by Marian Tee
Kassia blinked in confusion. “I don’t understand—”
“When my brother confessed to you in the presence of all members of our race,” Domenico told her tightly, “he took a very great risk. We are only allowed to speak the truth about our race’s existence to two types of humans—”
She remembered the professor’s earlier warnings and said jerkily, “I k-know. He told me about that.”
“Good. Because when you left him hanging, your actions placed his head on the chopping block.”
Shock warred with betrayal. Was Domenico truly saying the truth? What if he was in this with the professor and the Moretti brothers were men who simply loved playing cruel pranks on naïve human girls like her?
“Ms. Summers, my brother was given forty-eight hours to send our Council proof that your loyalty is with us. If he fails, they will try to execute him and force us into war.”
She knew what she was hearing, but still the doubts persisted. Once burned, twice shy, the saying went, but for Kassia, it was more than that. She was tired of trying to figure out where she stood, tired of guessing whether people were telling her the truth or not.
Love was supposed to be simple and sweet, not painful and complicated. Wasn’t it?
“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” she heard herself say. She was proud at the way her voice remained steady throughout. “I just c-can’t make myself believe you. The Professor’s played with me too many times.” Kassia’s fingers tightened around her phone as she readied both mind and heart for her last words. “I d-don’t want to have anything to do about him again.” She ended the call without waiting for the werewolf prince to answer.
On the other end of the line, Domenico stared for a long hard moment at his phone before slowly slipping it into his pocket. He closed his eyes, and the image of his wife drifted in his mental vision.
Misty, what do I do now?
What you always do best, his wife lovingly answered.
Domenico’s fists clenched against his sides. So be it, he thought. He believed in Alessandro. If his brother had faith in the human girl’s love for him, so be it. However, he refused to be idle. There had to be contingencies in place, and his decision made, the werewolf prince prepared for war.
****
Kassia chewed at her lip indecisively while staring at her phone. She had been doing this for ten full minutes now, ever since she had put the phone down on Domenico in fact. God. So. Stupid.
The more time passed, the clearer it became to her that her words had been prompted purely by hurt pride. God. So. Petty. The strength of her feelings for the professor again reduced her mental vocabulary into nothing, and when she realized she was already crying, she furiously wiped the tears away.
She had said those things to make her sound strong and in control for once, but it hadn’t made her happy at all. Instead, it had turned her into a churning mass of fear because at the back of her mind, a panicky voice was telling her it was not like the professor or his older, world-weary brother, Domenico Moretti, to joke about life and death. Such actions were childish, and for all the professor’s faults, he had never been immature in that sense.
The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that everything Domenico spoke of was true.
But if it was…why hadn’t the professor contacted her?
Didn’t he have barely a day left to give the Council proof of her fidelity?
She was about to call the professor when the phone in her hand suddenly vibrated, and she dropped it in her shock. Her heart banged against her chest at the thought that it might be the professor, and she quickly bent down to pick her phone up. “H-hello?” she answered breathlessly.
But it was not the professor.
“Kassia, this is your mother.”
Kassia could feel the blood leeching off her body as her mind gradually took the words in. Her mother. It was shock after shock, and her fingers unconsciously started gripping the bed sheets, as if she needed something to anchor herself to.
“W-why are you calling?”
Her mother’s voice broke. “I need to speak with you, darling. I’ve been diagnosed, and it’s…bad. It’s made me think, and I just really need to speak with you.”
Kassia mentally reeled at the words. First the professor, and now her mother, she thought numbly. “Where are you right now?”
Her mother answered vaguely. “The clinic’s not easy to find. I can have my driver with you in five minutes. He can bring you to me.”
“Alright, I’ll be waiting outside the gates.”
“Thank you, darling. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
There was an odd note in her mother’s voice that made Kassia hesitate. It almost sounded like glee, but it was such a preposterous thought she told herself she must have been imagining it. “I’ll see you in a bit then. I’m sorry this had to happen.”
“Don’t be, darling. I’ve come to accept that some things are just meant to be.” The words shouldn’t have sounded off, but it did, and Kassia found herself guiltily mulling over her mother’s words as she took the quickest shower and put on a new blouse and jeans. Hurrying towards the gates, she told herself she was being paranoid, first with Alessandro then now her terminally ill parent.
Taking her phone out, she sent a quick message to the professor.
I’m sorry for not trusting you, Professor. Please tell me what to do to prove I love you. Because I do.
It was extremely sappy, but she told herself desperate straits called for desperate measures. For all she knew, the text message could be used as evidence to the Council. She had no idea how police investigations worked with werewolves, but she was willing to give anything a try.
“Ms. Summers?”
A man suddenly appeared in front of her, and she jumped back in surprise. He was of medium height and dressed in a plain black suit. Most girls would probably think he was attractive, but for someone who grew up with strong characters like Kassia, the first thing she noticed was the weakness on his face.
“Sorry for frightening you, Ms. Summers,” the man apologized with a grimace. “I am your mother’s driver, Rocco.”
“I s-see.” She tried to get rid of the wariness inside her, but the way he couldn’t seem to meet her eyes didn’t help.
“This way to the car, miss.”
He took her to a limousine, and for some reason, the sight of it filled her with fear. God. So. Paranoid. Ignoring the way her stomach churned with apprehension, she made herself thank Rocco for opening the door and stepped inside the limousine.
Rocco took the driving seat and as the car started to move, the glass partition between them slid up, surprising her.
“There’s no need—”
But the driver didn’t seem to hear her, and the partition went all the way up, effectively separating them. She was about to reach for the intercom when she realized she was feeling sleepy.
Why was she feeling sleepy when she was so full of adrenaline a while ago? It…didn’t…make…sense.
When Kassia woke up, she found herself tied to a chair, hands behind her back and a separate set of ropes tying her feet together. In front of her was Rocco, who still couldn’t meet her gaze. Beside him was a man with watchful eyes, dressed in a pinstriped suit and a silk kerchief peeking out from his breast pocket. And finally, separated from the other two was her mother, dressed in a gray pantsuit and a pair of Valentino’s.
All three were picture perfect in their elegant clothing, but somehow the fact frightened Kassia even more. That they could still show care about their appearances despite having kidnapped her made everything feel too…premeditated. It made her think all this was routine and ordinary…to them.
The light swinging directly above them like a giant pendulum made the rest of their surroundings darker, but Kassia figured they were in some kind of warehouse. Her first instinct was to struggle out of her restraints, but common sense kicked in a moment later, and she knew that not only would i
t be pointless, it would also make her feel more a victim.
She forced herself to look at Kimberley, and the way her mother smirked made Kassia almost wish she were as odd as her parent. Striving to keep her voice even, she asked, “What’s the meaning of this?”
Mel grinned at the question. “You obviously don’t know your daughter that well, sweetheart. Look at her,” he couldn’t resist taunting his lover, “asking so sensibly even when she’s woken up bound in an unfamiliar place and in the presence of the world’s greatest hired killers.” His lips twisted in a satisfied smile at the flash of fear in the girl’s eyes.
Somehow, Kassia instinctively knew that the man, whoever he was, wasn’t lying, even if it didn’t make sense to her at all. “Why, mother?” She realized she genuinely wanted to understand how someone in her position could still be driven to kill for profit. Because that was what this was, wasn’t it?
Kimberley’s answer was indifferent. “Why shouldn’t I?”
“B-but you’re rich,” she stammered.
Kimberley threw her a disgusted look. “Idiot! Do you really think rich old men would give women like me control over their money just because we share the same name now? If merely having sex with disgusting aging lechers would have made me a millionaire, I’d have done it a thousand times over, but life isn’t that easy.” She spat the words out with undisguised hatred.
Even now, she couldn’t understand how someone like her stupid, provincial daughter was able to land a guy like Alessandro Moretti. She had been so much prettier, so much sexier and more sophisticated than Kassia when Kimberley was her age! So how had Kassia gotten herself someone young, handsome, and loaded while Kimberley had been forced to service men with wrinkly, shriveling cocks?
Jealousy spurring Kimberley on, she walked to her daughter and slapped her hard in the face without warning.
One side of Kassia’s face flamed with pain, but even now, she knew that what hurt more was how…odd Kimberley could be.
Behind her, Mel laughed. “Look at that, darling. You made your daughter cry.”
Kimberley smiled and slapped Kassia again, saying conversationally. “I can get addicted to this. Maybe we should keep her around longer after Alessandro Moretti—”
Kassia’s blood curdled at the mention of the professor’s name.
Kimberley smiled coldly. “Don’t you have any questions?”
“H-he’s my professor—” Kimberley cut her words off with another slap, and this time the corner of her lip started bleeding. A second later and her mother yanked her head back by the hair, and a gasp of pain escaped her.
“That will teach you for lying to me,” Kimberley snapped. She raised her hand to hit Kassia again, but this time Mel stopped her, his fingers encircling her wrist and tightening painfully.
“You can play with her later. But for now, we need to make sure you don’t accidentally kill her or all our plans will be for nothing.” Releasing his hold, Mel waited for Kimberley to stalk away from her daughter before turning back to Rocco. “You have her phone?”
Rocco nodded eagerly. “Yes, sir.”
“Then call him. It’s time for us to cross a Moretti off our target list.”
****
“Get facial recognition software to identify him,” Alessandro commanded. He and Domenico Moretti were in the university’s security room, facing a wall of monitors connected to the numerous surveillance cameras installed in the compound.
Last night, Alessandro had deliberately kept himself away from Kassia, wanting to give her time and space to think things through. But when Kassia had sent him her text message this morning, he immediately knew that his brother had interfered. And now Kassia was gone.
Rather, CCTV cameras showed Kassia being assisted inside a limousine by a complete stranger.
“This doesn’t make sense,” he muttered to Domenico.
Before his brother could answer, the security officer exclaimed, “We’ve got a match.” Both Domenico and Alessandro leaned forward to take a closer look at the results.
“A rogue Lyccan,” Domenico gleaned grimly from the report on the screen.
Alessandro’s lips tightened. “He’s working for Kassia’s mother, too.” Briefly, he shared with Domenico what little Kassia had told him about her parent, none of it good.
“She’s had a change of heart?” Domenico asked skeptically.
Alessandro shook his head. “I’m not buying it either.” His phone buzzed in his pocket, and when he pulled it out, his heart slammed against his chest as Kassia’s name and photo appeared on the screen.
“Kassia? Where the hell are you?”
A recorded voice answered him, and the line went dead right after the message had been delivered.
Alessandro looked at his brother. “Her own mother’s kidnapped Kassia. If I want her safe and sound, I’m to deliver myself alone to the address provided.”
“You know that this is a trap, don’t you?” Domenico asked in a dangerously soft voice.
Slowly, Alessandro nodded.
Exactly one hour later, Alessandro reached the warehouse specified in the voice message, unaccompanied. There were several dozen men standing guard outside the warehouse, and their malignant gazes followed him as he stepped inside the darkened place.
His mental countdown started. One, two, three…
A thousand scenarios played in the back of his mind, all of them showing how anything and everything could go wrong.
Even so, Alessandro couldn’t find it in himself to experience fear. He would be cautious as hell, but that was it. If someone had thought to ask where all of Alessandro’s faith was coming from, he would have honestly answered that he had no idea. All he knew was that everything in his life had rearranged itself the moment he realized he loved Kassia with all his heart. He lived because of Kassia. He breathed because of Kassia. And if things did come down to it, he would die because of Kassia, too.
He didn’t give a damn about himself, but he did give a damn about Kassia, and both mind and heart refused to believe that God wouldn’t help him protect Kassia. She deserved to live, and God had to know that.
“I see you weren’t stupid enough to come with any kind of weapons or GPS devices,” a voice in the darkness drawled. “This place is equipped with every scanner imaginable, and the only thing it tells me is that your heartbeat’s probably a little faster than you’d like.” The voice laughed. “Does this mean a great Moretti prince like you is scared?”
Thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six…
Alessandro didn’t trust himself to answer just yet, his senses having identified the people around him. A woman whose scent had the faintest resemblance to the girl he loved, the Lyccan he had seen on the screen, a human male, and…Kassia.
The lights in the warehouse suddenly blazed into life one by one, and his mind took in the faces that came with the scents.
The Lyccan, Rocco, he considered an unpredictable target, his innate weakness making him dangerous because people like him would do anything to survive, even sell their own mothers.
Kimberley Dresden, he dismissed. Women like her were never as cunning or powerful as they liked to think they were, and it was their arrogance that often proved their downfall.
The human male…Alessandro assessed him as his likely opponent. The way he looked at Alessandro made him realize the human considered the two of them equal. It only meant one thing. He had found a way to neutralize a Lyccan’s strength over humans, but how?
“No need to play cool, Your Highness,” the human taunted. “We know you’ve come for her. We’ll give you a moment to see for yourself how your girlfriend is.”
Slowly, Alessandro’s gaze turned to Kassia.
She was bound in a chair, her lip swelling and bruised.
Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine…
Alessandro breathed deeply. “Who did that to you, Kassia?”
But Kassia didn’t answer.
Her mother stepped forward. “Will you
beat me if I said it was me?” Kimberley knew she was playing with fire by drawing the werewolf prince’s attention to her, but she simply couldn’t help it. She wanted Alessandro Moretti to look at her and find out that a mousy little girl like Kassia could never compare to a full-fledged woman like her.
But then Alessandro Moretti’s gaze did slide towards her, and Kimberley almost stumbled a step back at the murderous intent that glinted in his emerald green eyes. No one had ever looked at her with such revulsion, and that it was someone as beautiful and virile as the prince made Kimberley feel old and ugly.
Her blood boiled, and before she could stop herself, she slapped Kassia, knowing that by hurting her daughter, she was hurting the cocky wolf in front of her.
Alessandro growled. One moment he was a dozen feet away, the next moment he was right beside Kassia, shoving Kimberley away with enough force to have her flying and her back hitting the wall with a scream.
Kassia screamed, too, but it wasn’t fear for herself. As Alessandro had reached for her, a seemingly invisible force shoved the professor away at the same time the man called Mel shot him in the chest.
“The next silver bullet will be to your heart, prince,” Mel gritted out. Things were happening too fast and spinning out of control, and he didn’t like it. Every assassination he carried out had always been meticulously organized and normally, Kimberley was a big help to him in those instances. He should have known this time would be different, with the stupid slut too caught up with her infantile jealousies over her own daughter to be her usual sensible self.
“I’ll make it simple for you, Moretti. You tell us what we need to know about the Lyccan Council, and we’ll set you and the girl free.”
Alessandro only stared at him, his cold green eyes giving nothing away.
Mel shot the prince’s other leg and was rewarded by a brief spasm of pain crossing the younger man’s face. But that was it.
A Faerie, Alessandro was thinking grimly. No wonder this man considered himself equal to a Lyccan. He had a fucking Faerie working for him, the only race in this world capable of turning invisible…for a time.
