I wanted to respond but I didn’t have the words. She was right; I would never stop, not until either Riley or I was dead. Lately though, the latter was looking like the more realistic outlook.
“That’s what makes me smile when there isn’t anything to smile about—your determination. It’s what makes you who you are.” Rayna slid closer to me, her fingertips never leaving my chin. “It’s what makes me have that strange feeling spark in the pit of my stomach when you‘re close.”
Silence filled the space between us, but it wasn’t the awkward quiet that had seemed to follow us around these past few weeks. It was the most comfortable quiet I’d ever had.
My eyes were fixated on hers and I could feel magic vibrating beneath her skin. It was warm, and the muscles tightened in my chest, triggering my own elements.
Water, fire, earth, and air spiraled through my core. In a sensation of hot and cold, they washed through my body towards hers.
There was a connection between us that couldn’t be defined by any one thing. She had the ability to pull my magic out of me, even when I wanted to contain it. I didn’t know if that was the witch inside her, the hunter, or something else altogether. She could calm me when I was angry, and when I was surrounded by darkness, she showed me light. Rayna was it for me. What started out as friendship had turned into something more. I didn’t know what, but I knew I was going to fight like hell to find out.
I reached out and her hand fell from my chin. She leaned over me and my hands found her hips, pulling gently to urge her forward. She slid closer and our eyes never strayed from one another.
Crackling heat and crashing waves floated from my body and channeled into hers while her earth element cascaded through me in a way my own couldn’t. Everything would come to life in a new way as if she had given me my first breath, my first touch, and my first taste of rain all at once.
Rayna hovered over me, her lips nearly touching mine. My fingers curled under her shirt and I slid it up to her stomach, letting my fingers run down her sides. Her magic spiked beneath my touch and she shuddered.
Warm breath slipped between my lips and rolled over hers as they drifted above me. Her intense gaze filled me with a heat no magic could replicate.
My fingers trailed up her stomach, over her chest, and slowly traced the sides of her neck. I cradled her face in my palm and closed the distance between us. Our lips touched and magic ruptured between us, her body collapsing onto mine.
Her lips were soft, parting gently as I pushed my tongue over hers. My hands slid down her body, wishing I could pull her closer. I ran my fingers through her hair and unclipped the clasp that held it all together.
Rayna’s hands gripped my chest, and raven hair fell over my face. Soft tendrils of red slid down my neck as she pushed against me and we kissed. My hands gripped her hair, and I couldn’t resist pushing against her. When she pressed back, the magic crackled between us.
Static electricity stalked the air around us and sparked as we touched. My hands roamed lower down her body and pulled her tight against me when a man’s voice cleared his throat.
The power between us shattered and panic rocketed though my body. Rayna froze on top of me, her eyes fixated on mine and filled with fear.
I slowly peeked out from beneath her to see Marcus standing in the doorway. Gray sweats stretched around massive legs and a white muscle shirt hugged his body. His bulging arms looked even bigger when they were crossed and uncovered.
Rayna adjusted her shirt and rolled off me. “It’s not what it looks like…I mean…we were just...don’t you ever knock?”
“I did knock,” Marcus said. “Twice.”
“Then that was probably a sign saying you’re not invited to just walk in,” she said.
Marcus’s expression didn’t change and Rayna look flustered, shaking her head and pushing past him.
“Well, I apologize if the lack of privacy in our home bothers you. In case you’ve forgotten, we have a house full of injured—” Marcus flinched as the door to Rayna’s room slammed shut.
This could not be happening right now, I thought. Please tell me this wasn’t happening.
Marcus sighed and turned back to me.
Oh god this was really happening.
I ran a hand through my hair and cleared my throat.
“Ummm…hi.” I gave a sheepish grin, completely unprepared to deal with this situation.
“Jax has just returned. Kate is with him and not doing well…everyone else is dead.”
“What?” I said, my heart not slowing in my chest. “Everyone? Willy?”
Marcus shook his head. “No, all of Kate’s hunters.”
My heart was in my throat and adrenaline surged in my veins. “Riley?”
Marcus shook his head. “This time it was Arian.”
“Arian? What was he doing there?”
“From what Kate managed to tell Jax, Riley hasn’t discovered how to use the ring. He’s also looking for a book, but we don’t know which one. Perhaps you can…” Marcus cleared his throat again. “Take a minute to relax, and when you’re ready, come downstairs.” Marcus’s footsteps were heavy as he left the room, and he glanced at Rayna’s door for a moment before disappearing around the corner.
I released the breath I was holding and gripped the sheets on my bed. Not only did that really just happen, but it also came with horrible news. This night was just getting better and better.
I didn’t need a minute to relax. I leaped out of bed and raced down the stairs. Werewolves from the Shadowpack were crowded in the hallway, and I pushed through them to get to the training room.
Marcus, Grams, and Jax were all kneeling around Kate. Willy stood against the wall, looking disheveled. Everyone had scrapes and bruises and appeared worse for wear.
Kate’s skin was a dull gray, and as I neared, I saw her lips were purple. Her eyes were open, but badly swollen, and her body remained still while Grams cut open her shirt. She tugged at each side until the fabric fell away, exposing a horribly infected wound that covered the left side of her body.
Large chunks of skin were missing, green pus filled the wound, and it was surrounded by black. Dark lines spread like an infection away from the wound and towards the healthy skin around it. Kate’s body glistened with sweat and blood dripped onto the mats from her nostrils and ears.
“The infection is deep. We need to start treatment immediately,” Grams said. “What’s the timeline?”
Jax told us Kate was injured and Arian had spit venom on the wound. Even after cleaning it, it continued to eat away at her. It was less than a day before her body had become paralyzed. She couldn’t move her lips, and drool with streams of black fluid constantly ran down her face.
“Can you help her?” Marcus looked at Grams.
Grams sighed. “It’s too early to tell, but we need to start a poultice. Now. Everyone get out and let me work,” she said.
As I walked up the stairs to my bedroom, I was reminded of Arian’s spit eating away at my blades at The Ouija Board. After seeing that, I couldn’t imagine the pain Kate was going through. Then an image of Rayna’s arm flashed through my mind.
I knocked on the door and when nobody answered, I pushed it open. Rayna was sitting on her bed, her cheeks still flush.
“I don’t want to talk about what just happened.”
“Agreed.” I smiled, but after seeing Kate’s injured body, it was forced.
“What’s going on?” Rayna asked.
When I explained what had happened to Kate, the color from her cheeks faded. “Will she be okay?”
“I don’t know. Grams is working on her now. How are you? How’s your arm?”
“It’s healed.” Rayna rolled up her sleeve and although her skin was slightly bruised it had healed.
“It doesn’t look as bad as Kate’s.” I said. “That means he really didn’t get you.”
“Don’t you think I would have said something if it got worse?”
“What the blo
ody hell is going on?” Vincent appeared in the doorway behind me. He was wrapped from the waist down in a black towel and his hair was still dripping.
“Don’t you ever sleep?” I asked.
“Hello, it’s night time. I’m nocturnal.” Vincent smirked and strutted into the room, yellow eyes beaming at Rayna. “Like what you see?”
Rayna rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. Get out of my room.”
“Not just yet. We three need to talk.”
I closed my eyes and begged the gods to make him go away, but he opened his mouth again and I knew my prayers were going unanswered.
“I’ve been here for days. I’ve run your errands, I’ve bandaged your wounded, and for gods’ sake I’ve done laundry.” Vincent grimaced and shuddered. “As much as I desire your assistance, I will not be your servant while you dangle your aid in front of my face.”
“How many times do we need to go over this? I told you I’d help, and I will, but right now there are more important things going on,” I replied.
“More important to you perhaps, but not to me. And I know you don’t do anything without our sweets’s say so, and I have yet to hear her thoughts on the matter.”
“I think you’re a dick,” Rayna smirked.
“Always such a lady.” Vincent shook his hair, smiling at Rayna as water dripped from the black tips, down over his toned chest and defined stomach. “If you want my help, I expect you to begin helping me. Sooner rather than later if you know what’s good for you.”
“Tell me you didn’t just threaten me.” I got to my feet and faced Vincent.
“On the contrary, my brash hunter. I’m simply suggesting if you expect me to be at your beck and call, I too expect a similar treatment.”
Rayna sighed. “Just tell us what exactly you want?”
Vincent smiled and it made my stomach tense. “I need to venture down to Revelations. I have a few contacts down there that may have not yet sold me out. With your help, I can find out what’s going on.”
“It’s late,” Rayna said. “Can’t we do this tomorrow?”
“There’s no time like the present, my sweet.” Vincent turned his gaze over Rayna and his eyes filled with hunger. A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth and he winked. “Besides, you know what they say. Idle hands are the devil’s playground.”
Chapter 18
I cursed Vincent every moment I spent getting dressed, and then again when I watched them help Kate onto a cot. I shouldn’t be leaving. I should be at home, helping.
My heart sank in my chest and it hurt to breathe watching Kate’s pain. This was all because she’d joined up with us. She didn’t deserve this. Nobody did.
Willy seemed in shock from what had happened to Kate, and he opted to sit our trip to Revelations out. He was my friend, and after everything he’d been through with me, I wasn’t forcing him to go anywhere he didn’t want to—especially not with Vincent.
The memory of Willy limping out of the forest was stuck in my head. A stick under his arm, broken bones jutting from his leg, and still he took a stand against Radek, the old Shadowpack leader.
I would never be rid of that image, and sometimes it made me wish I’d never threatened Willy in that alley. His scared eyes had convinced me to spare him, and I wished I’d never seen them. That way he could have avoided all the problems that came with knowing me. Now, seeing Kate like this, I thought everyone was better off that way.
I kicked the tiny stones from the loose pavement as we walked to Revelations. Vincent refused to take a cab, citing that he’d been locked in that condo like a caged animal and he needed to spread his wings. He complained constantly about the smoke-filled interior, as though the rest of us weren’t affected by the secondhand poison.
The annoying caw of a black crow came from a burnt out lamp post, only adding to my frustrations. I kicked more stones across the road and shuddered as it squawked again. I suddenly found myself wishing Rai was here.
Rayna walked ahead of Vincent and Tiki while I trailed in the rear. Every few steps I checked to make sure my daggers were secure in their sheaths. Every noise startled me, and every time Vincent spoke, I touched the handle. It was cool and smooth, but new to me.
After Arian destroyed my other blades, I had finally taken the ones my mother had given me out of the box, and it had me on edge. I had never sheathed them, let alone used them, not even in training—I was terrified I’d lose them. They were perfect.
There was an eagle’s head with ruby eyes above the handle, and pure silver blades extended from the hilts. The blades were longer than most, and I had to use a different sheath than the one I was used to. It felt new and awkward, and I already regretted bringing them, but I needed to be close to my mom right now and this was all I had.
“What exactly is your plan?” I asked, interrupting whatever story Vincent was rambling on about. The last few days his fear of the Sovereign had faded and he was returning to his old self.
“You go in and find out what you can,” Vincent said, then he continued with his story to Tiki, something about irresistible women and the power of persuasion.
“No games tonight. Tell me what the plan is or I’m calling this whole thing off. I’m not even sure it’s safe for any of us to be out here.”
“Marcus and Grams agreed, isn’t that enough for you?”
“Just because they agree doesn’t mean it’s the right decision.”
“Touché…” Vincent went quiet for a moment, slowing his pace to walk beside me. I moved a few steps away and he smiled. “As you know, hunter, I am quite adept in the art of mind control.”
“I haven’t forgotten, and you’re always quick to remind me when I try.”
Vincent smirked. “Well, for obvious reasons, I cannot enter Revelations myself. If it was not for my need to escape that cancer-infested condo, I would not be out in the open at all. Since nobody in our present company has the Underworld knowledge I possess, and therefore does not know who they should avoid or who may be a potential trustworthy source, I thought I would allow one of you the privilege of exploring my power.”
I closed my eyes and stopped moving, hoping that when I reopened them, this would all be a dream. But when they opened, that hope was shattered. Vincent was a few steps in front of me, eyes beaming at me with confusion.
“Was it something I said?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“About which part?”
“All of it! There is no way in hell I’m letting you inside my head like that, or anyone else’s for that matter.”
“It’s the only way,” Vincent said. “You promised you’d help, and this is helping.”
I backed up each time he took a step closer. “I said I’d help, not relinquish all self-control and personal access to my mind. You have no business there. It’s not right.”
“I never said you had to do it. Either of them can.” He motioned to Tiki and Rayna. “Besides, I’m told giving up total control is a rewarding and relaxing experience.”
“Are you kidding me?” Rayna asked. “My night was first interrupted by Marcus, and thanks to Vincent, I’m now walking downtown in the middle of the night. I’m tired, and whatever it takes to get this done and get me back in bed is happening one way or another. But I’ll be damned if you think you’re getting inside my head.”
“I see…” Vincent said. “Are you sure you don’t want to share control of your desirable little body, Rayna, just for a few moments?”
Rayna cringed and walked further down the street.
“A pity…”
“This isn’t necessary,” Tiki said. “I was the one who first agreed to help. As such, I shall be the one to do this.”
“Then step forward, my friend. I assure you this will be nothing but a rewarding experience.”
Before Tiki could respond, the air was ripe with power. Vincent unlocked his mind and pushed his power over Tiki. Vincent’s eyes were consumed by darkness, and as Tiki peered into
them, his body jerked like something had just run into him.
Power pulsed around both of them and Tiki’s body fell limp. Vincent’s hands grabbed his shoulders and he held him up, forcing him to keep eye contact.
The energy was thick, giving the air a bitter taste. Tiki regained his balance, shaking his head slightly. His eyes met mine and a disturbing smile curled over his lips.
I’d grown familiar with Tiki’s orange eyes, but now they were filled with darkness and he looked…different. The white bones beneath his forearms pushed against his thinning caramel colored skin—his demon was threatening to come out.
“This is beyond creepy,” I said.
“The power of the mind is a wonderful tool,” Tiki said. “And oh my, does this boy have a past. His story is—.”
“Stop messing around. Leave his memories alone and do what you need to do.”
“Are you sure? I could give you a peek if you cared to see,” Tiki said, but his voice sounded strange.
Vincent turned towards me and extended his hand. “Just a touch, my dear hunter, and all could be revealed to you.”
“No,” I said, but I found myself regretting it. Tiki had shared some of his story with me earlier, and I respected that, but I had a feeling there was more to it, and more to Tiki than he had let on.
“Come now, hunter. It is oh so fun in here. A one-of-a-kind rush you won’t find chasing monsters.”
“I said no.”
Vincent sighed. “You really do know how to spoil a good time, don’t you?”
“You have no idea,” I said, squeezing the handle of my dagger.
“On with the show then,” he said. “Excuse me while I find a safe place to conceal myself. It’s best not to drive two bodies at once, you know?” Vincent laughed as he walked across the street and disappeared into the shadows.
Tiki turned, walking with an unnatural strut to catch up to Rayna, who waited at the corner of Revelations’ alley.
“So beautiful tonight, my sweet,” Tiki said, his black eyes devouring Rayna from head to toe.
Rayna’s tight blue jeans disappeared into black suede boots with a heel that could rival my blades. She wore a tight red shirt with a glitter dagger running down the side, and her whip was tucked against her hip beneath a waist-length black coat. She didn’t flinch as Tiki’s hand reached for her. Caramel fingers ran down her cheek and his devious smile turned into something I didn’t recognize.
Release (The Protector Book 3) Page 14