Skin Deep (22 page)

“You’re going to be my wife, Kiera. We are going to rule the Amari take over this world one death at a time, but there’s only one way they will accept you.” Roth stepped backward toward the door of the cell. She took a deep breath. She needed time to think, to figure out a way to escape.

A mist-like appearance came over Roth’s form. A large snarling leopard leapt through the haze, running toward her. Kiera turned to run, but the cat tackled her, sending a wave of pain through her left arm as it slammed into the ground at an awkward angle.

The animal swiped at her, flipping Kiera onto her back. She looked up into Roth’s black leopard eyes and watched in horror as he revealed long teeth. In a swift movement, the cat bit into the flesh of her thigh. For the second time in the last twenty-four hours, Kiera released herself into the beckoning darkness.

“What do you mean you’re fucking sending them home?” Cain growled as he paced in front of the huge LCD screen. “You can’t do that! That motherfucking psycho has her!”

Cain flexed his fingers into a fist repeatedly.
Stay in human form. Be calm or lose Kiera forever.

“The culprit said he would stop the killings now that he has who he wanted. It’s not our problem anymore. I will have the men keep a lookout for the Amari. The Family is still under investigation, but there is nothing more we can do.” The king spoke calmly on the other side of the video conference, as though this was just an ordinary day.

“That’s a weak excuse, Theron. You know damn well it is. It’s only because
I
want her found. If I’d said I didn’t give a shit, you would be all over it. Wouldn’t you?”

Theron narrowed his dark eyes before smiling coldly. His young visage appeared too young for a king. He was a century younger than Cain, but had stopped aging around sixteen, which was rare, even for the
Born
. Cain, who had stopped aging at twenty-one, was somewhat of an anomaly. Most men didn’t stop aging until their late twenties or even their early thirties.

“I am the king, Cain. I do not deal under thoughts that are so base.”

“Yeah. What-the-fuck-ever! You’re just pissed ’cause I didn’t marry your little bitch daughter! Well, get the hell over it. She wasn’t exactly keen on getting hitched to me, either.”

“She was a virgin until she met you! You ruined her for all other men!” The mist of the change hovered over Theron’s young complexion as he leaned toward the camera.

“You’re damned right I ruined her for every other fucking man. She’ll never have sex like she had with me.” Cain knew the error in his words before he uttered them, but he didn’t give a shit. Not anymore. Not since that psycho had Kiera.

“Shut the hell up, Cain.” Ryder’s monotone voice had risen a notch and Cain turned to see him gliding across the room toward him. Behind him, Ren leaned against one of the computer desks. The twins weren’t there. They were out searching for Kiera.
Where I should be.
But instead he was here, talking to the asshole of the century.

“Ren.”

She was twirling her hair around her fingers and brushing the strands against the exposed skin of her scantily clad body, as if it was the best sensation on earth. She looked up at him and arched a brow.

“Talk to him! Tell him we have to get Kiera!”

“Yeah, we should go get that chick. She’s fucking hot.”

“Fucking really? That’s all you have to say?” Cain grappled for a control that was nearly nonexistent.

“Ugh, fine.” Ren rolled her eyes and stood up straight, moving to the center of the room. “Theron, we need to go get this chick before she becomes a Barbie-styling head for the cray-cray ginger lover.” She tossed her blue mane of hair over her shoulder and batted her eyelashes. The clear attempt at seduction was the only thing that kept Cain from changing into his tiger form and ripping her to pieces.

“There has to be something we can do, Your Majesty. Kiera is a nice human woman who doesn’t deserve to be in the situation she’s in now.” Cain stared at Ryder hard as he spoke, thankful that someone in the room had a brain in their head.

“I’m sorry, but there isn’t. We are officially off the case. I can’t withdraw my statement. This needs to stay under the radar. Hundreds of human women have died at the hands of this psycho. I am willing to accept that for the greater good, rather than dragging all of the UI into this.” Theron’s gaze hadn’t left Cain, not even to look at Ren.
Well, shit.
He couldn’t change the past. If he could, he would never have slept with that little bitch. He hadn’t known he would be under penance for centuries. He’d thought his former friend would forgive him eventually.

Apparently not.

“Can’t you just call up the Clair who transferred the call and get a location out of her? I know they fucking know where it came from. If they can determine the species of the caller, they can tell the location!” Cain all but roared at the screen.

Theron’s face was impassive. “You know as well as I do, Cain, that the Clairs won’t help us. It took the UI hundreds of years to secure a pact with them. Their contract is implicit. They will only forward calls to the region and species it directly involves. Nothing more.”

Cain ran a hand through his hair and looked away from the screen.
Fuck those orange bitches and their secrecy!
He didn’t have time for this.

“What’s going on? Where’s Kiera?” The familiar voice had him spinning on his heel to stare at the two she-wolves who entered the room.
How the hell did they get in?
The guards must’ve already packed up and hit the road.
Just amazing.

“She’s gone. She disappeared night before last after we …” He let the words hang in mid-air as the perfection of what had happened between them swept over his body. It was quickly replaced with the panic that had come with her sudden disappearance. He had searched everywhere in the house and had the men look all over town, but she was gone. Vanished, right into thin air.

“She disappeared, like … left?” Darla stepped forward.

“No, she physically disappeared. Like poof-fucking-gone.” He threw his hands up in the air and continued to pace. “I don’t know how it happened. The serial killer must have bewitched her with something and none of us noticed …” He didn’t miss the look that passed between the two women. “What is it?”
Do they know something?
“Dammit, tell me what you know!”

Both women sidestepped around him, ignoring his demands. “How do you know the serial killer has her?” Darla worried a hand through her short hair.

“Have you checked her apartment?” Maryline asked.

“I’ll go check it now.” Darla turned toward the door. “Someone needs to make sure—”

“Don’t bother going there. He has her. He called. Play it for them.”

Ryder stepped over to one of the many computers in the room and began clicking away. A moment later the recording played through the surround-sound speakers.

“Well, well, well, officers of the Eternal Forces of this beautiful state of Maine … this has been the experience of a lifetime, I must admit. But I’m happy … oh yes, I’m happy. No one else will be hurt now. I have who I want and she’s all mine. My Kiera.” The synthesized voice cackled over the speaker before it went dead. Maryline and Darla sucked in gasps of air as Cain bit down on his cheek until the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth.

“And this motherfucker is calling everyone off. Sending the dogs home, just leaving her out there to fucking die.” He motioned toward the large screen.

“Theron?” Darla stepped forward and Maryline followed behind her, as if they had just now noticed the king on the big screen.

“Maryline? Darla?”

“You have to help our friend. Please, Theron! She’s a good person who’s been through a lot.” Maryline began to sob.

The king appeared torn as he ran a hand through his long blond hair. He looked between the two women before his gaze landed on Cain again. “No. There’s nothing I can do. Sorry.” The screen went black.

“Forget this. I don’t know why I went to that bastard in the first place!” Cain roared and slammed his fist into the closest table, sending it crumbling to the floor. He moved toward the door, ready to dart back outside, shift into his tiger form, and search for her. It’s what he had been doing for the last twenty-four hours, but he had nothing. Not a damn clue where to look, especially when it seemed like he’d been everywhere.

Every time he thought he had a whiff of her, he would follow it until he was exhausted, always finding himself at a dead end. It hadn’t helped that the others had tried to confine him to the house during the day, saying that his tiger form wasn’t appropriate for prowling through downtown.
What-the-fuck-ever.
Kiera needed him and she needed him now. He didn’t care who knew he was a damned tiger. He needed to find her before it was too late.

The full moon was only hours away, calling to the beast within. He could sense the afternoon sun’s descent and he was ready to give his body over, free himself, and bask in the glow of his master. It couldn’t have come at a more inopportune time. He was off-kilter.
That psycho has her.
Heads would roll tonight, and for the first time in centuries, Cain knew he was the beast the people needed to be protected from.

“Wait, Cain! I know how we can find her!” Maryline said. Cain turned just as he reached the door to see everyone staring at him, aside from Ren, who watched Ryder with longing eyes.

“How?” He nearly choked on the word.

“Bettina.”

“Wake up, baby. Wake up.” Kiera opened her eyes to see a form hovering over her. She took in the dark brown eyes and short blond hair with a start of realization. She tried to propel her body backward, only she didn’t move. Horrid pain shot through her left arm and a terrible throb from her right inner thigh caused her to grit her teeth.

“What the hell?” Tears sprang to her eyes. She looked down at her arm. It hung limp at her elbow, with a murky-colored mass sticking out of the center.
Oh my god.
Kiera closed her eyes as she realized exactly what that mass was.
My bone.

“Ah, sorry about your arm, love. Didn’t know you were going to fall all awkward like that. You always were clumsy.” Roth hovered over her with a smile on his face, as if he had accidentally spilled coffee on her instead of breaking her arm.

“M-m-my arm is broken,” she hissed as she bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain. The sight of the dark, sticky puddle beneath her arm made her head swim.
How much blood have I lost?

“Don’t worry. It will be fine soon. Tonight you will change for the first time and everything will heal.”

“Change?” Kiera gave in to the searing pain and laid her head against the sticky dirt floor.

“Of course. Into your animal form. You’re one of the
Bitten
now. My essence is in your blood. Deeply embedded into your every cell.” He shuddered as he spoke. “The only thing that will complete the cycle is your first turn under the moon.”

“How is that possible?” Kiera gritted the words between clenched teeth.

“Because I told you. I’m the head of the family now. My blood is strong.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” She ran a shaking hand over her face.

She heard him sigh with frustration. “My father was the former head of the Amari. The son of Papa Tony. Papa Tony was executed after the mass murder in New York in the early twentieth century. When my father came into power, he kept things under wraps, kept the family hidden, like a fucking coward.

“He liked human women but refused to turn any. He conceived me thirty years ago, but didn’t tell anyone. It was Violet, my sister, who found me. She’s half Jade Witch and half Wereleopard. She sensed my presence. So she killed our father for his ineptitude and found me. And here we are …” Kiera tried to hold on to consciousness. She fought to focus on each word but could feel herself slipping away.

No.
Stay with it. Don’t fall back under.

“How?” she whispered.

“How could I turn into a Wereleopard when I’ve never been one before?” His voice sounded smug, like he’d been dying for her to ask. “Well, it’s simpler than one would expect. The Were gene in my body laid dormant. The human part of me had to die. My death was the catalyst that brought it to fore. I had to die so I could live, baby.

“But enough about me. Tell me about you. Tell me how you’ve managed to elude me for all of these years.” The charming quality of his voice fled, replaced with fierce anger.

“I moved.”

He snarled, only inches from her face. “That’s not what I asked.”

“How could I elude you if I thought you were dead?” She clipped each word with short intakes of breath.
Mind over matter. You are stronger than the pain.

“True, but I have to wonder how you have evaded me here. I’ve been in Maine for weeks.” He paused for a moment. “Then, night before last, Violet sensed you. I don’t know how she fucking did it, but one minute we’re sitting at the dinner table and I’m brushing Sadie’s hair and then she’s gone. Disappeared like—
poof
—gone! I swear I’ll never get used to that. I hate that the Were species missed out on that power.” The crunch of his footsteps sounded near her head and Kiera flinched internally. Externally, she was being enveloped by the numbing sensation she knew so well.

“Even Sadie was surprised, though that’s her usual expression as of late. Some people just don’t die gracefully, you know? All of the women, they either had this blank look or some kind of shock plastered on their face when I ripped it off their body.”

Kiera stifled a groan as she squeezed her eyes tight.
Why am I fighting this? Just give in to the pain and let go.

“Could it kill a girl to give me a smile once in a while? Her hair was nice, though. I’ve kept her the longest. She’s jealous of you, you know. I could tell when I rushed out that she was upset. She wanted to follow me, but you know, she doesn’t have legs anymore.”

Kiera couldn’t fight the gasp of fear that escaped her lips.
What the fuck?
Roth had always been different, crazy even. But this … this was fucking insane. Even the pain in her arm and her thigh couldn’t compare to the overwhelming feeling of fear that coursed through her.

“There were over two hundred of them, you know. All jealous of the next one. All jealous of you. They knew they weren’t the one I wanted and they hated you for that.” A thick hand buried in her hair and jerked her body into a sitting position. Kiera shrieked in pain as her gaze met Roth’s. “You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”

Blood was smeared across his lips and face.
My blood.

“And I’m finally going to have you again. My mate. Did you know the Immortals all have one?” He flexed his hand in her hair. “A fated
feorh
. Hell, Violet says even humans have them, though they rarely live long enough to meet the true other half of their soul.” A grin spread across his heavily scarred face, revealing his gleaming white smile. It was this look she had always coveted from him. This look that made her heart beat fast and her pulse surge.
Look where it got you.
“You’re mine, Kiera. My
feorh
. A part of me knew before, but now I’m certain.”

The image of Cain flashed across her vision. The look on his face when he orgasmed deep inside her body.

“No.”

“No?” Roth’s face hardened. “What the fuck do you mean
no
?” He fisted his hand in her hair as he brought her face closer to his. “Did you meet someone else?”

“Yes.” The word slipped unbidden from her lips.

“What?” Vicious anger spread across his face as he pressed his nose into the groove of her neck. “I thought you smelled different when you arrived, but I assumed it was just me adjusting to you. That scent, it’s gone now.” He kept his nose against her neck, inhaling deeply in short spurts of breath. “Tell me who he is! Tell me, you fat fucking bitch!” he roared as he jerked her head backward, releasing her in mid-tug so her head slammed into the ground.

“I’m going to fucking gut him! Destroy him!”

A sharp pain burst in Kiera’s side and pushed the air from her lungs. She gasped for breath she couldn’t seem to catch. “You’re going to watch me do it. Even better, you’re going to help me! Yes, that’s right. After you change, you will feel as bound to me as I feel to you.”

“And if I don’t?” Kiera spoke the words on the first exhale she was able to muster.
Why am I goading him? Am I crazy? No, it’s because I don’t give a shit anymore.

“You’ll be so sorry, Kiera. So fucking sorry,” he snarled viciously as he climbed on top of her. “I said I was going to wait until you were turned, but now … you’ve changed things.”

His voice shifted to inhuman, the same tone he’d used right before he’d gutted her in that hotel room. She heard the tell-tale sound of a zipper before the hardness of his erection pressed into her belly. “Remember that last time, Kiera? Remember?”

The memory was one she’d tried to forget, one she pushed away every time it came up. But like everything else he had done to her, it was branded into her very soul. She could never forget the way he took her body as she laid there dying in a pool of her own blood. “This will be just like old times.” He whispered the words in her ear as bitter hatred empowered her. She tried to use her good arm to push him away, but he captured it, pinning it to her side.

He moved down her body slowly and forced her legs apart with his knee.

“No!” She ignored the agonizing pain as she struggled against his hold—only the agony was suddenly gone as a thick haze came over her vision. A stir of something
beastly
struggled inside her body, desperate for release. She gave in, barreling into the haze like a woman possessed.

“No-no. It’s not possible! The moon isn’t fully out yet, you-you can’t be … Violet! Violet!” Roth scrambled until his back met the wall. The flesh between his legs had gone completely limp and flapped pathetically through the zipper hole in his pants. “Just listen. This is your first change.” The mist of change hovered over his appearance and Kiera stopped listening to his petulant voice. The cognitive part of her brain shut down. Pulling back her lips, she snarled and lunged.

“Fuck you, guys. I’m going in.” Cain snarled as he pushed through the group that had circled outside the run-down mansion.

“Hold it there, meow mix.” Ren appeared in front of him with a smirk on her face. “You can’t just go barreling in there, litter boxes blazing. You wanna get yourself killed? Dumbass.”

“Why the fuck are we still waiting?” he growled. The ridiculous Gypsy should have beaten them here. She was the one who could go
poof
and disappear. He’d been shocked when she’d just appeared in the room with them right after Maryline said her name. She’d been frustrating and elusive, but in the end, she’d used an article of Kiera’s clothing and a locater spell to find her. Her directions had brought them to an abandoned house in the middle of bum-fucking Egypt over two hours away.

“We’re waiting for Bettina to get here,” Maryline piped up from behind him.

“Well, where the hell is that Gypsy bitch? I’m ready to fuck some shit up.” Sparrc licked his lips and rubbed his hands together with anticipation. Cain’s gaze flashed around, glancing at the mismatched group. Ryder and the twins leaned against the black Hummer. Maryline and Darla stood next to them, having parked their car farther up the road.

“We’re waiting on the other guys, too. The base-liners who haven’t left town yet,” Blaise said. He was speaking to the group, but his eyes were pinned to Cain.

“Do you guys smell that?”

“Smell what, sexy?” Ren was a blur of movement as she reached Ryder’s side.

“Seriously, we’re going to fucking stand here and smell the daisies?” Cain bit off another curse in his mouth.

“No, something smells … off. I need to go check it out.” Something strange flickered behind Ryder’s dark irises, similar to the pain that flashed across his face when they’d first seen the Amari symbol.

“You can’t go alone, honey buns.” Ren purred, reaching out to touch his arm. He shied away from her.

“I have to go alone,” he said with difficulty. Cain watched another emotion flitter across his face before he hid it behind his usual cold mask. “I’ll secure the area. Verify it with the Gypsy before you come in. I’ll be back.”

“But—” Ren’s words died in her throat as Ryder tore the uniform shirt from his skin, tie and all. All three women gasped as he revealed the ripped-to-shit state of his lean, muscular body, but Cain knew that wasn’t what incited their sharp intake of breath.

The viciousness of his scars wound down from his neck, across his chest, to curl into a distinct calligraphic letter
A.
Swirling lines of precision wrapped around the letter, like a work of art.
He was one of their victims?
No wonder the dude had acted so fucked up at the crime scene. The thick haze of change hovered over his face as a gigantic leopard burst through and took off, disappearing around the house.

“He just gets hotter and hotter, doesn’t he?” Ren sighed and made to go after him.

“No. He goes alone.” The dream-like voice stopped Ren in her tracks. Cain spun on his heel to look at the strange woman before him, clad in a sparkly dress that looked like a Michael Jackson mumu from hell.

“Let’s get this show on the fucking road. Feel for magic or whatever the hell you do. I need to find her.” Cain practically spat the words.

Bettina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A frown came over her features, which had been blissfully content when she’d appeared out of thin air in the townhouse.

“There is a Witch here,” she said in disgust. “A Jade Witch.”

Cain wanted to snarl at her but refrained, clenching his fists painfully in his hands. He knew of the hatred between the Gypsies and the Witches. It had stretched on for centuries and spawned a bloodthirsty war. He was all for war, but right now wasn’t the fucking time.

“Are there spells, Gypsy?” he growled. She sniffed the air one more time.

“No.” She opened her eyes. “Strangely enough, there are no spells.”

“Good enough for me.”

“You’re sure?” Cain heard Maryline ask behind him, but he didn’t wait for the answer. He was already running toward the house, his beast hovering over him, preparing to push free.

“I wouldn’t change if I were you, biggun. You don’t have any control right now and you know it.” Ren’s annoying voice came from right next to him.

“Fuck off.” He reached the porch. He didn’t want to admit it, but dammit if she wasn’t right. The second the door creaked open, revealing a deteriorating sitting room, he smelled it: the sweet, coppery scent of blood. He could smell Kiera too, the thick tropical aroma of her washed over him, stronger than ever.
She’s bled out.