by Nashoda Rose
I closed my eyes as desire flared.
“Tell me,” he urged. His thumb stopped moving and I glanced up at him. He smirked. God, I loved his smirk.
“My parents knew about my abilities and explained them to me when I was about four or five. But I didn’t understand them—and I don’t think they did either.”
“Were you adopted?” he said.
I frowned. There was that possibility, but they hadn’t told me that. “I don’t know.”
“They couldn’t have been Scars. Otherwise, we’d have known about you. But they knew about your ability. That doesn’t make sense.”
“I was too young to make sense of anything. I remember the first time I used my ability. My mother had been crying over a patient dying at work. I crawled into her lap and hugged her. My ability happened naturally. All I wanted was for her to stop being sad, so I took it away.”
Kilter’s fingers trailed down my abdomen to my side where he settled his hand on my hip.
“She was scared at what I’d done. So, you’re right, my parents weren’t Scars. But they also knew about my tattoo.”
“Your Ink? On your shoulder.”
I nodded. “They told me to never talk to it. I didn’t understand at the time, until my parents died and I was with Anton. I was so scared and alone, spent most of my time in a room alone. That’s when I began talking to it. Serafina—that’s what I call her—or did.” I looked away from him, my fingers curling in the sheet. “I lost most of my abilities and Serafina when I was a teenager.”
“Weight loss?” Kilter asked.
I nodded. “I was trying to hide my abilities from Anton. I hated it when he made me use them. For hours he’d put me in this laboratory hooked up to all these machines. I wasn’t allowed to leave until I did as he asked. Move objects. Tell him what emotion he was feeling again and again. I hated it so much that I’d have done anything to stop it. When I was twelve, before I lost weight and still had my abilities, I tried to leave.”
“How?”
I hesitated.
“Baby, no matter what you did, I will never turn my back on you.” He leaned forward and kissed me. It wasn’t all consuming, but it was sweet and trusting, and I loved that part of Kilter, too.
“I can go further than what I did with you and my mom. I can take more than just emotions.” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “I can take life.”
His thumb never missed a beat as it continued its slow movement over my hip. “How?”
“I stole a man’s emotions until he had nothing left. It killed him. I’d never done it before, but I was desperate and young and didn’t think it through. I had no plan except to escape. Maybe if I’d been smarter I’d have hidden my Ink from Anton when I was younger and Serafina could’ve helped me escape, but when I was eleven, he snapped a metal band around my Ink so I could never call to her.”
“He must have known about our Inks, babe.”
Yeah, he probably did. “He removed it years later, but by then, I was so thin that my Ink no longer responded to my voice.”
“And the man you killed?”
“A guard came to take me to the room where Anton made me practice my skills. Normally, I didn’t fight, but I don’t know. That day I lost control. When he put his hand on my arm, my powers took over and I couldn’t stop myself. He was shocked at first. I could see it in his eyes when he couldn’t catch his breath. He tried to push me off him, but I kept taking his emotions until there was nothing left. He fell to the floor and died.
“I ran. Scared of what I’d done. Of Anton finding out. Of who I was. I made it to the wall, but…” The memory was as if it were yesterday, running, terrified and knowing if I was caught I’d never have the opportunity to escape again. “I couldn’t get over the wall. I just couldn’t. Too many guards watched the gate, so the wall was my only choice, but it was too high. It was too high and they were coming after me. I was weak from killing the guard and couldn’t call on my Ink, so I failed. I failed and Anton dragged me back.” A single tear slid down my cheek and Kilter’s finger gently wiped it away. “I didn’t see the sun, moon, rain, or sky for months after that. When he let me out of the room, he’d hired Ben, and I knew I’d never have the opportunity again.”
“Fuck, babe.” Kilter tightened his hold on my hip and dragged me up against his side. “I’m sorry.” He leaned over, kissed my brow and nose, and slowly lingered over my lips. “I’m sorry I left you behind. It was selfish and cold, and it was cruel.”
“I’m sorry for what your brother and Gemma did to you,” I whispered. “I wish I could have been there. I wish I could have helped you.”
“You did, Rayne. You gave me peace with what you did with your ability.”
“But you found out she betrayed you.”
He nodded. “But it was the truth.” He lowered his head and kissed me. It was soft and yet held so much meaning to it. When he pulled back, his eyes were warm and gentle. “Babe, you trusted me not to hurt you. No one has trusted me in a long time.” He paused. “I don’t think you realize how fuckin’ special you are. Not for your ability, but for who you are as a person.”
Kilter didn’t give compliments easily or lightly and I didn’t know how to respond to that, so instead I kissed him.
“Can I ask you to do something?”
“You can ask me anything. Always.”
I hesitated because Kilter was going to be difficult about this. “Roarke.” His eyes narrowed.
“The Grit at the art gala?”
I nodded. “Don’t let anyone hurt him.”
“He’s a Grit, babe. They kill humans and have no remorse for it.”
“Roarke does,” I whispered.
Kilter cupped the back of my neck, his fingers locked in my hair. “You care about this guy? A Grit? He’d suck the oxygen from your lungs without a second thought. Fuck, he watched you suffer in that place and did fuck all about it.”
I raised my hand and gently stroked his cheek. “Roarke isn’t like my husband, Kilter.”
“Stop calling that bastard your husband. He forced you to marry him, didn’t he?” When I nodded, he continued, “The title doesn’t belong to him.”
Kilter was right. Anton didn’t deserve that title. He didn’t deserve me.
“Grits can’t be trusted, Rayne. It’s who they are.”
“Roarke protected me. He kept me away from Anton as much as he could.”
“He should have got you the fuck out of there. It’s bullshit.”
“Maybe he couldn’t.”
“Or maybe he didn’t want to.”
I’d thought about that, too. Had Roarke liked that I was a captive? Had he hoped my husband would put us together—again? Had he enjoyed what we were forced to do? It had been an experiment, one that failed.
Kilter climbed out of bed then reached over and brought me with him, his arm around my waist. “We’re late for the meeting.” He placed a light kiss on my forehead before letting me go and snagging his jeans off the floor. “We’ll talk about it later.”
“He mentioned a woman who was at the compound. Says she’s dangerous. He warned me about her. He doesn’t want to hurt me.” He grabbed his T-shirt and pulled it down over his head, not saying anything. “Kilter?”
“Babe, trusting a Grit is out of any realm of possibility for me. Can’t do it. Won’t.” He tossed my clothes to me. “Waleron is an asshole when we’re late. Put some clothes on.”
I STOOD ON THE far side of the living room near the window, Kilter next to me with his arm possessively around my waist. Keir, Anstice, Danni, and Balen stood over by the mantel talking quietly. Hack sat cross-legged on the couch, fingers tapping on his cell phone, and Jedrik lounged on a chair, one leg bent over the other looking bored, but from the way his narrowed eyes constantly shifted to the door, he wasn’t.
The front door open and closed, then came the click of high heels on the hardwood floor. I sensed the immediate change in everyone as chatting stopped and head
s turned to the approaching woman—including me.
Kilter whispered, “Trinity. She’s a witch with her own coven outside the city. She’s also a fuckin’ bitch. Don’t trust a word out of her mouth.”
Even with my ability shielded, the energy in the room was so tense it leaked into me. And the second she appeared, I saw why. Trinity looked like a deadly panther, long sleek legs that covered the ground with quiet stealth. Ebony hair with a hint of blue hung straight and thick down her arched back to the cusp of her butt. Shoulders straight and narrow, matched her unusual height for a woman of maybe five ten.
“Where is that stupid girl?” Trinity asked in a honeyed voice as she stopped in the archway into the living room. “I swear I will cast a gilded web around her and lock her in the basement for the next fifty years.”
I flinched and Kilter tightened his hold.
Trinity cocked her hip, hand resting on it, lips blazing bold red that matched her long fingernails. Her blueberry eyes careened around the room, shifting to each of us until they landed on me.
Kilter stiffened as Trinity’s eyes swept over me from head to toe. She licked her lower lip and raised her thin, exaggerated brows. I wanted to slink under Kilter’s arm, but another side of me—the new strong and confident side—met Trinity’s gaze head-on. It helped having one of the most dangerous and fearless men standing beside me.
Her vision moved to Jedrik and Keir, then to Anstice and her expression changed from haughty to warm as she smiled openly at her. That was interesting.
Trinity strolled over to her, arms outstretched. “Anstice, you look lovely as always.” They hugged—Keir rolled his eyes—then the witch reached down and patted Finn on the head.
“Trinity helped save Anstice’s life,” Kilter informed me as if he could read my thoughts. I checked my shields, but they were strong, meaning Kilter was getting to know what I was thinking without penetrating my mind.
Waleron entered the room and moved off to the far side where no one else was. He leaned against the wall, one foot resting on it, arms crossed, eyes on Trinity who chatted with Anstice. He gave the impression he was bored, but from my encounter with Waleron, I suspected he was anything but. I noticed he’d taken out a duck-head candy container twice in the last minute and eaten whatever was in it.
“Well?” Trinity strolled away from Anstice and her gaze settled on Waleron. Her tongue slid slowly over her lower lip and it glistened with wetness. “What has Abigail done this time? I’m guessing she’s caused a mess. Otherwise, you’d have never called me here.”
Jedrik grumbled something I couldn’t make out.
Trinity tapped her long fingernails on her hip where she had her hand resting. “She left the coven nearly a year ago with the scent of a Scar all over her. Is that what this is about? Did she fuck one of you?” Her eyes shot to Jedrik, who immediately met her gaze and winked. Trinity laughed. “You’d never sleep with a witch, Jedrik, even one as delectable as Abigail. I do believe it was a witch who had you—”
“Piss off, Trinity,” Jedrik interrupted.
Waleron pushed away from the wall and all eyes turned toward him. I suspected that was his intention. “Rayne was attacked last night by one of Liam’s underlings.”
“Ah, the new girl. So what.” Trinity glanced at me and shrugged. Yeah, she was a complete bitch.
Waleron ignored her and continued. “Also, the Grit from the compound has been seen asking questions about her.” My breath hitched and Kilter’s hand on my hip flinched. Waleron directed his ice-blue eyes to Trinity. “And Abigail drank Liam’s blood and is presently in detox.”
Trinity’s composure broke and her eyes widened, mouth gaped. Then just as suddenly as the shock came, it was gone. “Stupid child. Just like her mother,” Trinity said with a wave of her hand with a dramatic sigh. “Ungrateful wench. Where is she?”
“She’s at an undisclosed location and will remain there until she either dies or survives detox,” Waleron said.
“I will be responsible for my witches,” Trinity shot back.
“You haven’t been responsible for your witch for over a fuckin’ year,” Jedrik said. “Haven’t even been looking for her.”
Waleron continued, “She was pregnant with Damien’s child, which subsequently she’s lost. She cannot be moved.”
Who was Damien?
“Damien?” Trinity said. “I find that difficult to believe. He detests women.”
Waleron’s brows twitched. “Liam is behind both women’s situations and I want to know why.”
“Abigail is rebellious just like her mother,” Trinity said. “And now, she will die from her own foolishness. Like mother, like daughter.”
“You’re a coldhearted bitch,” Jedrik sneered.
Trinity smiled. “Yes. And I get what and who I desire because of it.”
“Trin,” Anstice warned.
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but it wasn’t good.
“Liam had a truce with us,” Keir said. “He’d never allow a witch to drink his blood unless she’s vital to him.”
“He’s up to something,” Hack said with his arm slung over the back of the couch. “He’s been too quiet recently.”
“Yes. And I suspect that plan has something to do with Rayne and Abigail. When Delara arrives, she may have some insight into Liam’s plans. We have another issue to address.” Waleron turned his attention to me. “Rayne, we need to know everything we can about the compound.”
I knew this was coming. They’d eventually want to know what Anton was doing, why he was interested in the Scars. And in some way, I was relieved that it had come to this. That I was strong enough to tell them.
Kilter leaned toward me. “You don’t want to do this, we walk away.”
God, that was sweet. I linked my fingers with his and gently squeezed. Then I raised my chin and looked at Waleron. “In the beginning, Anton was obsessed with discovering what I was capable of. My abilities.” I avoided the witch’s curious stare. “There were CWOs there and a woman I met a few times. Humans, too. I only saw a vampire once, but he was a prisoner. I don’t know how Anton knew about them. I don’t know how he knew about my abilities. But it was like…I don’t know, but maybe he knew long before my parents died. He never told me. Never talked about my parents. It was like when they died, they no longer existed.” I paused. “Those who worked for him were really loyal. Even the CWOs. But it wasn’t because they liked him. It was something else.”
“CWOs don’t like humans,” Keir stated.
“There was a woman who came to the compound. I think she was pretty powerful because even Roarke, the Grit who led the CWOs at the compound, was uneasy around her. I have no idea who she was, though.” Actually, she reminded me a lot of Trinity. “I saw her argue with Anton. It was obvious he was nervous around her. After the argument, that’s when the experimenting started.” My throat tightened. “The Grit, Roarke, was given my blood.”
“Like drank it? Like a vampire?” Hack asked, surprised.
I shook my head. “No, intravenously. A transfusion. Anton wanted to see if giving him my blood would do anything. He wanted to know whether my abilities would be transferred onto the Grit. They weren’t.” I took a deep breath and glanced up at Kilter. God, I didn’t want anyone to know, especially Kilter. “So we did it another way. We were bred. Anton thought a child might carry both our abilities.”
The tension on my waist intensified. “Fuck,” Kilter muttered under his breath.
Please don’t pity me.
“You are the strongest woman I know, babe.”
He’d read my thoughts. Then I realized, I no longer shielded them from him. I’d let him in.
“Roarke, he was the only one and it didn’t work. I never got pregnant.”
Kilter’s fingers tensed on my waist. I’d just given him another reason to not trust Roarke.
Balen gave me a respectful nod before he spoke. “What did the CWOs do at the compound?”
“On occasio
n, Roarke would leave and many of the CWOs would go with him. They seemed really loyal to him. But I don’t know where they went or what they did,” I replied.
“Grits are the most powerful,” Anstice said. “They could have feared him.”
I nodded. “They wouldn’t go against Roarke or the woman.”
“The Grit, Roarke,” Waleron said, “contacted you twice. Why?”
“He’s protective of me and he warned me about the woman from the compound. He says I’m important to her. He wanted me to go with him. Said he could protect me from her.”
Kilter snorted.
“And what of this husband, my dear?” Trinity asked. “Did you breed with him, too?”
What a total witch. “I didn’t. He married me for the simple reason of having control over me. He enjoyed the fact he could use me anytime he wanted. But we never fucked, if that’s what you want to know. To him I was a lab rat, caged and tested on over and over again.”
“Christ, Rayne,” Kilter growled.
They wanted answers, well, I was not going to sugarcoat anything, especially not in front of Trinity. “He controlled me in every way imaginable—made me use my abilities daily until I passed out from exhaustion. A number of years ago, I saw that woman again. It wasn’t long after that Anton started searching for Scars—males. He wanted one with abilities that were different from mine so that we—”
“Ah, so Ryker had a purpose,” Trinity interrupted. “Did you have sex with him, my dear? Was he good or did he imagine you as his precious Hannah?” Trinity asked in her sultry voice.
Kilter took a step toward Trinity, but I reached out and grabbed his hand. He stopped, but his words were harsh. “Careful or I will kill you, Trinity.”
It was the first time I thought Trinity looked uneasy as she was first to look away.
“After Ryker was taken, the woman came back. I heard an argument between her and my husband. They’d wanted Hannah alive.”
