by K. L. Kreig
Giselle scared the shit out of her when she jumped up and rushed toward the open office door. She closed it softly, belying the sudden concern worn on her face.
“Get under the desk,” she commanded Kate.
“Get under the desk? What the hell has gotten into you? Just because Dev commanded that you babysit me like some four-year-old does not mean I’m going to—”
“Get under the fucking desk. Now. There’s someone here.”
Terror had run through Kate. The only ones at the house were herself, Leo and Giselle. Everyone else had gone on the dangerous mission.
She complied, hiding under the massive cherry desk. Now she couldn’t see a damn thing. “Who is it?” she whispered.
Giselle gave no response, but she knew she was still there. Giselle may not like her, but she knew that Giselle would never leave her. She would protect her to the death.
Abruptly the door flew open and pandemonium erupted. She heard cursing, grunting and furniture breaking. She could smell blood, which made her incisors involuntarily lengthen. She was terrified for Giselle, but also, selfishly, for herself. Yet, here she sat, like some stupid, helpless female, letting someone else defend her and possibly get hurt. She was just about to come out when…silence. Everything just stopped.
She strained to hear what was happening, but heard nothing. She slowly rose from behind the desk and was completely shocked by the sight before her. Giselle, who looked badly injured, and the vampire she was fighting were immobile. Frozen in mid fight. Had she done that without realizing it? She didn’t think so, but she wasn’t sure. She didn’t have good control over her powers yet.
Just then she heard heavy footsteps and as she turned toward the office door, a large, imposing figure entered. Covered in blood. The half scarred face was wearing a malicious grin. She would recognize that face anywhere.
Xavier.
“Hello, Katherine.”
After a brief struggle, her world went black.
Xavier hadn’t been able to immobilize her for some reason, but she wasn’t strong enough to fight him on her own, especially without Giselle’s help. She’d tried to freeze him, but it didn’t work and next thing she knew, she was waking up in this cage. Where was Giselle? As much as Kate disliked her, she certainly didn’t want something bad to happen to her. Giselle had fought to protect Kate’s life.
The door opening brought Kate out of her thoughts and well into her living nightmare as Xavier walked into what must be his study.
“Well, well, well. I see my pet is awake.”
Pet? While she’d rather tell him to go fuck himself, she remained silent.
“Don’t feel like talking? That’s okay, my sweet. I have more than enough for us to talk about.”
He pulled a chair up in front of her cage, leaning toward her after he sat. She could see the fury in his terrifying eyes. What did he have to be furious about? She was the one in a fucking cage.
“Tonight has definitely been full of surprises, sweet Kate. And I don’t like surprises. When I finally manage to find one of my greatest nemeses, imagine my surprise when he is nowhere to be found. Imagine my further surprise when the dreamwalker he is protecting is immune to my powers. I don’t know how that can be possible. Most unfortunate. And imagine my shock when I return to my compound to find all of my pets gone and my men slaughtered. That made me most unhappy.”
Kate internally sighed. At least the mission was successful.
“Where is Giselle?”
He continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “But the night wasn’t a complete waste, you see. To my utter delight, I was particularly surprised to find that you are Devon’s Moira.”
Bad, bad, bad. How did he know she was his Moira?
“Ahhhh, sweet Kate. I can see your head spinning. You’re thinking…how did he know we were bonded? I’m surprised Devon didn’t explain that to you. You see, when a vampire bonds, the mating marks that wrap around each mate’s left thumb are not only a symbol of their love and devotion, but also a replica of the male vampire’s family crest. That way, any vampire she comes across can clearly identify the female. They all know she’s taken, and by whom. It can be both a blessing and a curse for the female. In this case, a curse for you, my sweet, but certainly a blessing for me.”
His fowl breath gagged her, as he laughed in her direction. Her nausea returned with such a vengeance, she didn’t think she’d be able to hold the meager contents of her stomach down.
“Do you want to know why this is a blessing for me, sweet Kate?”
No. She did not want to know.
“Because if I have you, I will also have Devon in very short order. He will move heaven and earth to save his lovely mate. And lovely you are. But alas, all he will do is succeed in getting himself captured as well. And it will be so much sweeter to do what I have in mind with you, if he is forced to witness it all firsthand. Sweet retribution, really. Why this turned out just delightful!” His laugh was maniacal. He really was a deranged lunatic.
He reached his hand in between the cage bars, trying to touch her and she cringed toward the back, trying to get as far away from him as possible. His face turned menacing as spittle flew in her direction with his tirade.
“Yes, he’ll have to watch while I fuck his mate so hard you bleed all over my cock. And while I shove my cock so far down your throat, you won’t be able to breathe. My come will coat your tongue and run down your chin. He’ll watch while I feast on your blood as I take your ass. After I’ve had my fill, I’ll let every one of my vampires have a go with you. There will be no place on you that goes untouched, my sweet Kate. Your precious Devon will watch as I break you piece by piece, bit by bit, until the light fades from your eyes right before him. And once you’re gone, that’s all he’ll want, too. He’ll want to follow you into sweet oblivion. But I won’t let him. I’ll keep him alive, torturing him to within an inch of his life for years on end. It’s not even near an equivalent price to pay for everything he’s done to me.”
Holy shit. Her father was one fucked up dude.
He stood up abruptly. “Well, got to go. I have quite a few plans to make before I’ll be ready for my next houseguest.” Then he vanished.
She couldn’t keep the vomit down and barely had her head turned before she retched everywhere. Great. Now she was a caged animal, covered in puke.
“Giselle,” she whispered. Silence. She called a little louder, but there was no response.
Dev, can you hear me? No answer.
Tears now ran down her face. She was petrified. She was well and truly on her own. She didn’t know if Giselle was alive and she didn’t know if Dev would find her in time. Hell, she didn’t want him anywhere near here. She wouldn’t risk him being captured. Xavier was more depraved than they had all imagined.
She tried her powers again. Nothing. She’d tried to flash several times while he was talking to her, without success. She’d tried to freeze him while he sat in front of her. Nothing happened…except he continued to run his foul mouth. She’d improved her skills the last couple of weeks, so while not perfect, she was able to pretty readily use her power of stasis.
Except on Xavier. But he couldn’t use his power on her either. And that was clearly a conundrum to him. So maybe their powers wouldn’t work on each other because they were family? If that was the case, it was both good and bad for her. Good, as he couldn’t immobilize her, but bad, because she couldn’t protect herself. She was on the verge of a panic attack.
Pull it together, Kate! You are the mate of one of the most powerful beings in the world. Stop being a sniveling little baby and save yourself.
Right. Time to problem solve, not fall apart. She could do that later when she got out of this mess. It was up to her to either live or to die, and by God, she intended to live. She didn’t know how she was going to accomplish that, exactly, but she knew she’d rather kill herself than be subjected to anything Xavier, modern day Attila the Hun, just described in unnecessary and naus
eating detail.
Chapter 61
Dev
Thank God they’d had the foresight to send the detective to a hotel last evening. He didn’t need another lost soul burned on his conscience. Thatcher must be pretty taken with Elle, if the broken lamps and furniture were any indication. Apparently Dev would be getting a hefty bill from the hotel for all the damage the detective inflicted. After they told him, Thatcher insisted he be brought back to the house until they found her.
As for Dev, he was absolutely beside himself. A ruthless, cold-blooded killer had stolen his mate. And Xavier wasn’t stupid. He would quickly find out that Kate was his mate and use that against him. He was simply waiting for his phone to ring with Xavier’s directions. He would do anything to save Kate, even sacrifice his life for hers. No question, no hesitation. He loved her that much.
But it wouldn’t come to that. While he knew Xavier had been plotting his capture and undoubted torture, he’d been doing a little planning of his own.
They’d been back to Xavier’s compound to see if he’d foolishly brought Kate back there, which he had not. He assumed Xavier had taken Giselle as well, since there was no sign of her. There were, however, definite signs of a struggle in his office, including several pools of Giselle’s blood. But none of Kate’s, thank God. He wasn’t sure he should be grateful for that, but at least that meant she’d most likely been alive when Xavier took her.
And on her way to him was Esmeralda, his traitorous witch. She most definitely tampered with their shroud, allowing Xavier to not only kidnap his mate, but also one of his most loyal vampires, leaving another in pieces. Literally. This was entirely on her head and she was going to help them fix it before he killed her. Xavier clearly had his own witch issues, so with any luck, Esmeralda would find Kate through a locating spell.
Speaking of the devil, the commotion at his door dragged him from his thoughts.
“If you know what’s best for you, you will take your hands off me. Right now.”
“Not a chance, witch.” Ren was barely able to rein in his anger. Dev knew he and Elle had a special bond and her disappearance was killing him. He felt helpless, just like Dev. And Ren was a smart vampire. He knew if something happened to Kate, that this was the beginning of the end for Dev.
“Sit the fuck down and shut your fucking mouth before I shut it for you.” He practically threw her in a chair. Yep, holding to control by a hairsbreadth. Exactly how he felt. Esmeralda had enough self-preservation sense to look scared.
Dev came and sat in a chair directly across from her. He never did that.
“What’s go—”
“Stop. If the next words out of your mouth aren’t the truth, so help me God, I’ll rip your black, treacherous heart out right fucking now. No second chances. So…think very carefully about what you want to say.”
The look on her face revealed she knew she’d been caught. He could see every emotion pass through her beautifully criminal face.
Remorse.
Fear.
Shame.
She broke eye contact, looking at the floor instead. Just as well. He could hardly stand to look at her without wanting to rip her lying tongue from her rotten mouth.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
She’s fucking sorry? His rage was an out of control inferno.
“Did you think with Kate out the picture that you’d be able to step into her place? That I would want to fuck you instead? Bond with you, instead? Is that it, Esmeralda?” He rarely used her full name when speaking to her and at the sound of it her eyes flew to his.
Dev threw his head back and laughed, but it was laced with disgust, not humor. He stood, looking down at her cowering form. She looked as young and vulnerable as he’d ever seen her. And he couldn’t give a shit.
“Get this through your thick skull once and for all, witch. I don’t want you. I never have. I never will. I would rather stick my cock into a Venus flytrap than in any black hole in your body. Your actions caused the death of a longtime friend of my family. Your actions caused one of my most loyal vampires to be kidnapped, perhaps even killed. And your actions have caused my beloved mate to fall into the hands of my most powerful and dangerous enemy. And you did this all so you could fuck me? You disgust me!”
He was screaming at her now as he grabbed her by her clothes and shoved her hard up against the wall, feet dangling inches from the floor.
He growled through gritted teeth, “Hear me and hear me well, Esmeralda. If he so much as harms one delicate hair on her precious head, I will personally take it out of your hide. Tenfold. So you’d better pray that she’s unharmed, untouched and healthy, or you’re in for a world of hurt, witch.”
He released her, uncaring as she dropped in a puddle to the floor, legs buckling beneath her.
“I’m sor—”
“Shut the fuck up! You will keep your goddamned mouth shut and I will do the talking!”
He sat down behind his desk, calming himself before he spoke again. The next time he spoke, his voice was even, in control, but menacing.
“You will use your magic to find Kate and you will do it now. I have her hair and blood right here. I have her clothing if you need it.” He glared at her, still slumped on the floor.
“And if you don’t, I’ll kill you.”
Esmeralda stared, witnessing a side of Dev she’d never seen before. A side he didn’t show many people. Those who did see it rarely lived. But he hadn’t decided Esmeralda’s fate. Yet.
“Now get the fuck off my floor and get to work, witch.” His harsh command had Esmeralda scrambling in fear for her life to do his bidding.
___________
The phone call he’d been expecting all morning finally came. Xavier. He was making him sweat it out, making every minute he was parted from Kate feel like a thousand centuries.
“Yes.”
“Hello, brother. It’s been a long time.”
“Get on with it, Xavier.” At the moment, he wished his unique power included reaching through the phone line to gut the son-of-a-bitch and hang his intestines from the ceiling fan.
“Now, now, Devon. Is that any way to talk to family?” he chuckled.
“We are not family. But you have mine and I want them back.” He was having a very hard time not letting Xavier under his skin, but he knew if he did, it could be worse for his Kate. And Giselle…provided she still lived.
“Direct, as always. Color me blue when I found out the dreamwalker was your bonded mate. I mean…I couldn’t have scripted our little reunion tete-a-tete any better if I’d tried.” Xavier’s glee oozed through the phone.
“If you’ve harmed either one of them, I’ll slowly rip you apart.”
“Ah, Devon. Such strong words when I’m in the omnipotent position.”
Dev’s jaw ticked back and forth, his teeth grinding so hard, he worried he’d break them.
“I take your silence as agreement. Good. Now, I’ll take you in exchange for your lovely mate. You will come alone, because while I’d love to pay you back for my many losses this evening, at the moment, I’m far more savoring the thought of getting my hands on you. If you don’t come alone, she dies. If you try to double cross me, she dies.” He paused before adding, “I assume you’ll take the deal?”
“Of course. But I want Giselle too. The meeting point?”
“Giselle? That would be the female vampire?” It was a rhetorical question, so he remained silent.
“Very well, you can have her. If she’s still alive by then. She’s hanging on by a very thin thread. She’s been an enjoyable plaything for my men. Needs blood to heal her near-mortal injuries. Shame, really. So…we’ll meet at the lighthouse at Rock Island State Park. Half an hour.”
“Fine.”
Too bad Xavier would be the only one there. He would have his mate back by then.
“I’m looking forward to getting re-acquainted, brother.”
Dev hung up and turned to Ren and Sulley. “You two are with
me. We go now before they move her.”
They were already at the old park ranger’s station at Rock Island State Park. Esmeralda had located Kate fifteen minutes ago and he would not wait another second to free her from Xavier’s clutches. They wanted the element of surprise and had already scoped out the area, finding the secret passageway to the lower compound. Dev silently wondered how many of these compounds Xavier had around the country and how they would find them all.
Ren had already identified one human and fifteen vampires, one with a very week aura. They were hoping that was Giselle. She wouldn’t answer when he called her and he would not leave one of his own behind.
To provide shrouding protection, Esmeralda had come with him, Ren, Manny, Thane, and two of Rom’s best fighters. He had to leave the rest of his men back to protect the girls and other humans they’d rescued earlier, so he was working with a smaller crew, but they’d be fine. He didn’t trust leaving Esmeralda behind, so she was going in with them. If she died, oh well. It would be a quicker death than she deserved.
“Manny, the witch is with you. You will guard the outside and, so help me, witch, if I so much as get a tingle that you are sabotaging us, I will gut you faster than you can take your next breath. Thane and Henry, bring Giselle home.”
They headed into action.
Now that he was close enough, he could communicate with Kate. Kate had done a good job at describing her surroundings. The fact that she was kept like some animal in a dog crate nearly made him nuclear. He breathed a little easier when she said she was okay, but until she was safe in his arms, he wouldn’t believe it.
“Kate, my love, I’m on my way.”
No response. Fuck. His heart beat faster with fear. Why wouldn’t she answer him?
As they entered the structure, Dev used his powers to hide them from view. He knew this wouldn’t work against high-powered vampires, like Xavier, but it would work against low level vamps. He had a whole litany of surprises in store for the others. Sulley, one of Rom’s men, was not only a skilled fighter, he had the power to sense a being’s deepest fear, so his skill would be particularly useful, along with Dev’s. This way they could personalize the illusion to each rogue to maximize its benefit. They’d just have to make this quick because making those types of illusions drained him of power quickly and that would make him vulnerable.