by Kim Cormack
Haley announced, “Brains before brawn!”
Kayn turned around just as Haley tossed a bucket full of ice water at her. What in the hell? She was instantly brought back to reality. Kayn shook her head as her breathing returned to normal. She regained her ability for rational thought. After a long drawn out moment of complete and total silence, she quietly laughed. The tension in the room instantly dissipated. She looked at Haley and exclaimed, “Thank you. Apparently, I needed that.”
Zach cupped her cheeks with his hands and confessed, “That Conduit ability is getting a wee bit freaky.”
She was a wee bit embarrassed. She apologized “I’m sorry, I guess it takes some time to learn to feed in moderation. I think I’m alright now. We might as well get this ridiculous plan underway.”
It’s a Dragon Thing
She strolled across the dated mustard yellow carpet to the door.
As Zach followed her, he asserted, “I’m coming with you now, for obvious reasons.”
She shook her head as she turned the doorknob, opened the door and walked right into Thorne. Oh crap!
The immortal’s lips slowly curved into a knowing smile. He chuckled, “I figured I’d stop by and make sure you’re aware that we know you’re here before you kids try something epically stupid.” He stepped closer to the door and said, “Aren’t you going to invite me in so we can speak freely?”
She was sure she could take him. Kayn stepped back into the room, allowed him to come in and closed the door.
Thorne locked eyes with Melody as he confessed, “I’m glad you made it out of the Testing.”
Melody appeared to be at a loss for words, so Zach pretended Thorne was speaking to everyone as he replied, “I’m sorry Trinity didn’t make it out. They were good people. We really liked them.”
Thorne directed his response to Zach, “They were a great group of kids.”
The conversation paused for a minute before Thorne continued to speak, “I’d imagine we’re all here for the same person. We haven’t found her yet, so there’s no point in drugging us for someone we don’t have. I just thought we could skip all that unnecessary drama and have dinner together at the diner next door. I know I have a few questions about the Testing and the banquet afterwards. We’re all dying to know how two extra members of Ankh made it out after twenty years. It gives us hope that maybe the next group in can bring the people we’ve lost out with them.”
Zach asked Thorne the question they’d all been thinking, “Aren’t we supposed to be enemies? The Summit’s over and so is the Testing.”
Thorne grinned as he replied, “There’s no need to start fighting until one of us has the girl.” He locked eyes with Melody.
The connection between them was impossible to ignore.
Zach’s gaze darted over to his love-struck friend. He rolled his eyes as he replied, “When do you want us there?”
Thorne smiled as he turned to leave. As he shut the door he responded to Zach’s question, “See you in half an hour.”
The door slammed behind him and they all stared at the closed door. None of them spoke, until Haley confirmed, “They aren’t going to hurt us. He wasn’t lying.”
Haley was an intuitionist. She had heightened instincts and impressions of people. She knew what they should or shouldn’t be doing. Kayn hadn’t known her for long but she trusted her ability. They all stood up without discussing the insanity of meeting a rival clan for dinner. They were going to dine with the enemy. Were they even allowed to do this? Would they get in trouble? Was Thorne playing them, because Trinity couldn’t find the person they’d been searching for?
Zach responded to her inner thoughts, “There’s only one way to find out.”
Kayn turned and smiled at her Handler. He was getting good at that.
Once again, he answered something she hadn’t spoken aloud, “I only hear your thoughts.”
She decided to respond without speaking at all, Prepare yourself for a wacked out experience. My thoughts are all over the place.
He flung his arm around her while teasing, “That was always obvious, even before I could hear them. Aren’t you going to get ready?”
She answered aloud this time, “I’m not feeling the slightest urge to get all dolled up for a dinner with Trinity.” She left his side, sprawled out on the bed and began to flick through the channels. Zach climbed onto the bed beside her and sat there quietly, observing her attempt to find something to watch. Melody strolled out of the bathroom, looking gorgeous. Kayn slipped her other hand over Zach’s to inconspicuously console him. She wasn’t feeling guilty about that kiss anymore. Melody was visibly excited to be spending time with Thorne. Poor Zach. After they’d kissed at the bar that night, he’d assumed things had changed. He thought he’d finally made his way out of the friendzone. He had to be disappointed. He gave Kayn’s hand a final squeeze before letting it go.
There was a faint flash of guilt in Mel’s eyes but nothing more as she urged, “We’re going to be late.”
That had to sting. Kayn personally had no desire to impress Trinity with a prompt arrival. She wasn’t even sure they should be going. It felt counterproductive. Why were they wasting their time socially entertaining the clan that was after the same girl they were after?
Haley and Astrid were laughing as they came out of the bathroom. They strolled straight past Zach as Melody opened the door and they left.
Kayn wandered over to stand beside Zach. She took his hand, nodded and urged, “Let’s go.”
He turned to her and explained his hesitation, “It’s going to be tons of fun watching the girl I like flirting with her ex all night. I just can’t wait to get down there.”
She gave him an understanding smile and spoke quietly, “When you’ve had enough and you want to leave, I’m with you.”
He smirked and she wasn’t sure how to take it. She recalled Tiberius’s words at the banquet before the group had left for the Summit. She was the consolation prize. She bit her lip and decided she wasn’t going to let Tiberius’s words affect her. There was no point. They didn’t apply here. She loved Zach as a friend but knew he wanted Melody. She’d even promoted it and Mel was going to submarine the whole thing just as it was starting for a dance through her past with Thorne. Karma came over and gave her a shove as she realized she’d done something like this to Frost. Her situation mirrored a mistake her friend was about to make. She wanted to catch up with Melody, shake her and tell her to quit kicking herself but she knew she wasn’t going to listen. She wouldn’t have listened if one of them had said the same thing about Kevin. She’d have to watch Melody make the mistake and be there for her when it was over. The group in front of them descended the worn wooden stairs in record time. Zach held the door open for her as they entered the diner. She gave him an empathetic smile as she strolled in. She stopped him and whispered, “She may still want him but she can’t have anything real with him, not anymore. This is nothing.” She knew this to be the truth. She’d learned this the hard way.
Zach nodded as he whispered his reply, “I just really wanted something more from her. I always have. I was probably just kidding myself.”
He wasn’t. He had stirred up feelings in Melody but there was no point in trying to clarify anything now. Kayn draped her arm over his shoulder and quietly added one last commentary on his situation before they reached the table that was already buzzing with conversation. “I’d suggest trying to make her jealous but I have no idea what I’m talking about. So, there’s no point in taking advice on your love life from me.”
He smiled at her, winked and teased, “Probably not but feel free to flirt with me.”
She shook her head at her friend slash Handler as they slipped into the only free seats at the table. They weren’t sitting in a pleather booth this time. The skin on the back of her thighs would thank her later. She noticed the familiar looking man at the other end of the table. It was Frey, her uncle by genetics alone. She’d met him at the banquet before the o
thers had left the newest members of each clan at that campsite for a week while they attended the Summit. It had been awkward to say the least. What do you say to a relative that had never played a role in your life? He was in an opposing clan which meant he never could. He looked up from his menu and smiled at her. She returned the gesture but neither of them attempted to start a conversation. What would be the point? Melody glanced over at her and winked before turning her attention to Thorne. She’d been where Melody was and look at how that had turned out for her. Kayn studied her menu, feeling the desire for something spicy. She scanned the choices. When she saw how bland the dinner menu was she silently cursed. When the waitress came by to ask for her order, she still hadn’t decided. She ended up ordering a steak, following Zach’s lead. When asked how she wanted it she felt the urge to order hers rare and ask for hot sauce.
Glory smiled at her as she remarked, “You know that’s a Dragon thing.”
Kayn looked up from her drink and felt her stomach curdle. She responded to Glory by saying, “I didn’t know that.” She noted that Melody appeared to be in seventh heaven hanging out with her new clan and her old one. Her stomach tightened again. Something was about to happen. Maybe, they were about to poison their food. What were they doing? They knew better than this. Thorne hadn’t been lying about the fact that they didn’t have the girl. From her vantage point in the conversation she knew they also had no idea who she was. It was a girl. That’s all the information either clan had to go on.
Thorne was speaking to her and she hadn’t been listening at all. He cleared his throat and repeated his earlier words, “I heard about the whole virgin sacrifice thing. I just want you to know that will never happen again. I heard the Guardians were absolutely livid.”
The leader of Trinity had asked her a loaded question. She had to respond without lying, because he would know. That was Thorne’s ability.
She gave him a one word reply, “Good.” Her stomach knotted again. She changed the subject. “So, what is the real reason behind this dinner? Are you trying to get into Melody’s pants or are you planning on drugging us and leaving us tied up somewhere?”
Thorne started to laugh. He shook his head and said, “I found it difficult to believe that you turned out to be the Dragon. I see it now. Shall I be blatantly honest? Can you handle that?”
She nodded. Kayn had always been intrigued by him. Thorne was charming but not in the same way as his brothers. He radiated this calm sensibility and he had kind eyes. She knew he would tell her the truth.
He stared directly into her eyes as he confessed his true motives, “They’ve quite obviously thrown you guys into this job without explaining a damn thing to you to see if you’ll sink or swim. I get it. We saw you in the diner. We knew you were here and suspected you were all alone. When you took the room below us, you forgot to circle the room with salt so we couldn’t detect you. We were sitting upstairs while our friend Jakob over there…” Thorne pointed at the guy that was obviously named Jakob. He waved at her. “Was listening to your conversation and relaying your rather inept plots to the group. When your plans started to venture into the ridiculous, we decided to let you know that we knew you were here. Normally, we’d just go down there, kill all of you and leave you there but some of us still have a soft spot for Melody. We’re still dealing with the loss of our people in the Testing and Melody used to be one of us, so we decided as a group to help her out. It’s obvious that none of us know who the target is but once we do, we’ll take her. If you find her first, we’ll take her from you, by any means necessary. Right now, in this moment. We’re just having dinner together and letting you guys know where you went wrong.”
Zach spoke first, “We didn’t even bring salt.”
Thorne grinned as he replied, “Well, for future reference, you’re always going to need to have some on hand.”
Glory was staring at her. Kayn met her unwavering gaze and asked, “Is there something in my teeth?”
Glory smiled as she replied, “Nothing in your teeth. I’d just love to see what you can do. Quite obviously, you’ve got Frost or Lily’s ability. There’s no hiding from anyone with those potent pheromones. What else can you do?” She met her eyes as she eagerly anticipated Kayn’s response.
“Anything I want,” Kayn stated.
The gorgeous Trinity girl smirked as she teased, “Except hide from us.”
Kayn gave her a genuine smile as she sparred, “Well, you obviously have me there.”
Their meals arrived and as it was placed before her she stared at her still bloody steak. It looked good…really good. She dumped a grotesque amount of hot sauce on the slab of oozing meat and cut off a bite. Heavenly.
Zach grimaced, displaying his displeasure to what she was eating. He shuddered as he continued to eat his own normal steak that didn’t look like it was capable of getting up and running away. She felt like someone was watching her and when she looked up, it turned out to be everyone. They were all staring. Everyone quickly averted their gaze as she noticed. Everyone except for Frey, her absentee uncle.
Frey knit his brow and asked, “Does that actually taste good?”
She took another bite and responded with her mouth full by nodding.
Her uncle intently watched her for a moment before blurting out, “Were you really a virgin?”
She started to choke on her meat. Zach slapped her back a few times and said, “You alright?”
Kayn couldn’t attempt to answer with a partially immortal lie detector sitting directly across the table from her so she answered his question with a question. “Are you really concerned or just asking out of sheer curiosity?”
Frey kept his somber demeanor as he replied, “Honestly, it’s a little bit of both.”
She couldn’t respond to the question. She would have to change the subject. Kayn coldly met his eyes and stated, “Haven’t you heard? I’m a Dragon. I have no feelings on the subject.” This was true, she didn’t.
Frey took a drink from the mug in front of him and sparred, “I don’t buy into that Dragons don’t have emotions crap. If you can feel rage. You have emotions.”
Thorne corrected Frey by saying, “Dragons have emotions. They are just able to compartmentalize them easier than the rest of us can. They can dull their emotional responses down when it’s required of them. That’s why Dragons are usually the best warriors.” Thorne smiled at her and raised his glass to salute her before having a drink of his beer. He looked directly at Kayn and said, “I imagine the whole sacrifice thing is still a bit fresh. Let’s just take that topic off the table.” Thorne was an observant guy. The waitress came around with a jug of water to refill their glasses. Kayn thanked her and the depressed looking girl gave her a forced smile as she left. Melody appeared to be mesmerized by her. The girl with the puffy eyes, appeared to be having a difficult time keeping it together in public. Kayn always found herself curious about people’s stories. Had she just been dumped? Had she just been chewed out by her boss in the back room? She’d obviously been crying. Melody took a drink of her water and excused herself, saying she had to go to the bathroom. She glanced back at Kayn as she swiped a salt shaker from a table as she passed by it. Kayn took a drink of her water and casually excused herself from the table. She leaned over and whispered in Zach’s ear, “It’s my monthly visitor.” She knew that Jakob guy had an amped up ability to hear things and the fastest way to shut down a boy’s curiosity was to bring up cramps or girly issues. She knew something was up with Melody when she snagged that salt shaker. Kayn pushed open the bathroom door and Melody was standing in front of the mirror. She turned around, pointed at the circle of salt on the floor around her and Kayn stepped inside the circle.
Melody whispered, “Let there be silence outside of this circle. Let there be silence inside this circle? One of those should work.”
She whispered, “Does that door lock?”
Melody quietly replied, “No, it doesn’t. We’ll have to be fast. That waitress, sh
e’s the girl.”
“How can you tell?” Kayn whispered back.
“It’s her aura. I’ve been seeing them around everyone since we came out of the Testing. Hers is mostly yellow. They said I’d know and I’m not sure how but I just do.”
The door creaked to signal that someone was about to come in. They managed to kick some of the salt under the sink. They were about to be busted. It was Astrid. They both exhaled and laughed.
“What’s taking you two so long?” Astrid whispered.
Kayn continued to hide the salt on the floor while Melody mouthed the words, “I found her. We need to lose Trinity. I need a pen and something to write on.”
Astrid whispered, “I only caught half of what you said.”
Melody mouthed the words again, “We need to lose Trinity.”
Astrid nodded and as the three of them strolled out of the bathroom Melody staggered and collapsed. What in the hell? Astrid went down to. The whole restaurant appeared to be asleep. What in the hell? Kayn’s vision wavered and she laughed aloud. They’d all been drugged, including Trinity. Now, there’s a plot twist she hadn’t anticipated. The door jingled and her vision clouded. It was Triad. They were here. She tried to remain standing even though her knees had become so weak that it felt like they would no longer be able to hold her weight. Tiberius strolled up to Kayn just as her knees buckled and her body dropped to the floor. Even though her vision was hazy, she knew it was Tiberius that knelt beside her and said, “Interesting, you lasted the longest Candy Kayn. We’ll be taking the girl.” He gently kissed her square on the lips and whispered, “Good try though. Better luck next time kid.”
Even in her barely coherent state she remembered that she’d taken Astrid’s ability and smiled. Enjoy the ride Asshole. The lights went out.