“Carmen!” he shouted and tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair until she entered the room. It was then that he remembered to scramble the image on the wall. The last thing he needed was Carmen even more in his business.
“What is it now?” she huffed, clearly having regained some of her confidence. Sighing, he was annoyed to realize he was going to have to pretend to give a fuck what was going on with her if he wanted information. He could always threaten her again, but he didn’t want to break her to a point where others would notice.
“Is something bothering you?” he asked in a soothing voice, reaching out a hand to her.
She ignored his hand and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Don’t bother pretending you care. I already know you were looking at that bitch again. That’s all this is about for you, isn’t it?”
“Are you jealous?” he asked, genuinely surprised since he got the impression Carmen preferred men she could easily control. “Are you telling me that you enjoyed my dick so much earlier that you can’t stand the thought of me with another woman?”
“You should be so lucky,” she scoffed. “As if I could ever be jealous of that skinny bitch you’re panting after.”
“Then what is bothering you?” Talon asked, impressed that he sounded so supportive and concerned.
“What’s bothering me is you spending so much time obsessing over the woman on your wall all of a sudden,” Carmen snapped. “While I understand that getting the little whore was part of your deal with me, you were much more focused at first. I don’t recall finding you with a dreamy look as you gazed at her. Now, I’ve caught you twice. Are you even in this plan with me any longer, or are you too busy jerking off?”
Carmen’s attitude threw him off for a moment because he’d honestly expected her to be more afraid of him after their earlier encounter. Maybe she was reacting this way out of genuine fear that he was going to abandon their plan—a valid fear, since he would if it meant getting his hands on Alexa. Of course, that wasn’t something Carmen needed to know. Talon had long since grown bored with ridiculous vampire plots, and they hadn’t managed to do more than rally some settlements and a few of the lower council members.
Normally, Talon loved stirring up trouble in the human realm, but he’d already grown bored with this place. If he hadn’t taken the form of this weak vampire, he’d at least be able to return to his own realm and get a much needed break from this place. Unfortunately, the only way to take a break from this place would be to give Alistair his form back, and Alistair would definitely betray them to the council. If he had to attend another boring meeting, he might be tempted to slaughter every vampire in sight.
“Are you even listening to me?” Carmen demanded.
Talon was done with Carmen’s bitchy attitude. While he’d put up with her moodiness when she’d walked into the room, she was being increasingly disrespectful—something he would not tolerate. Backhanding her so hard she slammed into the wall, Talon was satisfied when he heard the crack of bones and her cry of pain. The bitch really should have learned not to fuck with him after their encounter that morning.
Stalking toward her, Talon could tell he’d probably broken her jaw. Carmen’s eyes no longer held any anger. The only thing staring back at him was fear—a smart reaction for someone in her position.
“I’ve been very patient with you,” he spat out as he grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking her to her feet. “One would think that I had made myself clear to you earlier today. I’m done with your insolence. What you should be doing right now is thanking me for stooping to help someone as lowly as you. You and your kind are nothing to me. You’re only alive because I find you useful and entertaining. Should I suddenly stop feeling that way, I will make you beg for death before I grant it to you. Do you understand?”
Carmen tried to nod, but couldn’t move her head, and she obviously couldn’t talk with the pain of her shattered jaw and bleeding head.
“Good girl,” Talon praised sarcastically, reaching a hand out to trace the line of her broken jaw before running his hand through the back of her hair and holding it over the large gash. The skin knitted together under his fingers, and he knew the bone in her jaw was rapidly healing as well. When she was fully healed, he released her and stepped back. “What progress have you made in your efforts to gain more council support?”
Carmen swallowed hard and put a hand up to her jaw, as if amazed that the pain was gone. It took her a moment to get herself together enough to speak, but Talon was patient.
“I arranged a meeting with some other council members who are likely to join us. I’ve been feeling them out regarding what’s going on in Connor’s territory and their opinions about Eleanor,” she explained.
Talon nodded. “When do we meet with them?”
“In half an hour,” Carmen answered, her voice shaking slightly before she cleared her throat, obviously trying to hide her fear. “I managed to get them all assigned to a committee, and I’ve got someone who will disable the security cameras in the conference room we’re meeting in.”
“Won’t that attract unwanted attention?” Talon asked. “We don’t want anyone suspecting there’s something going on.”
“There’s always something going on, but they won’t even check the video feed unless they’re already suspicious. The feed will also be disrupted in several other rooms, so even if someone does find out that it went out, they’ll think it’s just a glitch in the system and send for someone to fix it. We’ll be long gone by then.”
“Go clean yourself up before the meeting,” Talon said, effectively dismissing her. “We don’t want the others to see your hair all bloody.”
The way her fingers trembled as Carmen reached back to touch the fresh blood in her hair made Talon smile. “That’s right, Carmen. You came very close to dying today, and next time, I might not feel the urge to heal you, so I suggest you don’t fuck with me in the future.”
Fire flashed in Carmen’s eyes, and Talon watched as she struggled for control of her own emotions. She obviously didn’t want to back down or agree that he was in charge, but she knew she had no choice, and that made his victory all the sweeter.
“I’ll be back in twenty minutes,” Carmen bit out. “We should enter together to show our solidarity.”
Talon nearly laughed at the way the bitch tried to regain control. She was tough, but he’d bet she wouldn’t give him an attitude again.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lexi woke up to the sound of Zane’s cursing, and found him trying to turn off the movie they’d been watching. It hadn’t been porn—much to Zane’s disappointment. This movie had been about a master criminal from England who’d traveled to Fangri La under an assumed name to get samples of the Moon virus to be used in some elaborate, yet boring, plot to achieve world domination. From the trailer, Lexi had expected it to be exciting and romantic, since the spy’s vampire love interest was the reason the spy ended up turning on her boss, but after thirty minutes of her traveling to Fangri La, ordering airline meals, and having confusing flashbacks, Lexi had fallen asleep on Zane’s lap. She hadn’t even managed to stay awake until the vampire love interest made his appearance, or to see the spy show off any of her badass fighting skills.
It had not been her intention to end up on Zane’s lap, but he was even more persistent and stubborn than she was. He also did it in a much sweeter way, making it hard saying no—not that she really wanted to say no. As much as she tried to fight it, she enjoyed being close to Zane.
“I’ll turn it off,” she mumbled in a sleepy voice.
“Sorry, I woke you.” Zane flashed a sheepish smile. “I’ve been in plenty of vampire houses, but I don’t know how to use much here. You’d think, with as often as I’m out here, I’d have figured some of this out.”
“You must visit your vampire friends a lot,” was her casual comment, and she almost laughed when Zane blushed.
Zane’s hesitation revealed a lot. “I do have friends h
ere, but I don’t want to lie to you.” There was another long hesitation, making her realize Zane was worried about telling her he’d come here to sleep with other women.
“Zane, don’t worry about explaining yourself,” she assured him. “I didn’t think I was your first or anything like that. You were much too good for it to be your first time—or even your fiftieth time, for that matter. Not that I’ve ever been with anyone their first time, but the other guys I’ve been with sucked, so I’m assuming guys suck even more their first time.” Lexi felt like her mouth just would not stop moving. No matter how hard she fought to keep the words from slipping past her lips, she kept going with her embarrassing ramblings. “So, you shouldn’t be embarrassed or try to shield me from the fact that you’ve had a lot of sexual experience. Like I already said, it was totally obvious when you were with me at the hospital. Plus, I already told you we aren’t a couple, which means I have no right to complain, even if you’re still sleeping with other women. Although, I guess, if you say we’re a couple while you’re sleeping with other women, I should be mad. Then again, I said we’re not a couple, so why should I expect you to be monogamous. Oh, God, why can’t I just shut up?” she practically moaned.
Zane laughed at her obvious distress before hugging her closer to his chest. “You are adorable when you do that.”
“Adorable,” she huffed out. “Yeah, that’s what everyone says when they hear me babbling endlessly like a crazy woman. They say ‘look at that adorable lunatic over there! Isn’t that just darling?’ Oh, wait, they don’t usually say that. They usually just pull their children closer and try to avoid making eye contact.”
“Lexi, you aren’t crazy,” Zane assured her. “Now, would you help me turn this thing off so we can get some sleep? Before you ask, we’re sharing a bed, angel. Like it or not, you’re my mate, and I need to be with you. What I will do is offer to sleep in my lynx form if that will make you feel better.”
Lexi stood to turn off the computer. When she’d first tried to figure out how the computer worked, it had taken much longer than she’d expected, but she’d eventually figured it out. Now, she knew how to work the computer, but she was stalling. Did she want Zane to sleep in lynx form? The idea held a lot of appeal. She would get the same comfort from Zane without the temptation, but she felt bad asking Zane to be less comfortable just because she was afraid of losing control with him.
“How would you be most comfortable?” she finally asked without looking at Zane as she finished turning off the computer.
“Naked. Wrapped around your body,” he replied, and she nearly whimpered.
How the hell could he say something so sexy and sound like he was talking about the weather when she was practically panting after hearing the words?
“Lexi.” Zane waited for her to face him before continuing. “I tend to be very impulsive, even more so when it comes to you, but I won’t force you to have sex with me, no matter what you decide.”
Lexi’s eyes widened. “I never thought you’d force me. I’m more worried that I’ll jump on you the second we get near a bed.”
“Then we should definitely get near a bed.” Zane laughed when she shot him an exasperated look.
“You’re impossible,” she told him.
“I know,” he agreed with no shame.
“Completely untrainable,” she added.
His grin widened, and he nodded. “Absolutely. Wanna know what else I am?”
“I’m afraid to ask,” Lexi replied, fighting her own smile.
“Yours, angel,” he murmured softly, before lacing his fingers through hers and squeezing her hand gently. “Now, let’s go to bed, and I promise to behave and let you sleep. That is, unless you tell me you don’t want me to behave,” he added.
That was the real problem; Lexi knew she should want Zane to behave, but she honestly didn’t.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
In the conference room, Talon found seven other vampires, not the three he’d expected. While he recognized three as main council members, the other four were unknown to him. “Give us a moment, please,” he excused them, grabbing Carmen’s arm and dragging her far enough down the hall to avoid being heard.
“What the hell is this about?” he demanded. “You told me there were three council members who were supportive of our cause. Now, I find seven in there. I don’t like not having all the information, and I don’t like childish games.”
“Four are lesser council members, and so insignificant that I didn’t think to mention them,” she explained quietly without meeting his eyes.
Talon studied her for a moment, looking for a lie. No, he didn’t trust Carmen, but he was pretty sure she was smart enough not to fuck with him after their talk.
Carmen licked her lips nervously and continued when he said nothing. “While those lesser members could be useful, they’ll fall in line with what the senior council members do, so we don’t need to worry about convincing them.”
“Sheep,” Talon spat out in disgust.
“Yes,” Carmen agreed. “We should focus on Leland, Celia, and Richard. Leland is the most powerful of the three, and he’s hated Eleanor for decades because she turned him down.”
Talon snorted. “So, he’s a fool who is led by emotion and his dick.”
Carmen nodded. “Exactly! That’s why I selected him.”
Talon started back toward the conference room without further discussion. He was pissed at Carmen for failing to tell him this information before, but he was willing to forgive her this time since she’d likely been too distracted after having her jaw broken.
Entering the room, Talon smiled at the others. “I’m sorry about the delay.”
“We don’t have time for any of your ridiculous games,” Leland snapped, and Talon had to fight the urge to lash out.
Backing down wasn’t in Talon’s nature, making it harder to remember to act like Alistair—that useless sniveling excuse for a man. Thankfully, Carmen stepped forward and glared at Leland, providing Talon enough entertainment to cool his temper some.
“We’ve been taking all the risks, so I suggest you shut the hell up and listen to what we have to say,” Carmen snapped at him.
Leland stood and glared at Carmen while Talon took a moment to study the vampire. Leland was tall, probably a few inches over six feet with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, sickly pale skin, a shaved head, and grey eyes so pale, they were nearly white. He could see why Eleanor had turned the vampire down. Talon had serious doubts about Leland’s power. The man rarely spoke at council meetings, except for the occasional heated rant.
Finally, Leland spoke. “So, you think you’re a powerful member of this council just because you’ve cooked up some harebrained rebellion, Carmen?”
“Shut up, Leland,” Celia ordered in a bored tone. “We get that you’re a big bad vampire, but we need to work together if we’re going to bring down Eleanor and her supporters. Isn’t that why you’re here in the first place? We should give Carmen and Alistair credit for putting things in motion. What have you done other than sit around moaning about how much you hate Eleanor?” Celia looked like some nightmare doll with brown ringlet curls, large blue eyes, porcelain skin, and a long nose that turned up at the end. She wore a light blue cloak with the hood pushed back. Celia spoke out often at meetings regarding her desire to replace the leadership in less-cooperative territories.
Leland glared at Celia as if he were hoping she’d fall over dead.
“Celia’s right,” Richard added, without looking up from the three metal balls in his hand. He continued to move the metal balls around, just as he did in council meetings. “This isn’t the time for petty squabbles amongst ourselves. Alistair and Carmen have been working to put this all together, and they deserve our respect.”
Richard was not very tall, with black hair, light brown skin, and brown eyes. Talon suspected Carmen was underestimating Richard’s power, which was why she believed Leland was the more important to win over. Richard
rarely spoke at meetings, but when he did, he held the attention of the entire room.
Leland huffed. He was obviously not happy about the others taking sides, and Talon was pretty sure that made Leland more of a liability than an asset. Unfortunately, he knew they had something planned, leaving them with only two options: recruit him or kill him. Talon preferred the second option, but knew the first was the smarter choice at this point. Such a pity.
“Do you want your revenge on Eleanor or not?” Carmen asked Leland in a placating tone.
“Of course I do, but how do I know this won’t end up being some sort of suicide mission?” Leland demanded.
“Sending Leland on a suicide mission? Now, there’s an idea,” Richard muttered.
Carmen looked flustered, and Talon suddenly wondered if it had been a mistake to rattle her confidence right before this meeting. Now, she seemed to be questioning her plan of attack with Leland. No matter how out of character it would appear, Talon was left with no choice but to take over.
“We’ve spoken to several settlements and gained their backing,” he began. “Others who were less cooperative have been warned that their communications have been compromised, so they’re unlikely to try to contact anyone for help.”
“Are their communications really compromised?” Celia asked, only looking mildly interested in the conversation.
“Yes,” Carmen assured her, sounding somewhat more confident. “We provided them with proof.”
“Smart thinking,” Richard praised in a thoughtful tone. “That should make them too afraid to do anything. What we need now is something to cause fear and confusion among the council.” With that, Richard stood. “You’ll have my support once you’ve proven you can handle that matter.” His eyes locked with Talon’s, and he wondered if Richard could somehow see through the façade. There was knowledge and power in those brown eyes. He gave a subtle head gesture toward Leland before exiting the room with two of the lower council members hot on his heels.
Impulsive Destiny Page 14
