by S. K. Yule
“Actually, I think you will go to hell where you belong.” The sharp blow that Shara landed on Ebony’s cheek was hard enough to snap her head back, bouncing it off the stone wall. Ebony gasped and held her jaw, fighting to stay conscious.
Shara walked back to the little table and sat back down. “Now be quiet or I’ll silence you for good.”
Ebony didn’t doubt for a minute that she would do it, too. She slid back down to the cold floor and tried to think. Her head pounded so hard it was almost impossible to get a lucid thought through. So Alaina wanted Ashe and Shara wanted to kill him. How in the hell were they going to get out of this? She knew without a doubt that Ashe would come for her, but did he know that he was walking into a trap? He would never allow her to be hurt and would give his life for her. She would never let him do it. Even though she had decided to let him change her, it hadn’t actually happened yet and right now, she was still a dying woman. She had such little time she would not allow him to sacrifice his life for a few measly days or months or whatever she had. She had to think. Laying her head on her bent knees, she tried to come up with a plan.
Instead she drifted off only to find herself being shaken. “Get up! Alaina is calling for me to bring you to her.”
She slowly stood trying to ignore the dizziness once again. It subsided more slowly this time. Shara grabbed her by the arm and drug her out of the small door beside the table with the candle and up a narrow and steep flight of stairs. She had to concentrate to keep from stumbling. When they reached the top, Shara pulled her through several other rooms before coming to a halt in front of a door in a long hallway. Shara knocked and a few seconds later the door swung open into a bedroom as big as a small house.
It was decorated for a queen and Alaina lay stretched across a king-sized bed that stood in the middle of the room. Silk and rich furs adorned the bed and Alaina reminded her of a spoiled brat. Although, quite a bit more dangerous, unfortunately for her. She still couldn’t make up her mind which one of the women posed more of a threat. She had a feeling it was Shara since she didn’t seem quite right in the head. It might be possible to actually crack through Alaina’s jealousy a little, but she didn’t think she had a chance of talking Shara into anything other than revenge.
Maybe if she could get far enough away from Shara she could fill Alaina in on her little plan then maybe Alaina would take care of Shara once and for all. She didn’t know if it would work, but it was the only idea she had at the moment. If it did work, it would at least eliminate one threat.
Shara released Ebony once the door was closed, sealing off the only exit to the room. Ebony edged toward Alaina slowly trying not to draw Shara’s attention.
“Well, well, if it isn’t little Ebony. Such a pity you had to get in the way, but you know what they say. If you play, you pay.”
Ebony bit back a nasty retort at Alaina’s smug words not wanting to anger her until she could put her plan in motion. She inched her way a bit closer, putting a small distance between her and Shara but not enough to put her out of drudge’s reach.
“Don’t you have anything to say? I’m really surprised you aren’t crying and begging for your life. Humans are such weaklings, after all. Although, if you play your cards right and Ashe cooperates with my wishes maybe you won’t have to die. However, things do rarely go as planned. It wouldn’t be such a waste anyway, would it now? I mean, it’s not like you have much of your pitiful little life left.”
Ebony tried not to let Alaina’s words affect her, but it was hard. She had to concentrate on putting more space between her and Shara. She made a little more progress as Shara had seemed to lose interest in Ebony and anxiously watched the door. She prayed that her plan would work and took another small step toward Alaina.
After her taunts failed to provoke a response from Ebony, Alaina ignored her. “Drudge,” Alaina waited until Shara faced her before continuing. “When Ashe gets here, you get hold of Ebony and do not take your hands off of her. My whole plan relies on his feelings for her. I know he will do as I say if he believes her life is in danger.”
“Yes, Master. I know the plan well.”
“Well, you make sure you do. You remember if anything goes wrong, you get her out of here where Ashe can’t get to her.”
Chapter Fifteen
Aldin moved through the upstairs rooms with stealth, his footsteps betraying not a single sound. He didn’t know exactly what to expect but was sure of one thing. Alaina was using Ebony to get to his brother and he wasn’t sure exactly how far Alaina would take this little charade. Ebony’s life might very well be at stake and he knew Ashe was aware of that as well. The fear he glimpsed in his brother’s eyes earlier was unmistakable.
He never thought his brother would get over what Shara had done to him yet somehow, Ebony had gotten through to him. He knew if something happened to Ebony, Ashe would never forgive himself. And, he also knew his brother would never be the same.
He and his brothers had only been in Alaina’s house a couple of times, times when Alaina insisted upon their presence because her life was being threatened. Both times ended up being a ruse to get them to some unimportant party or such and she had known damn well that if the Aleksandrov brothers had a weakness it was helping anyone who needed it. She hadn’t really cared if Aiston and Aldin showed up, but knew it would be suspicious if she just needed Ashe. After the second time, they all agreed to never return.
Alaina’s mansion was the size of a castle and it would take time to check all the rooms. He knew it was taking all the willpower Ashe had to keep from reaching out to try to touch Ebony’s mind. Knowing it was possible for Alaina to sense the thread of telepathy from Ebony since she was not able to use blocks, he would not risk putting her in more danger. Aldin glanced at his watch. An hour of searching had turned up nothing. He shielded his mind from anyone but his brother.
“You have anything yet Ashe?”
“I don’t have anything yet. Fuck! I know she’s here, I can feel her.”
The desperation in his brother’s voice unbalanced him for a split second. He had never heard Ashe this upset, not even when Shara had betrayed him. “I haven’t found anything either. I’m getting close to being done up here then I’m going to head downstairs. You?”
“She has to be. If she isn’t, I just don’t know, man. Honestly, I might lose it.”
Aldin remained quiet for several seconds contemplating his words. Ashe might lose it alright, but God help anyone involved in this if it came to that. He would kill every last person connected to this mess with his bare hands if his brother was hurt. Cold, relentless anger clawed through his blood. No one hurt his family and got away with it, not even the beautiful Alaina. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. “Everything will turn out okay. We’ll get her out of here safe and sound.”
“Yeah, I hope so.”
* * * *
Back at the estate, Avril was having trouble getting back to sleep. Ashe promised to come back if he didn’t find Ebony so she was obviously okay. Right? She turned over to look at the clock. Five in the morning. It would be dawn soon and the noise from downstairs had died down considerably in the last twenty minutes. Hell with it. She grabbed her robe and went to find Ebony. She would not get any more rest until she knew her friend was safe. She was now confused as to how she just went back to bed at Ashe’s suggestion earlier anyway without knowing her friend was okay. She opened the door and ran into a brick wall. Damn, the man had to be solid muscle.
Ashe had told Aiston that he had given Avril a gentle compulsion to not worry about Ebony earlier, but didn’t know how long it would last. This was one of the reasons Aiston was stuck here guarding Avril instead of helping his brothers find Ebony. He was tired of being the damn lackey in everything. Although, he guessed most of the blame lay at his own feet with his constant pranks and joking. Maybe it was time for him to become a little less childish. Just a little though. All his thoughts fled when a soft body crashed into him.
> “What are you doing out here?”
“I do live here you know. Why are you up?”
She didn’t like the way he was ogling her and noticed a certain part of his anatomy was starting to stand at attention. She decided it would be best to ignore it. “Ashe stopped by asking if I had seen Ebony earlier and I was just wondering if he found her.”
“Ummm, well . . . You see it’s, ummm . . .”
So something was obviously going on and he was going to tell her if she had to beat it out of him. “Spill it.”
He stared at her for a long moment while she stood there with her arms folded over her chest and tapped her foot in annoyance waiting for his answer. Finally, he sighed in defeat.
Avril’s shock quickly turned to outrage after Aiston told her about the night Ebony had been attacked. And, how Ashe had rescued her and practically kidnapped her, insisting that she was staying with him until he could clean up the whole mess. The final straw was when she heard how Alaina had been behind the whole thing and had kidnapped Ebony. “That bitch! I knew Alaina was trouble from the first time I set eyes on her.”
“She’s definitely caused Ashe heaps of trouble since he’s known her, but none of us expected her to do anything like this.” Avril’s face flushed with anger.
“See that’s what’s wrong with men. They always underestimate what women are capable of. Well, we have to go help her. I mean Ebony’s my best friend in the whole world. I couldn’t stand it if she was hurt or . . . worse.”
Her bottom lip slightly quivered. Oh shit. She was going to cry. She hated crying and she certainly didn’t want to do so in front of Aiston. Before she could stop it, a fat tear rolled down her cheek. Aiston stepped forward and pulled her to him in a hug. He stroked the back of her hair before stepping back to look her in the eyes.
“Avril, everything will be okay. Ashe and Aldin are both looking for her and believe me when I say there is no one else better for the job. They will find her and bring her back here safe and sound. You would only be a distraction to them. We just need to relax and try to keep busy while we wait.”
She stood for several seconds, feeling helpless. She finally let out a long breath before slowly walking back to her bed and sat on the end, tucking her feet under her. Aiston shut the door and walked over to sit on the bench beneath the window.
“So, do you have any suggestions how we can pass the time?”
He quirked a brow. “Oh, I could think of a few things.” He flashed her a wide smile.
“Yeah, try it and you’ll leave here limping.” She felt a little smug when his eyes widened and his smile turned to a frown. She wanted to help her friend, but since she didn’t know where Alaina lived and Aiston wasn’t going to magically teleport her there, as much as she hated the fact, she had no choice but to wait. “I have a deck of cards on the dresser. We could play for awhile if you like.” She would do anything at the moment if it would keep her from losing her mind with worry.
Aiston walked to the dresser, picked up the deck and carried it to the bed where he sat beside her and started dealing out the cards for a game of poker. They played several hands. ”Wow, you’re pretty good.”
“Thanks.” She was so worried about her friend. Her stomach knotted and the tears rolled down her cheeks once again.
Aiston sat frozen for a minute before he gently put an arm around her shoulders and simply held her. Avril finally fell asleep, exhausted from the night’s activities and her sobbing. Aiston laid her gently on the bed, grabbed a throw and covered her with it. He then walked back to the window and stared out into the tendrils of dawn stretching like fingers across the sky.
* * * *
Ashe’s patience was reaching its end as he crossed the huge room that led past the staircase and into a hallway. He looked up and down the hall and took note of at least ten doors leading to rooms he would have to search. Just as he decided to take the left side first he heard a noise. He immediately froze, afraid to breathe, waiting, hoping to hear it again. After what seemed like an eternity, he started to dismiss the noise as wishful thinking when he heard it again, coming from the door right in front of him. He could here the distinct sound of Alaina’s voice and then another that sounded vaguely familiar. Then, he heard the one sound he had been praying to hear, Ebony’s voice. His knees almost buckled as relief swamped him. She was alive.
“Aldin, I found her.”
“Wait for me, I’m on my way.”
“No! Alaina is waiting for me and if you show up, she might do something rash. Let me try to get Ebony out of there first. If things go to shit, then by all means, come in full force, but for now just give me some time.”
“Fine, but I’m making my way to your location so I can be close.”
Ashe could tell Aldin wasn’t happy, but he knew this was the best plan. He had a feeling Alaina wouldn’t be as willing to cooperate with Aldin in the picture. Moving closer to the door, he wanted to listen for a moment longer to see if he could pinpoint exactly where everyone’s position was in the room. The unknown third voice remained silent for the moment and he decided to try to speak to Ebony. He just hoped Alaina and her little companion didn’t catch on to what was going on.
* * * *
Ebony finally felt comfortable with the distance she had put between her and Shara now, confident that she was out of her immediate reach. She had just decided to tell Alaina what Shara was up to when a welcome voice caressed her mind.
“Ebony, continue doing whatever your doing and don’t let them catch on that I’m talking to you. I need to know who all is in there with you and their positions in the room.”
It took everything in her to keep from sagging to the floor in relief. “Ashe! You have to be careful. You’re in danger.”
“Baby, my whole life is dangerous. Trust me to know what I’m doing. Aldin is here too for backup. Now don’t worry about me and give me the information I asked for.”
“It’s just Alaina and her drudge, the same one that attacked me, but you don’t understand. Alaina plans to use me to get you to cooperate with her, and you already know what she wants. You. But, it’s the drudge. She wants to kill you. Ashe, she’s—”
“What do you think you’re doing?” Ebony winced at the painful hand now gripping her arm. “You can’t be talking to people now. Nice trick, Ashe, I know you’re here and I know you’re talking to your little girlfriend. Now get in here before she gets hurt!”
Alaina caught her before she could tell Ashe about Shara. She tried to tell him anyway, but Alaina had put some kind of shield around the room, cutting off their mind links and she cried out in frustration. Alaina shoved her hard toward Shara who grabbed her from behind and put a wicked looking knife to her throat.
Alaina was standing about ten feet in front of him and her drudge was standing in the corner holding a knife to Ebony’s throat when Ashe opened the door.
“I’m here Alaina, now let Ebony go.” Fear flashed briefly across Alaina’s face when she saw the deadly stare Ashe fixed upon her. She quickly concealed it, obviously not wanting him to know she was frightened of him.
“Now, now darling, do you think I’m just going to let her go since you’re here. I mean what would I bargain with then?”
“Cut the crap and tell me what you want.” Ashe’s voice made the hairs on the back of Ebony’s neck stand on end. He sounded lethal and rage seemed to emanate through the room.
“You know what I want. I want you. I always have. I mean, come on, you know we could practically rule the world together.” She looked at him thoughtfully before approaching him and ran her finger up and down his chest.
“Alaina, I don’t want you. I’ve told you that already, several times.”
“Yes, you have. But, you could learn to love me again. I know you could.”
“Love you! I never loved you. I only love one woman and will always only love one woman. That’s Ebony. And, if you hurt her, I swear I will kill you, woman or not.”
“You Bastard! You know you loved me. Quit denying it!” Alaina’s fury was palpable.
“Alaina. You knew from the start that our relationship had nothing to do with emotions other than sexual ones.”
“Yes, and you didn’t mind one bit taking pleasure anytime you wanted did you?”
“Oh come on! You didn’t hesitate to do the taking when you wanted either. You knew from the start that our relationship was nothing more than that. Get over it.”
“How could you possibly want that little weakling instead of me? She’s nothing!”
Ashe snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself. That little weakling as you so call her has more class, honor and loyalty than you will ever be capable of. She is sincere and unselfish. She gives and never asks for anything in return. Does that sound like anything you could do?” Ashe stared for a moment as indecision crossed Alaina’s face. “No, I didn’t think so. That is why I want her instead of you, that is why I would choose her over you time and again and that is why I wouldn’t have you even if I had never met her.”