by CK Dawn
Still, she moaned in pleasure, even though a sickly dreadful feeling alighted in her stomach. Her Siren’s mark flared a warning. It’d burn him if he went any further. With explosive strength, she threw him off, her finger hitting an acupoint under his armpit. Vladimir became immobile. She sat up, glaring down at him. “Are you out of your freakin’ mind, Vladimir Blazek?”
“I can’t take it anymore,” he said. His breath was still heavy, his jaw set stubbornly.
“You know what would happen if I let you kiss me?”
“I wouldn’t regret it. I’d have gotten the sweet taste of you again.”
“It wouldn’t be sweet. It’d be the tang of death!”
“I’d rather die than lose you to another man.”
“And leave me broken? Leave me alone in this dark world?”
“You’ll never be alone. You have Kian, Aida, Ziyi, Orlando, and others. You have a loyal army that adores you.”
She slapped him hard.
“Hey, no slapping!”
“I need you to know it would never be the same without you.”
“I got it. But you gotta stop dominating me.” Then seeing the tears in her eyes, he said, “I’m sorry. I’m a jealous jerk. I’ve only been thinking about my own feelings.”
“I’ve been insensitive.”
“You are. I’ve never let anyone else slap me,” he complained. “I bet you left fingerprints on my fine-looking face. How am I going to explain that to the men?”
“I wouldn’t worry about that. You’re the king of excuses.” She touched a spot right below his heart and released him. She then traced his two lightning-shaped scars above his eyebrow. “You’re mine, Vladimir Blazek.”
Vladimir sat up, his hand wrapping around her waist, as if afraid she might escape again. His other hand stroked her hair. He knew she liked that. “Will you protect what’s yours, as I protect mine?” He locked her gaze with demand.
“You have to ask?” she sighed.
Vladimir grasped her hand thumbing his scar, pushed it down along the side of his face, and held it near his lips. Lucienne’s heart pounded as he pivoted his face toward her palm, until his lips kissed it, gently at first, then it grew wet, hotter, and hungrier. Lucienne tensed, but her Siren’s mark didn’t react this time.
“Vlad—”
“I won’t go too far, Lucia,” he said. “Trust me, my heart.”
The door swung open with a loud bang. Lucienne jerked her hand back from Vladimir’s kisses and turned to the door as Kian stormed in.
“Do you ever knock, McQuillen?” Vladimir frowned.
Kian stared hard at Vladimir for half a second, then slid his gaze over to Lucienne, his expression immediately turning warm and tender. “How are you holding up, kid?” he asked. “Aida was asking for you.”
Lucienne shot to her feet. “I’m coming.”
“Let’s go,” Kian said, then sniffed his nose. “Someone stinks here.” He turned to Vladimir with a scowl. The prince shrugged with a defiant look.
Lucienne turned to Vladimir. “Go home and take a shower. Or you won’t be allowed to enter the castle again. Too many people have complained. Some have even called you a foul beast.”
Kian chuckled. “Some speak the truth.”
Vladimir rose to his feet with a lazy smile. “I’ll bathe only if you’ll dine with me tonight.”
“Dinner will be at the castle,” Lucienne said. “Aida needs a break for at least a month.”
“You know I can cook, too, at my place,” Vladimir said. “Unless you prefer dinner to be interrupted every two minutes by unannounced visitors who never knock.”
Kian snorted. “Is that how you got that black eye—for your excellent cooking skills?”
Fighting a smile, Lucienne followed Kian out, stopping at the door to look over her shoulder at Vladimir, who was still watching her. “Eight o’clock, at my place.” Then she was gone.
Eighteen
A car approached the white mansion.
Lucienne peeked over from the verge of her candle-lit rooftop garden. Vladimir pulled his red Audi R8 sports car into the driveway and killed the engine. Whistling a country song, he hopped out.
Lucienne watched as the handsome boy strolled under a jungle of crimson maple foliage, toward the mansion’s door. He wore a black tuxedo. His usually disheveled mane was coiffed like an underwear model in Esquire. Lucienne smiled. Vladimir could easily pull off a style both classic and modern.
She darted away from the edge of the roof. “Music,” she commanded, and classical violin drifted over the rooftop. She scurried in her stilettos toward the other side of the roof, where her state-of-the-art telescope was situated. Underneath was the cliff, and far below, ocean waves made noisy love to the ancient rocks.
Lucienne often found herself on the roof watching the stars in the wee hours. Tonight, she wouldn’t be alone, and the stars may be even closer. Eterne might be one step away if she could just feel its pulse for a split second.
The front door opened and closed. Vladimir must have passed her fortress’ first line of defense. The biometric scanner outside her door was programmed to admit Kian, Vladimir, Aida, and Ziyi. The armed ceiling sensors were also designed to recognize them and not unleash deadly offensive weapons.
Lucienne could picture Vladimir striding through the maze of corridors. At the end he would find a spiral staircase. If he stopped to look down from the third floor stairs, he would glimpse a partial view of her library filled with manuscripts and books. She treasured her multilingual collection of ancient mythologies—the legends surrounding antediluvian knowledge and wars between gods, demigods, and long-ago heroes, as well as the tales of the origin of the human race long forgotten by the modern world.
They were merely collections. Her prized possessions were stored secretly in her temperature-controlled cellar, impenetrable to satellite and guarded by the most advanced laser weapons. Lucienne was the only one who had access to the chamber. After all, the Siren was the keeper of powerful secrets within secrets.
And there he was—emerging onto the roof, sauntering toward her with a breathtaking smile. The stars were behind his shoulders. “Lucia.” He took in the sight of her with appreciation.
Lucienne wore a one-shoulder silk evening gown of a spring blue, with a daringly low-cut back and curve-hugging mermaid skirt. Her hair was pinned up, a few tendrils playing seductively with her dangling ruby earrings.
She tilted her head toward the redwood table between them. On it were two sets of China plates accompanied by ornate silver utensils. Violet napkins were folded into flowers. Positioned around their plates were a variety of Asian sauces. At the center of the table a pot of soup stock simmered. The aroma lingered between them.
“We’re going to have Wild Mandarin Duck huǒ guō tonight,” Lucienne said.
Wild Mandarin Duck Hot Pot wasn’t the most romantic dish, but it was fun. Lucienne saw approval in Vladimir’s hazel eyes as they swept over the table. Then his gaze pulled back to her, over every inch of her, caressing her without a touch.
A sudden shadow of doubt breezed into her mind. What was she doing? And what would this lead to after tonight? They couldn’t really have an intimate relationship. Stubbornly, she pushed reason to the fringe of her mind. She and Vladimir hadn’t been together since their second kiss. They hadn’t allowed themselves to enjoy each other’s company for a very long time. She’d have this night, as would he.
Lucienne took the bottle of wine from the ice basket, pouring one for Vladimir and one for herself into the crystal glasses.
“We’re underage, miláček.”
“So?”
“Shouldn’t we check with the adults about drinking?”
“Call your uncle,” Lucienne said.
“You’re still the queen of irony.” Vladimir laughed. “And you take my breath away.”
Their tall glasses clinked to a toast. Lucienne sipped her wine, savoring its clean bite, and gazed at Vladimir through
the crystal brim. Vladimir put his wineglass down, and then slowly took Lucienne’s and set it down.
“A dance, m’ lady?” Before she gave her permission, his hand was already posed on her bare back. His other hand curved around hers. It was warm, solid, and tender. She felt wonderful to be in Vladimir’s strong arms, but for a second, her mind drifted to Ashburn and his hypnotic touch. She forced her thoughts back to her current partner and threw her arms around Vladimir’s neck.
They moved to the flowing rhythm of the music with matching grace. Vladimir pulled Lucienne closer, his face pressing against the side of hers, her curls dancing between them. Lucienne could feel the rough shave of his chin, and then the small of her back stiffened.
“Relax, miláček,” Vladimir coaxed in her ear. “It’s just a dance. Let’s enjoy it.”
“Someone’s here!” Lucienne hissed. “An invader.”
A figure in a hooded black coat blurred past them and whooshed into the night sky, leaving a trail of light. The candle lights on the rooftop snuffed out with the sound of a sigh.
Pulling away from Vladimir, Lucienne sprang to the telescope, training its lens toward the fading flash of light. The telescope caught the mysterious visitor before the spark completely zoomed out of the focus of the lens.
Riding on a transparent motorcycle-like machine that seemed made of light, Ashburn looked over his shoulder.
Lucienne stepped back with a gasp. The farm boy had followed her back to Sphinxes and crashed her date. He had warned her to stay away from him, but why wasn’t he keeping his distance from her? Was he taunting her, or was he unable to stay away from her?
And what flier was that? It was faster than BL7!
Then Vladimir spotted Ashburn in the telescope’s adjusted lens.
“What the—?” Furiously, Vladimir pulled out his encrypted Eidolon and dialed Kian’s number. “There’s an intruder in the Sphinxes air space.” After he warned Kian, he dialed Ziyi’s lab in the castle. “What is going on up there?!” he shouted into the phone. “You’re allowing a trespasser to fly in and out!” Black fire lit in his eyes. “Who’s on guard tonight?” He slammed his Eidolon shut and turned to Lucienne. “Let’s go to the castle. I’ll shoot him down!”
“Calm down, Vlad,” Lucienne said, face paling. When she looked into the telescope again, Ashburn was gone.
Vladimir screeched his Audi to a stop at the gate. He jumped out of the car and hurtled into the castle. Lucienne tried to keep up in her sky high stilettos. When they reached the north wing, Vladimir headed toward the defense room.
Lucienne wrapped her arms around his waist, half dragging and half coaxing him toward Laboratory SX1. “Vlad, I have a better idea.”
Seemingly distracted by Lucienne’s touch, Vladimir followed her. Then, just as quickly, he refocused his attention back on Ashburn and was indignant. “He sabotaged our date!”
“We’ll resume our date right where we left off. Now come with me.”
Vladimir in his tuxedo and Lucienne in her gown hurried into Laboratory SX1.
The lab personnel and Ziyi were at their posts, frantically entering codes, rewriting programs, and testing equipment. No one seemed to notice that Vladimir and Lucienne were overdressed. The system had been compromised. It was more than a slap in everyone’s face.
“I’m so sorry, Lucia. We failed to trace the invader,” Ziyi said with gritted teeth and a beet-red face, her fingers flying across the control panel.
“It’s Ashburn Fury,” Lucienne said.
“He blocked Dragonfly again! And none of our tracers can function.”
The door chimed open. Orlando stomped into the lab. “The weapon system is off line. Kian’s in the field with the technicians, checking servers and cable lines.”
Ashburn is making my people look like fools. Lucienne shut her eyes for a moment to collect her thoughts. When she fluttered them open again, she turned to the lab personnel. “Unplug all the computers, save one beta and one quantum. And turn off all other devices, except for the dark-matter detector.”
Her staff turned to her with a confused look.
“Now!” Lucienne said.
The crew obeyed. Two of the technicians efficiently engaged a tracing program on dark matters on the beta computer.
Lucienne opened the charm locket on her necklace and released the pin. The net clip that held the Eye of Time separated it from the Twilight Water. She placed the Eye on a sensor that linked to the beta.
Orlando and two commandos stood by with fire extinguishers, looking tense.
The sensor that monitored the Eye of Time blinked once, twice, and then a string of numbers burst alive inside the Eye’s lens.
“Dragonfly’s back on line,” Ziyi called from the lab.
My enemy’s enemy is my friend. A gleam flashed in Lucienne’s eyes. Soon I’ll know the connection between the Eye of Time and Ashburn.
“Dark matter is flaring!” a technician called. He read off the coordinates.
“Dragonfly on the coordinates!” Vladimir ordered.
An image of Ashburn astride a transparent motorcycle whisked across the center monitor. Someone in the lab whistled. “What’s that?”
“I’d kill to have a ride like that,” someone else said.
The rider and his machine plummeted toward the snow-capped mountains.
A collective gasp rose in the lab.
Clasping her mouth to muffle a cry, Lucienne stole a look at the Eye. Its color was transforming into a shining crimson, as if sucking blood—Ashburn’s blood.
The Eye of Time must be hunting Ashburn!
What if it harms him? Can I afford to lose the covenant key holder? Lucienne moved her hand toward the pin, about to cage the Eye, but halted. I can’t quit when I’ve just begun. “Only the necessary matters.” Jed had burned that motto in her head. I’ll wait a little longer and see what’s going to happen. If he was meant to be the one, he’d survive. Just like Jed had allowed her to experience jeopardy. “If you’re meant to be the Siren, you’ll live through it.”
Dragonfly’s camera gave Ashburn a close up. Pain twisted his beautiful face. His hand clutched his head; his other hand desperately fended off something invisible. Then, for a brief moment, the motorcycle stopped falling and hovered in a valley between the mountains.
Ashburn is fighting back! A light danced in Lucienne’s eyes.
Ashburn let out a cry of pain, and his ride began to descend again. He’ll crash! Lucienne pushed in the pin, and the Twilight Water sucked the Eye back into its vacuum. It was too late. Ashburn’s machine and its semi-conscious rider plunged toward the shadowy canyon.
Lucienne felt a stab of heartache.
“Send Cam from Hell Gate to the mountains,” she ordered Ziyi. “Have him bring the medic with him.” Then she turned to Orlando. “Take BL7 and bring Ashburn Fury to Sphinxes. Take the medic team with you.”
“Yes, Lucia,” Orlando said, already half-way out the door.
“I can go,” Vladimir offered.
“No, you stay,” Lucienne said.
Vladimir shot her a look of frustration. Lucienne met his stare, when suddenly several voices in the lab shouted, “A third man!”
Lucienne snapped her attention back to the screen.
A bare-chested man in white sweatpants moved at superhuman speed toward a falling Ashburn and his motorcycle. The man appeared to be over seven feet tall. The build of his body looked like a god. He leapt from the mountain and caught Ashburn twenty feet above the ground, just before impact. They were thrown downward toward the valley.
The machine crashed first, ramming into the slope of the gorge, sending rocks and twigs catapulting into the air. The giant man and Ashburn collided onto the ground next to it, with Ashburn landing on top of the man. They rolled after it toward the base of the valley as the machine plunged onto a large rock, a ray of light shooting from it.
The mysterious man veered away from the rock. When he passed it, he grabbed its edge, stopping th
eir fall.
“Ziyi,” Lucienne said, “radio Orlando to abort the mission.”
Vladimir narrowed his eyes. “That dude certainly isn’t a native.”
“We can’t afford to let anyone outside Sphinxes find out about Nirvana and Ashburn,” said Lucienne.
“Run facial recognition, Ziyi,” Vladimir ordered.
“Already running,” Ziyi said. “You know I’m always one step ahead.”
A beta computer flashed data and images of headshots. A few minutes later, a message appeared on the screen: No record.
“He isn’t in the system,” Vladimir said, his face hardening. “He’s a new threat.”
Lucienne watched Ashburn break free from the bare-chested man. Still dazed, Ashburn sat on the slope, his breathing labored. “What are you doing here?” he asked the man.
The man wasn’t a native, yet Ashburn seemed to know him. Lucienne studied them closely.
“What I came here to do,” the man said. “Protect you.”
“I don’t need your protection.” Ashburn struggled up. “Stay away from me!”
He wants everyone to stay away from him, Lucienne thought wryly.
“We’d better get back to the Rabbit Hole,” the man said. “Only inside it, will you be safe.”
Rabbit Hole? Lucienne narrowed her eyes. Then she heard a whisper inside her head, Siren, let me out. The voice was neither human nor machine. A chill climbed up her spine. She darted her eyes around until they fixed upon the open locket—the silvery eye amid the Twilight Water. The bloody red hue had faded.
Was it using telepathy with her, even in its cage? There’s only one way to find out. Lucienne considered the Eye of Time for a few seconds, then turned to the screen to watch Ashburn stumble toward his motorcycle, followed by the giant. No, she wouldn’t let them walk away just like that. Now that Ashburn had landed safely, she wanted to know what else the Eye wanted from him.
Siren, let me out, the Eye of Time called again.
Lucienne released the Eye.
It came alive instantly. As Lucienne heard its satisfied breath of fresh air, the chill and thrill brought bumps to her skin. Atop the sensor, the Eye pulsed, blazing brightly. The sensor responded with rapid flashes, and the quantum computer hummed. Then mysterious writing appeared on the monitor.
