  “You’d better find some,” Ian called after him. “I’m not riding in a jeep with naked shifters.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Two days with no summons was pretty rare in Kyleigh’s world, and it worried her more than a little. Under normal circumstances, she might be grateful for the break. Now, she had to wonder if this was a sign that something really bad was coming her way.

  The other problem was she didn’t know what to do with herself in this realm. It wasn’t like she had a lot to do in her own realm, but she had a routine of sorts.

  Kyleigh was beyond bored, which was probably why she didn’t even stop to wonder if she should respond to the knock on Ian’s front door. The protocol for visitors when Ian wasn’t home hadn’t been discussed.

  On the other side of the door stood a wood nymph, a vampire, and a shape-shifter. The only name she could remember was Raven, the wood nymph. She’d met the shifter, but the name just wasn’t coming to her. It was something like Lily. A giggle escaped her lips.

  “Did we miss some joke?” the shifter asked.

  Kyleigh smiled and shook her head. “It’s pretty stupid actually. There was this soul that didn’t want to cross years ago. Well, actually he didn’t understand he was dead at first. Anyway, he kept telling me these jokes that involved things like a priest, a rabbi, and a prostitute walking into a bar.”

  Raven laughed. “My dad used to tell me those jokes. They were terrible.”

  “I know,” Kyleigh said, “but when I opened the door, I was thinking a wood nymph, a vampire, and a shifter walk into a bar.”

  Raven laughed.

  The shifter and the vampire looked confused.

  “Why would they walk into a bar?” the shifter asked. “I guess, if it was dark, maybe they wouldn’t see it, but what are the odds of them walking into the same bar.”

  That’s when the vampire laughed, finally catching on. “Oh! You mean like those places humans used to go and drink alcoholic beverages.”

  Kyleigh nodded.

  “Wait!” the shifter said. “People went to a special place to drink alcohol? Why didn’t they just drink it at home?”

  “This joke is even less funny now that I have to explain so many details,” Kyleigh said. Then she realized they were all standing on the porch. “Sorry, did you want to come in?”

  “We were heading to the training center to spar and wanted to know if you’d like to come with us,” the vampire said and stuck out a hand. “I’m Norah.”

  Kyleigh took her hand. “Kyleigh, but you already knew that.”

  “Layla,” the shifter said. “We sort of met, but you were too entranced with Simon’s beauty to notice me.”

  Kyleigh blushed. “He is very beautiful, not quite as handsome as Ian, but still nice to look at.” A hand went over her mouth, as if she could somehow push the words back in.

  “Don’t be embarrassed,” Norah assured her. “I’d have to agree that Ian’s more attractive than Simon, but that’s mostly influenced by the fact that Si is like a brother to me.”

  “Wasn’t Connor like a brother to you too?” Layla teased.

  Norah stuck her tongue out at Layla. Kyleigh was curious about what they meant but decided not to ask. She already knew Connor was with Raven now, so she assumed whatever had happened between Connor and Norah was in the past.

  “So, do you want to come with us?” Raven asked.

  “I’m not much of a fighter,” Kyleigh admitted. That hadn’t always been the case. As the daughter of the town whore, she’d done plenty fighting growing up. Now, she could easily protect herself without resorting to physical violence. There were some benefits to her Fae abilities.

  “I suppose you don’t get challenged very often,” Layla said. “I’m still making fun of Zane for freaking out when he first saw you.”

  “We’re mostly going over to blow
off some steam,” Norah explained. “Since you have to put up with Ian, we figured you must have plenty of stress to work through.”

  Kyleigh smiled. “Okay.” She looked down at her tight stretchy pants and shirt. “Is this okay to wear?”

  “That’s fine,” Raven said. “Did Ian give you a key?”

  Kyleigh shook her head. They hadn’t even talked about her leaving the house since she’d refused his offer to have someone give her a tour of the settlement. Even then he hadn’t mentioned giving her a key. Then again, she could flash in and out of the house, so that might be why he hadn’t thought of it.

  “I can see you trying to work through all the reasons Ian didn’t leave you a key,” Norah said. “Let me clarify this for you. Ian lived alone for a very long time. We had to remind him to give Mitchell a key.”

  “Yeah, don’t take it personally,” Layla said. “I’ll send Simon a message and have him give Ian a subtle reminder that you might want to leave the house.”

  “Thanks,” Kyleigh said. “Maybe I can go next time.”

  “We’ll use the back door,” Raven said.

  “Without locking it?” Kyleigh asked.

  “We don’t have many break-ins,” Layla explained.

  Kyleigh wasn’t completely comfortable with the idea of leaving the back door unlocked, but she really did want to get out for a little while. They’d all heard about her ability to just disappear from Danny, but she wasn’t really supposed to do that in front of others.

  “Has anyone given you a tour of the settlement?” Norah asked.

  “No. Ian offered to have someone give me a tour, but it seemed silly since I’ve been here plenty of times,” Kyleigh said without thinking.

  “You have?” Layla asked.

  Kyleigh hadn’t planned to talk about what she was, but how else could she explain her response. “Death happens everywhere. Since I’m only involved with violent deaths, or souls that don’t pass on, most of what I do isn’t here.”

  “But we’ve had our share of violent deaths in the settlement,” Norah finished for her.

  Kyleigh nodded. Things were much better now, but she still remembered the early days of the settlement when most vampires hadn’t completely trusted humans, even those who had helped them during the rebellions. The early vampire deaths were the worst. She still remembered trying to help those crazed souls cross. Many souls had been damaged by their time in the vampire reservations.

  “This is new,” Kyleigh said when they got to the large three story building.

  “Then you haven’t been here in several years,” Norah remarked.

  Kyleigh merely shrugged because she’d been to the settlement plenty, just not this area.

  “We had this built about five years ago to use as a training center,” Norah continued. “It’s got various rooms for training, as well as some meeting rooms. Granted, we meet at Connor’s house most of the time when he’s here.”

  “Why is that?” Raven asked. “When I first got here, I had no idea you even had a training center. We were sparring in your backyard.”

  “Habit,” Norah said. “Larger groups meet here, but Con’s house is where we’ve met for years, so we’re all used to it.”

  “Okay, we’ve patiently made small talk. Now, tell us what’s going on with you and Ian,” Layla said, pulling Kyleigh into a room that was empty except for the mats on the floor.

  “Not much to tell. Ian’s stuck with me,” Kyleigh said. “At least for now.”

  “He doesn’t seem to mind it,” Layla said.

  “I’m not Kate,” Kyleigh said.

  “Let me guess, you heard what he said the first day you were here,” Raven said, giving her a sympathetic smile.

  “Yes, but I already knew he felt that way,” Kyleigh said. “It’s not his fault that he can’t move past his wife. He loved her very much.”

  “Yeah, he loved her, but she’s dead,” Norah said. “I totally get why that was devastating for him. I thought my husband was dead for a year, and I wouldn’t even leave the house for the first six months. Ian took grief to a whole new level, and I think it’s become a habit for him.”

  “That’s not really fair,” Layla insisted. “It was horrible what happened to his wife and daughter. I might be just as bitter if I were in his position.”

  “I agree that it was awful, but it has nothing to do with Kyleigh,” Norah added. “Why should he act like an ass to her because of it? She saved his life.”

  Kyleigh cringed because it wasn’t exactly true that she’d had nothing to do with their deaths. Actually, she was surprised Ian hadn’t asked her if she’d been the one to release their souls.

  “Why did you save him?” Raven asked.

  “I made a promise to someone,” Kyleigh said, staring at her toes. “It was the only way to get the soul to cross.”

  When she looked up, all three sets of eyes were glued to her, and all three mouths were open slightly.

  “Does Ian know?” Norah finally asked.

  “No,” Kyleigh admitted. “I’m not really sure there’s a good time to tell a man you were involved in the death of his wife and daughter.”

  “I suppose not,” Raven said. “Still, I think you need to tell him, especially if things are going to move forward between the two of you.”

  “Things aren’t going to move forward,” Kyleigh said as tears burned the backs of her eyes. “What we had before we came here was fun, but it’s over.”

  “Fun?” Norah asked. “Whatever it is between you has Ian turned inside out. He’s a different man, and what you have is far from over.”

  “I suppose you’re right about it being far from over,” Kyleigh said. “Ian can’t leave me, thanks to what I did.”

  “Ian’s alive, thanks to you,” Layla added.

  “You’re right,” Kyleigh said. “I keep feeling guilty about tying Ian to me, but I did save his life.” Then she let out a self-depreciating laugh. “What has gotten into me? Seriously, I’m not the type of person to sit around feeling sorry for myself. Yet, that seems to be all I’ve done since I got here.”

  “Has that jackass been complaining about being tied to you?” Raven asked, looking like she was ready to give Ian a piece of her mind.

  “No,” Kyleigh admitted. “It’s just the way he’s been acting that makes me think he regrets it. There’s also the fact that I don’t belong among the living.”

  “Are you planning to leave Ian?” Norah asked.

  Kyleigh shook her head. “It’s not that simple.”

  “I’ve known Ian for a very long time,” Norah said. “He could always be a bit of a jackass, but after he lost Kate and Sarah, he was crazed with hatred.”

  Kyleigh nodded. “I was watching him then and was pretty sure there’d be no way to save his soul if he was killed.”

  “Mitchell helped him heal a lot,” Raven explained. “I may not know him as well as Norah, but Ian has changed even more in the short time he’s known you. You’re good for him.”

  Kyleigh believed that too. It wasn’t so much her worth that she doubted as Ian’s ability to move forward with her. “I think you were right about the sparring,” she said. “I do have lot of anger I need to get out.”

  “It’s okay to be pissed off,” Layla said. “I’m pissed off quite a bit, and I spend a lot of time trying to be diplomatic and think about everyone else’s feelings. Maybe what you need to do is start letting your anger out more often.”

  Kyleigh laughed. “You only say that because you don’t know the Fae. It’s never a good idea to be too emotional around them.”

  Raven nodded. “Yeah, they’re the type who would use your emotions as a weapon against you.”

  “Do you know many Fae?” Kyleigh asked.

  “No, thank Goddess,” Raven said. “I’ve met a few, but I’d already been warned to pretend I didn’t know what they were.”

  Kyleigh smiled. “I wish I’d managed to stay invisible to them. So, are you going to teach me how to use
those sticks you’re holding?”

  “I thought you’d never ask,” Norah said with an almost evil grin.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Kyleigh was the first to admit that the Eskrima sticks were a poor choice of weapon for her. The others had tried to teach her how to use them, but it hadn’t worked out very well. Raven had even tried not to laugh when Kyleigh almost smacked herself in the head with the stupid stick. Layla and Norah had made no such effort, not that Kyleigh could blame them. Her lack of coordination was funny.

  What Kyleigh could do was brawl with no technique at all. Raven and Norah had taught her some basic things, like the leg sweep to take down an opponent. Kyleigh seemed to be coordinated enough as long as no one handed her the Eskrima sticks.

  Now, she stood facing off with Layla, who was quite a bit shorter than her, but as a shifter, she was plenty strong. Kyleigh was stronger than the average human but had nothing on the shifters. Layla kicked high, and Kyleigh ducked and slammed into Layla’s body, taking her down to the mat. There, they both wrestled to try to get on top of the other.

  “Holy fuck!” Ian said.

  Kyleigh and Layla both froze, turning toward the door where Ian and Simon stood watching.

  That’s when Kyleigh realized Layla’s shirt was torn, and her own had ridden up over her breasts. Both of them stood and tried to right their clothing.

  “Please don’t stop,” Simon said. “This may be the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “It’d be even better if they were wet,” Ian added with a wicked grin that had Kyleigh blushing.

  “We were sparring,” Kyleigh explained.

  “No need to explain,” Simon said with a wink. “You just helped fulfill one of my fantasies.”

  Layla walked over and punched Simon lightly in the belly. “Perv,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

  Simon looped an arm around her waist and bent to give her a quick hard kiss. “Looking for Norah. We need to interrogate a female turned vampire, and Connor thought it might be nice to have someone less threatening in the room. I naturally thought of Norah.”

  Kyleigh rubbed her bruised ribs. “Less threatening? Was there a different Norah? This one could put her fist through a brick wall.”