The Wicked (14 page)

“Me?” I said nervously.

“This will upset her,” Zade replied. “It is best to send someone who will put this to her lightly.” Then, he whispered. “And one she won’t kill in the process.”

“I ain’t going alone,” I demanded. That was just a matter of fact.

“Of course you’re not.” Kyden’s expression showed just how absurd that was. “I will come with you.”

“Ryker?” I glanced toward him.

He shook his head and grinned. “You’re alone on this one. I don’t want to be there when she hears of this.”

“Wonderful,” I grumbled.

Our little sweetheart must have one bad temper.

Ten minutes later, Kyden and I were waiting in Thalia’s sitting room, and I couldn’t get a handle on myself. So what, I was scared shitless—anyone would be. “Would you stop twiddling your thumbs,” Kyden snapped.

“Hey, you have no reason to be nervous, she doesn’t want to eat you,” I snapped back.

Kyden chuckled and took my hand. “It will be alright, Álainn.”

I chose to sit in a chair closest to the exit, just in case she had some crazy vampire freak out that I would need to get away from quickly.

“Why do you smell so nervous?” Thalia’s voice came beside me.

I screamed, and in the process, fell straight back still sitting in my chair.

Thalia laughed loudly, helping me up.

“Would you please make some goddamn noise,” I burst out, settling myself once the chair was on four legs. “Geesh.”

“You are such a blessing.” Thalia smiled. “I enjoy you so.” She took a seat across from me. “I was not expecting you to come back so soon.” Her eyes beamed. “Have you changed your mind about me having a little taste?”

“That is very unlikely,” I responded.

“Well then, if you are not here for those wonderful reasons, why do you grace me with your presence?”

I sighed deeply. “What I am about to tell you is going to make you very angry. Now, I would just like to point out that neither I, nor Kyden, had any part in this whatsoever. We are the good guys. Got it?”

She looked intrigued. “Alright. Go on?”

So I got right to it. “Tonight a Guardian was killed.”

“Really?” Her eyes widened. “That is horrible and something quite unheard of. Who overpowered this Guardian?”

“Some of your vampires,” I said, quickly, not wanting to chicken out.

Thalia blinked. Obviously, waiting for me to continue. I didn’t know what else to say so I glanced at Kyden.

He shrugged.

“Did you just say that some of
my
vampires killed a Guardian?” she asked, drawing my focus back to her.

“I did.”

“What is this?” She jumped to her feet. “What kind of joke are you playing here?” Her tone had me sinking back into my chair.

I glanced at Kyden, scared out of my wits, pleading for him to take it from here. I’m brave, but she looked hungry—for me. Her fangs had come out and I couldn’t decide if that was just because she was angry or she was about to eat me.

Kyden gave me a little smile, then turned his focus on Thalia. “As much as I wish this was some joke, I am sorry to tell you that this is all very true. Ryker recognized a few of the vampires from the summit.”

Thalia’s power was oozing from her. “I do not believe it. Mine are not capable of such cruelty. What would be their purpose in destroying the Guardian?” She aimed the question at me.

I gulped. “That’s what we need to find out.”

“Hayes,” Thalia screamed. “Get in here.”

I flinched at her aggression and level of voice. This was one pissed off vampire—one very
scary
pissed off vampire.

Hayes quickly appeared, taking in Kyden and me, at a glance. Then, when he glanced at Thalia, his expression quickly mirrored hers. “What is it?” he demanded.

“These ones here,” She pointed to us. “have informed me that some of
my
vampires have killed a Guardian.”

“It is not possible,” Hayes responded. “They would never behave in such a way.”

I sighed. “Listen. It is and they did.” They both snapped their heads toward me—their fangs glistened against the light. “Er…” I chose my words carefully. “Ryker saw them. He recognized them. He wouldn’t lie about something like this.”

“Where is Ryker?” Hayes growled.

Kyden intercepted. “He had other duties to attend to.”

Thalia was fuming. Each second that passed, I was only glad I’d chosen a seat so close to the door. Really, what the hell did it matter? If she wanted to kill me, I’d be six feet under in a blink.

The silence grew heavy as Thalia took many moments she needed to calm down and she needed plenty. It was at least a half an hour before she took her seat again.

“Tell me what happened,” she ordered, her fangs put back where they belonged. “Do not leave anything out.”

“There is not much to tell,” I told her. “What we saw is vampires trapped Trefan speaking of a revenge of some sort and then they killed him.”

“How many vampires were there?” Hayes asked.

“Twenty,” Kyden responded.

“Twenty?” Thalia gasped. “Twenty of my vampires are being disloyal to me? That many? This just cannot be true.”

The saying
keep your temper in check
was one my brain obviously didn’t understand or if it did, chose to ignore, because this was beginning to piss me off.

And after a few more
this can’t be true
comments, I snapped and jumped to my feet.

“Enough! We are not making this up. Do you think we would be here if we didn’t believe this is true? These are the facts as we know them. We are trying to discover why our friend has been killed and sitting here going through this ‘
I can’t believe
it. It’s not true’
nonsense is time wasting.”

Kyden stared at me with unbelieving eyes, as did Thalia and Hayes. Do you think that stopped me? Of course not, I’m stupid. “Your vampires,” I pointed to Thalia. “are responsible for this. So let’s just move past that, shall we?”

The silence in the room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

Thalia moved with her super fast speed and ended up standing right in front of me. “I have never been talked to in such a way,” she growled.

“Get used to it,” I growled back. “I get annoyed easily.” Yep, I’m an idiot. My big mouth always lands me in a shit load of trouble.

Thalia suddenly broke out in hysterical laughter, along with Hayes. Kyden, on the other hand, looked flabbergasted.

“Nexi, that was quite entertaining,” Thalia remarked, taking her seat again. “Did you see that, Hayes?”

Hayes nodded. “Quite remarkable display that was.”

I took my seat too. “Are we done with that then?”

Thalia nodded. “I believe you have stated your opinion adequately. I just wish there was a way that I could see them for myself. It is not that I choose not to believe you, Nexi. It is just when you have lived as long as I have loyalty is all you have. It is hard to come to terms with the fact that vampires I have trusted would do such a thing. They must be new.”

“They weren’t.”

Her brows rose. “You are saying they were old?”

I nodded. “You got it.”

“How could you tell?”

I shrugged a little. “I don’t know.” I glanced at Kyden. “Couldn’t you tell?”

He shook his head.

“Weird. Well, I could feel the power off them. They were just like you. I’ve noticed that recently with the older vampires. They just feel different.”

Thalia appeared in front of me, kneeling at my feet and took my face in her hands to examine me. “You are special. Would you like to come and stay with me?”

After I found my breath again—frig, she moved quickly—I asked, “Are you asking me to apply for a job?”

“No,” she said, sternly. “I would never want one like you to work for me. We would be partners as such. Your skills would only make my house stronger.”

I glanced at Kyden, who looked nothing short of amused.

“Ahh…I thank you very much…for the offer. It would be lovely to stay with you, but my home is the Otherworld. I belong there.”

“Pity.” She lowered her hands from my face and stood. “Maybe in a century you will change your mind.” Then, she laughed. “We have eons of time.”

“Back on subject,” I said. “I believe I might have a way to show you, but I’ve never done it before so you would have to bear with me.”

“Show me what?” Thalia asked, curiously.

“Show you the vampires,” I replied. “Maybe if you get a good look at them you will recognize them.”

Kyden interrupted. “What are you talking about?”

“Tonight, I discovered I have a new ability. It appears that I can read other people’s thoughts. With Zia’s ability to show her thoughts to others, I’m thinking, or I have a feeling I should say, that I can do the same.”

Kyden arched a brow. “Really?” Then, his expression turned sultry.

I couldn’t resist. “What the hell is that look for?”

“Nothing of importance.”

I continued to stare, as if I’d let him off that easy.

He smirked and said, “I was imagining what it would be like to be able to read your thoughts during certain times is all.”

I followed those words perfectly, getting a splendid image in my mind of just what that would be like. To know what Kyden was thinking while we made love. To completely understand how he saw me when he looked at my naked body. Warmth immediately filled every part of me.

“Oh my,” Thalia purred. “Do you smell that, Hayes?”

After a deep inhale, Hayes said, “Smells pleasantly sweet to me.”

Both of their fangs were out and their eyes glowed wildly. “Are you two alright?” I asked.

Thalia moved in closer toward me. “When you are aroused your scent is extraordinary.” She took a deep breath and my eyes widened at the intensity in her.

“Oops…sorry,” I said, quickly trying to focus on anything but Kyden.

Kyden chuckled.

Thalia’s gaze never left mine. “Just because you don’t share him doesn’t mean you cannot share yourself?”

Kyden laughed loudly this time.

I shot him the dirtiest of dirty looks. “Not funny.” I glanced back to Thalia. She was watching me as if I was some poolside hunk and she was a starving cougar. “Er…I don’t share myself either. We are committed to each other.”

The glow in her eyes slowly diminished. “What a waste. Hayes and I would’ve made a much pleasant evening for you.”

My mind swirled with the images of that. Not that I’d ever thought of what being in a threesome would be like, but I couldn’t help imagine it a little bit.

Suddenly, Thalia’s eyes twinkled. “See, you would enjoy it.”

I glared at her. “Did you just read my mind?”

Kyden glared right back at me. “What were you thinking of?”

I dismissed him with my hand and focused back on Thalia. “Answer the question.”

“Yes. I can read your mind,” she stated, casually.

“What…you can…how?”

“I am an old vampire. It is one of our gifts.”

“Can I stop you?”

“No.”

“Better work on my mind control then.” The two vampires laughed. Then, I shook my head, annoyed. “How we keep getting sidetracked is beyond me, but can I try and show you then?”

Thalia nodded. “I do not mind.”

I took her hands in mine, which had her beaming. She looked all too pleased that I was holding onto her, which didn’t please me in the least.

“Alright. Let’s give this a try.” I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes, drawing on the adrenaline from Spirit—urging it to come forward so that I could show Thalia my memories containing the vampires. I focused on being back at the ball diamond and looked across each of the assailant’s faces. When my skin began to tingle and rush of intensity blasted through me, I knew it was working.