by Helen Scott
After what felt like an age of watching Righty dig around in his pocket while Lefty stared lasciviously at her, a set of small silver keys dropped into her palm.
“Thank you. You may return to your posts.”
She knelt down and unlocked the cuffs around Aster’s ankles, handing them back to security as she stood.
“Better?” Robin asked, looking up at her.
Aster nodded.
“Good. Now, follow me.” She walked away from the guards, guiding Aster by the elbow.
“You look good walking away!” Lefty called.
She ignored him and said under her breath, “Aster, you must act sick, like you have the flu.” She barely moved her lips for fear of being seen.
Aster looked at her questioningly.
“Please, trust me. I’ve been in contact with your sister.”
Aster was about to open her mouth to respond, but Robin shook her head and placed a finger over her lips. She tried to make it look like an itch for the security cameras and was now fairly sure that Aster thought she was insane. So long as the girl acted like she had the flu, Robin didn’t care.
Chapter 19
The door loomed before them. Robin didn’t want to take Aster inside, let alone question the poor girl in front of Mr. Fields. She wished for the millionth time that her father had been different, one who didn’t barter his eldest daughter to pay off a gambling debt, then she wouldn’t be here at all.
The big, gold doorknob was in the middle of the door, something Robin despised. The deep hunter green of the door always seemed to be mocking her. It should evoke calming, nature-related feelings in her, but instead the color now turned her stomach. As she opened the door, she sent hurry-up vibes out to Hyacinth.
“I have Ms. Porte for you.” Robin’s voice sounded high and tight to her own ears, betraying her fear of the man in front of her.
He looked up from the document in front of him, his jeans and T-shirt making him look more the part of the young, hip CEO. The desk was bigger than her bed. Hell, she couldn’t have even fit it in her room. She knew that he liked to use it to display everything from himself, as he was doing now, to using it to illustrate his wealth and control.
The man had framed himself perfectly against the red mahogany monstrosity of a desk. His papers fell from his hands, and the pen was tucked behind his ear as a wide smile spread across his face.
“Ah, welcome! Welcome! Ms. Porte, it is a pleasure to have you here. We are going to do wonderful things together.”
He looked like the cat who ate the canary.
“I’m Randall Fields, CEO of Eclipse. Please, sit, sit.”
As Mr. Fields motioned to the chair, Robin led Aster further into the office and watched as the young woman sat down like she thought the plush white cushions might contain needles or something equally evil.
Once in the chair, her blonde hair curtained her face, the strands lanky and dirty from her time downstairs. Robin was sure it would have been movie-star-quality hair otherwise. Reluctantly she left Aster’s side and went to sit on one of the sleek metal chairs at the side wall, notebook in hand.
“Ms. Porte, can you look at me, please?” Mr. Fields’ voice skittered over Robin’s skin as she remembered sitting in the chair herself. At first, she had believed his act, believed that this man wouldn’t be so bad to work for. After all, he was being so kind.
“Would you like some tea? I have any kind you could desire. Or coffee?”
Aster still didn’t look at him, keeping her face down and her hands rigidly clenched in her lap. Dirt caked her feet, and her jeans were ripped in various places and undoubtedly stained with blood. If they really wanted to make her feel better, they would have let the poor girl shower and given her some clean clothes.
“Robin, please pour Ms. Porte a glass of water and a cup of coffee. That way she can have her pick.”
Robin scurried to reply as quickly as possible.
“Now, Aster, I really need you to answer some questions for me. I know you were giving the boys downstairs some trouble, but surely you and I can work something out.”
“Doubtful, unless you’re going to let me go in exchange for your answers.” Aster’s voice crackled as she spoke, her dehydration apparent as she licked her lips to rasp the words out.
“Well, you are in a place of power with this negotiation, so please tell me what I can provide for you, other than the obvious, which we both know is not going to happen.” Mr. Fields’ eyes took on a steely glint as he informed Aster that there was no escape. Robin had to suppress the chill that ran down her spine from being visible. He didn’t like when he saw her shiver.
“Just kill me if you won’t let me go. I’m not telling you anything.”
Aster was much tougher than Robin had given her credit for.
“There are much worse things we can do besides kill you. For instance—”
Robin coughed. She needed Aster to remember to act sick. If she was sick, then at least that gave her sister a bigger window to figure something out.
Aster’s head came up, and she looked over at Robin, moving the hair out of her face. Mr. Fields was also staring at Robin as though she had grown a second head.
“Sorry, sir, a tickle in my throat.”
“Get some water or a cough drop or something and make sure you clean where you have been.” The one thing Mr. Fields hated was the idea of getting sick from one of his employees. Something Aster now realized as well.
Robin quickly got up and went to get a cough drop from her desk. The lemon and honey coated her throat pleasantly even though she wasn’t sick. When she came back toward the room, she heard yelling.
“You can’t do that!” Aster was standing now, her shoulders tense and the rigid stance of her body radiating waves of fury.
“I can, and I will. Did you think the injections you’ve been receiving the last few days were for fun? The Surgeon will be here shortly to evaluate you and make sure you are healthy enough for the procedure. If he confirms, then we will move you to our surgical facility, which is quite nice, I might add, and you won’t feel a thing. Then when you’re ready, you can start to tell me some of your visions. In return, you will get treated like a queen. Anything you want will be given to you, provided it’s safe and secure, of course.” Mr. Fields made a move as if he was going to straighten his tie, only to realize he wasn’t wearing one. He frowned.
“I-I-I’ll kill myself before I let you take my eggs to breed some sicko family for yourself.”
“There is no way for you to do that. Is there?”
“I’ll think of something.”
“We will secure you to a bed, if necessary.”
Aster looked over at Robin, her eyes wild with desperation. “Do something!”
“It’s best if you answer Mr. Fields’ questions,” Robin said, crossing her legs and posing as the perfect secretary. She saw him smile approvingly out of the corner of her eye, and a coil of revulsion spread through her.
Aster gaped at her before going down into a coughing fit.
“Did you get her sick?” Mr. Fields yelled at Robin.
“I don’t think it would work that quickly even if I did, sir.”
“Don’t be a smart ass with me right now. Help her! Do something!”
Robin grabbed the glass of water and rubbed Aster’s back. “Take little sips.”
Aster slurped some water down before another coughing fit came on. Either the girl was actually sick, or she was a really good actress.
“Good. A little more.” Aster slurped again. “That’s it. If I make you some tea, I can put honey in it to help your throat, if you want.”
Aster nodded.
“Dammit. I tried with you, I really did. I’m going to go upstairs and change out of this.” He gestured with disgust to what he was wearing. “When I come back, we will have a proper talk, or so help me . . . I’ll have The Surgeon knock you out now. Then we won’t have to worry about your trivial suicide attempts.”
Mr. Fields whipped around and went to his private elevator while Aster continued coughing. Robin knew it wasn’t safe to talk even with him out of the room.
“Here’s your tea,” she said loudly before lowering her voice to a whisper as she perched on the edge of the desk. “Don’t talk; just keep doing what you’re doing. I’ve been in touch with your sister.”
Aster’s eyes shot to her’s, terror filling them. She shook her head emphatically. Robin wasn’t sure what Aster objected to, but either way, it was too late now.
“You should really think about answering Mr. Fields’ questions. It will make things easier on you in the long term. He’s really not so bad once you get to know him,” Robin said loudly again as she heard the elevator descending.
Aster sipped her tea. She probably burned her tongue, but she didn’t seem to care. “Thank you,” she whispered to Robin.
“Most welcome.”
The elevator dinged softly, and the doors silently slid open. The scowl on Mr. Fields’ face was enough to send another round of chills down Robin’s back. Aster had gotten under his skin, which was not a good place to be.
“Robin, please take over the questioning.”
“Yes, sir.” She had been dreading this. She moved to sit on the chair next to Aster’s, carefully arranging her notepad to block Mr. Fields’ view of her chest.
“May I call you Aster?” Robin said, ducking her head so she could make eye contact.
Aster nodded.
“Thank you. Aster, how long have you had visions?”
“All my life.”
“Does anyone else in your family have them?”
“No.”
“What kinds of things do you see?”
“Anything. I don’t control what I see.”
“Can you give me an example?”
“I knew my sister would get a tattoo before she had even thought about it.” One of Aster’s hands came up, and she chewed on a fingernail while the other remained fisted in her lap.
“Is there anything that triggers them?”
“No.”
Mr. Fields sighed loudly from the other side of the desk.
“Do you have any other special skills or talents we should know about?”
“No.”
“We will wait until The Surgeon is here. He will do a thorough examination and let me know if she’s lying about anything,” Mr. Fields said, effectively shutting down Robin’s line of questioning.
“Yes, sir.” She bobbed her head. “Would you like me to escort Aster back downstairs?”
“No, just call for security.”
“Right away, sir.”
Robin got up to leave, and Aster sneezed.
“Take her with you. I don’t want her in here if she’s sick. I expect you to work late tonight to make sure the cleaning staff disinfects everything.”
“Of course, Mr. Fields.”
Robin tapped Aster on the shoulder to get her to follow. She rose stiffly from the chair, as though her joints had set in place.
“You know what he’s planning on doing to me?” Aster angrily whispered as they sat at Robin’s desk, waiting for security.
“Yes, he’s planning on harvesting your eggs so he can develop a family of seers who are loyal to him. It’s why I made contact with your sister.”
“He’s not just going to take my eggs! He’s going to implant a fertilized egg in me, to ensure that if it’s something that’s not DNA related, then I pass it on to at least one child. I had never even thought about having kids!”
“I wish I could do more. If he found out what I had already done, he would probably kill me. And I’m not exaggerating for effect on that,” she hissed.
“Sorry. He seems to like you, so I thought maybe you could do something.”
“He tolerates me because of what I am. That’s it.”
Aster raised an eyebrow at her response. Robin wasn’t about to explain her curse to a stranger.
“Just keep your head down and keep acting sick.”
Robin heard the whir of the elevator, and dread pooled in her stomach. She didn’t want to hand Aster over to the men who were torturing her, but she had little choice in the matter.
They headed to the elevator. She’d only made it two feet when the scream started to build inside her. She wanted to run and hide, but she knew that would only make it worse.
Each step she took toward the elevator made the scream grow. She knew this one was going to leave her hoarse. When the elevator doors opened and the same two security guards stepped out, she knew something must have changed in the last hour or so that had caused her to sense death on one of them.
They stepped toward her, holding out the cuffs she had taken off Aster when she’d arrived.
That was a mistake.
The scream broke free and wrenched her jaw open. The shrill, glass-breaking sound flew out of her mouth. Everything around her was forgotten. The only thing that existed was the scream and the impending death of one of the security guards.
She always saw a flash of the death, a small snapshot that contained a clue as to how the person who triggered the scream was going to die. Robin knew her transformation into her banshee form was complete when her vision faded to black and white.
Mr. Fields was in front of her, along with The Surgeon. He was saying something while The Surgeon’s hands touched her. She couldn’t focus on anything but her screams. Robin knew one of the security guards was going to die in a fire, and she didn’t want to be the one to have to tell him. When the world started to fade, she gratefully accepted the blackness as she passed out.
Chapter 20
Cin knew what she wanted, and she would be damned if she would let this siren stop her from getting it. The last cookie sat on the plate between them. She glanced at Thad and saw him watching her out of the corner of his eye.
“Take it if you want it, but you’ll owe me.” His voice seemed to rumble through her as they lay in bed cuddled next to each other.
All night they had been sleeping and waking each other up with caresses and kisses. It was the most amazing experience of her life. When she had said she was hungry, he teleported out of bed, and she heard him rummaging in the kitchen. Moments later, he popped back into bed with a plate of cookies and a giant glass of milk. They shared the milk and the cookies, but now they were down to the last one.
“What do you want for it?” Her smile was unstoppable. She couldn’t remember ever being this happy or this relaxed before.
“You.” His eyes burned into hers.
“Deal. I’m all yours.” She picked up the cookie and took a bite, trying to play down the words she had spoken as casual. They were anything but that. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she chewed. Thad’s arm coming around her shoulders squashed the anxiety blooming inside her.
“Just the way I like it,” he whispered before he kissed her temple.
Her stomach flip-flopped inside her at the words. She hoped that she didn’t screw this up. Thad made her feel happy and beautiful and everything she’d ever wanted in a relationship.
She sighed happily as she cuddled into the nook of his shoulder, thanking the stars for how lucky she was to have found him as she finished her cookie.
“Come on, Grandma,” Thad yelled as Cin finished getting ready.
“Hey now! Watch who you’re calling Grandma, old man!” she yelled back with a smile on her face.
She heard him grumble from the other room but couldn’t make out what he said as she put on some eyeliner. They were going to have a chat with his other brother Alec and Alec’s fiancé, Ellie. Cin had met Dem, but that was under extreme circumstances. Thad was voluntarily introducing her to some more of his family, and it made her excited and terrified all at the same time. She only wished he wasn’t being so cryptic as to why they were going over there. All he would say was that he had a private matter to discuss with his brother. The way he said it, though . . . It sent a tendril of excitement through
her.
“Finally!” Thad said as she walked out. She had borrowed one of his T-shirts, and apparently he liked that since a smile spread across his face. She had tied the shirt in a knot at the side. It made her feel very ’90s, but if it wasn’t there, then it looked like a little girl playing dress up.
Once Cin was in reaching distance, Thad pulled her into a kiss that was hotter than hell. His tongue plundered her mouth and tangled with her own. Her body was suddenly set aflame with need. Cin wrapped her arms around Thad and practically tried to climb him. His hands cupped her ass and gently pushed her back down.
A low masculine rumble emanated from him as he pulled away from her.
“You look good in my clothes,” he murmured against her lips.
“Very glad you think so,” Cin said as she pressed her body against his.
“If we don’t leave now, we never will.” He kissed her once more and put some space between them.
Cin’s whole body thrummed with desire. She could feel her pulse in her lips from the roughness of their kisses, her skin slightly scratched from his stubble. She smiled. this was what she had been looking for.
Thad had woken something in her that would not go quiet again easily, and she loved it. Everything about him felt right. He fit her. She fit him. All the other men she’d dated across the years had been okay, but none of them had ever come close to this.
They walked over to Alec’s house, holding hands the whole way. She was floored by how elegant it was. Thad’s house was low to the ground, a ranch, whereas Alec’s was what she always imagined fancy European houses to look like.
The cream stucco looked all the richer for the dark frames around the windows and doors. Lights glowed on the front porch even though it was midday, but the glow was welcome as they walked up, and Cin realized that the trees that grew over the porch effectively blocked out most of the light. The whole thing was dangerously close to looking like a castle.
While it was fancy and impressive, she much preferred Thad’s ranch that was covered in stone and warm woods. It seemed much more modern than his brother’s house.