by A and E Kirk
“Make her remember? That is a piece of information Rusila did not share with me,” Leontes said.
Jaeger flipped through pages. “There’s a drawing of a necklace, ring, violin, a nasty looking sword, and a bunch of other stuff.”
“Is there a dagger?” Kiara glanced at Leontes.
Jaeger shuffled through the documents. “Yeah. A dagger. With flowers engraved on the handle.” He raised a suspicious brow at Kiara. “Funny, it just happens to look eerily similar to the one you stabbed me with.”
“How coincidental,” Leontes offered.
Jaeger rolled his eyes and continued, “Each leader is searching their vaults for anything they might have that matches the descriptions, and they also sent out their best people to hunt things down. Based on Adele’s research, she’s been giving Nicolette any information she had about Kiara’s history.”
Kiara snickered. “Not anymore.”
“I think I have uncovered…” Leontes moved his hand over Rusila’s desk. With a barely heard whoosh of air, one of the walls slid open. Leontes smiled.
“Yay!” Kiara clapped enthusiastically and rushed into the room.
Several monitors ran different channels of news in several languages. There were file cabinets and shelves with DVDs. One part of the room was filled with designer clothes and shoes. On the center table, under a spotlight, lay a sparkling array of jewelry carefully placed on plush red velvet pillows. In the center, on the largest cushion, the pigeon’s blood ruby ring—Rusila’s prized possession—sat by itself in glittering glory, as if holding court over all.
“Wow!” Kiara edged closer. “It’s like a pirate’s booty!”
“Leave it alone and keep looking,” Leontes said.
Kiara gave the glittering bobbles a regretful glance, then joined Leontes and Jaeger in the search. They worked in silence for several minutes.
“There’s nothing here!” Jaeger slammed a file drawer shut—
—and alarm bells blared.
CHAPTER 85
Sudden movement caught everyone’s attention.
The penny stood frozen and wide-eyed with guilt, clutching Rusila’s ruby ring in her hands. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered.
Lights began flashing. The door started to close. Jaeger raced over and struggled to keep it open. He slowed it down, but could not stop it entirely.
“Everybody out!” Leontes shouted.
The penny tried to put the ruby back on the cushion, but her shaking hands fumbled and the ring dropped, clanging against the floor. The sound echoed off the walls. She bent to pick up the ring.
Leontes pushed her toward the exit, saying, “Go!”
He scooped up the ring, but as he reached to put it on the pillow, his body seized up as if he had suddenly been electrified. A second later he dropped to one knee, head bowed.
Kiara shoved the penny through the space in the door Jaeger was struggling to keep open, and then raced back to Leontes.
“Come on!” She tugged at his arm, but could not get him to rise. She lifted his chin and brushed aside the hair covering his eyes. They had gone completely black.
Kiara held his face in her hands. “Leontes! Snap out of it. Leontes!”
No response. She grabbed his arm again, but he would not cooperate and stayed cemented to the floor.
“It’s almost closed.” Jaeger grunted against the relentless crush of the door. “We’ll have to leave him or we’ll all be trapped!”
“No!” Kiara said. “I won’t. Leontes, please—”
“Go on,” Leontes rasped. His eyes blinked, returning to blue, but he looked completely exhausted.
“Not without you.”
His lips curved into a weak smile. “You never listen.”
“You worry too much.”
“Because you worry not—”
“Seriously, guys,” Jaeger said with urgency. “It’s now or never!”
“Let’s move, soldier.” Kiara hauled a shaky Leontes to his feet. His arm over her shoulders, he leaned heavily against her as they staggered forward.
His back braced against the jam, the door had nearly pinned Jaeger and was now digging into his chest. When Kiara got Leontes close enough, Jaeger kept a grip on the door, but moved into the outer office. The penny ran over and wrapped her bony fingers around the door to help keep it open. As Leontes squeezed through, the ruby ring tumbled from his hand.
Leontes reached for it. “It must be returned, or she will know.”
“Got it!” Kiara grabbed it.
“No!” both Jaeger and Leontes yelled.
But Kiara raced over, set the ring on the pillow, and ran back, turning her head sideways so the door did not slice it off as she barely squeezed through the slim crack. Jaeger and the penny let go. The door closed, settling into the groove until it looked like a solid wall once again.
Kiara grinned. “That was easier than I— Oh, bullpucky.”
The edge of her skirt was caught in the door. She tugged, but it would not come loose.
“Out! Now!” Leontes ordered. His irises had returned to clear blue, and he appeared to be back to normal.
Jaeger yanked on her skirt, tearing off a small piece, but she was free. He took her hand and they raced after Leontes into hallway. Kiara looked back at the penny, who remained in Rusila’s office.
“Come on!” Kiara shouted over the alarms, but the girl shook her head and closed the door. When Kiara ran back, she found the door locked. She did not remember the code, was not even sure the penny had told them what it was. Kiara slammed her hand on the wood. “Come out of there now!”
The girl called from the other side, “Go while you can. I’ll tell them I broke in.”
When Leontes tried to pull Kiara away, she shook him off. “No! They’ll hurt her!”
Leontes pushed Kiara aside, grabbed Jaeger, and threw him hard. For the second time that day, the werewolf crashed through a door. The penny screamed and dashed away from the flying body and debris.
When Jaeger rolled over and found Leontes looming above him, he shouted, “What the hell! Just how in-fucking-sane are you?!”
Leontes responded by picking up Jaeger and throwing him again. The werewolf crashed through the false wall and landed on the center table in the secret room, destroying furniture and scattering the array of jewelry.
Leontes pointed at Kiara. “You are crazy.”
Her eyes got huge, and then she ran around knocking things over, throwing things in the air, and breaking anything she could. She pulled the penny to her feet. “It’s no fun being crazy by myself!”
After a brief hesitation, the girl joined in.
Jaeger stepped through the broken wall. “What is happening?”
Leontes slammed his fist into Jaeger’s face.
Jaeger staggered back, touched his bleeding lip, then glared. “Okay, gramps. That’s it.” He stalked forward and threw the next punch.
CHAPTER 86
When the guards arrived, they stared for quite some time at the chaotic scene. The two girls twirled about squealing like idiots, and the vampire and the werewolf brawled with maniacal ferocity. The queen’s office looked like a bomb had gone off. This did not bode well for their future.
After the guards broke up the fight and got the four intruders to calm down and quit talking all at once, the one in charge took out his notebook and pen.
“I think I’ve got a handle on what happened, but let’s go over it again.” He turned to Leontes. “So you came looking for the queen at her office in order to—”
“To demand that she get rid of this damn puppy!”
The guard turned to Jaeger. “And you followed him—”
“Because he’s an ass! I knew he’d lie to the queen, so I wanted to plead my case with the truth. Did I mention he’s an ass?”
“You are a danger to Kiara!” Leontes shouted.
“Ambassador, please,” the guard said, making a few notes. “And Kiara, you’re here because—”
&nbs
p; Kiara darted her head around like she was tracking an invisible flying bug. “Because, because, because! Because of the stupid things he does!” She smiled at the guard. “I followed to stop them from fighting and then they started fighting, which means I poohed the scrooch. But words speak louder than actions, so I guess it all worked out.” She raised her fists in the air. “Yay!”
The guard paused writing in his notebook. He blinked several times. “What?”
Leontes sneered at Jaeger. “See? She is losing it again, thanks to you.”
“Me? You’re the one who freaked her out when you threw me through the door!”
Kiara giggled. “It’s a threw and through. Who knew?” The penny nervously joined her in the emerging gigglefest.
The guard shook his head as if that might clear his confusion. “Right. Let’s try to get back on track. You. The penny. I’m still not sure why you’re here.”
The girl stopped laughing and suddenly looked terrified. “Ummm.”
“Her name is Meriweather Thunderstorm Picklesnaps,” Kiara said. “And she is my cat. So don’t eat her. Or give her a bath. Cats hate baths. I shaved her once. She did not like that either.”
The guard stared at Kiara, then with a deadpan and highly irritated I give up look, he tossed the pen over his shoulder. “Miss Blackwood, I do not appreciate you playing games with me.”
Leontes scowled. “She is not playing games. Her mental state is deteriorating. I must return her to her room so she can take her medication and get some rest. You do not want the queen to think you refused help to her most valued asset. We can sort the rest of this disaster out later.”
“Okay,” the guard said wearily. “But I’m sure the queen will want to talk to all of you when she returns.”
“Of course.” Leontes took Kiara’s arm.
As he led her away, she called, “Here kitty, kitty.”
The penny jumped up and followed.
When Jaeger made an attempt to join them, the guard said, “Maybe it’s best if you stay with us for now. Don’t want to upset her further.”
“But I want the puppy to come, too,” Kiara pouted, then squealed, “Please, please, please, please, please, please—”
“All right, fine!” Leontes said. “As long as you keep your big mouth shut.”
“And don’t chase Miss Picklesnaps,” Kiara warned. “Promise?”
“Promise,” Jaeger told her.
“You need to say woof.”
Jaeger pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh. “Sure, ah, woof.”
“Yippee!” Kiara hooked her arm through the penny’s, and they skipped away.
As they trailed the daffy duo down the hall, Jaeger talked quietly out of the side of his mouth to Leontes. “She’s faking, right?”
“I am not entirely sure.”
CHAPTER 87
When they had arrived at the lab, the penny quickly joined in helping Frankie, who was still cleaning up from the havoc Leontes and Kiara had wrought.
Frankie smiled. “You actually said Picklesnaps?”
“Yes!” Kiara laughed as she finished the story of their exploits. “Because Leontes told me I was crazy, and he never calls me crazy, so I knew he wanted me to act crazy, and I was so so sooooo convincing of the crazy, right guys?”
Leontes and Jaeger shared a glance.
“Indeed,” Leontes said.
“Absolutely,” Jaeger agreed.
Frankie studied the girl’s organizational work, then patted her hand. “Nice job. Looks like I just found my new assistant. Go in back and find a lab coat, Picklesnaps.”
The girl paused on her way out and said quietly, “Mabel.”
“What’s that?” Frankie asked.
The girl put her shoulders back and spoke a little louder. “My name. It’s Mabel.”
Frankie smiled. “That’s lovely. Okay, well, Mabel, I’ll get you a name tag, too. Now run along.”
After she left, Jaeger pointed to a coffin on a large, rolling metal cart. “While I’m happy to see something that’s finally real cheesy vampire-esque, what’s with the coffin? Is it where you sleep?”
“I wish,” Frankie said. “Sleep would be a welcome treat. That’s for Bane.”
Jaeger glanced to a room toward the back of the lab where they had earlier left Bane. “He didn’t make it? Well, can’t say I’m gonna cry any tears.” He ran a hand over the polished wood of the casket. “This is nice. Better than he deserves.”
“So you trashed the place with a huge spectacle to cover up the fact that you broke in? Clever ruse.” Frankie nodded with approval and handed the prince some ointment.
Jaeger dabbed it on his split lip and other abrasions. He looked at Leontes. “And I’m sure you only tossed me through a door and a wall, and tried to beat the crap out of me just to give us a cover story, right? Not like you enjoyed it or anything.”
“Oh, I enjoyed it. Immensely.” The hint of a smile touched Leontes’ lips. “In fact, I do not think I have enjoyed anything quite so much in a very long time. Perhaps centuries.”
Jaeger put a hand to his chest in mock sorrow. “That hurts. Especially since I saved your ass by keeping the door open when you went down. What happened back there?”
Leontes’ expression lost all humor. “I had a vision when I touched Rusila’s ring. I know what they have planned for Kiara.”
Frankie studied his face. “What’s the bad news?”
“The night of the charity gala.” Leontes paused to rub his forehead. “Rusila was not late due to a flat tire. Elliott squired her to a meeting with Alpha and Mai. The three leaders spoke in her limousine regarding their accord.”
“What accord?” Kiara asked.
“The one which the so recently dead vampire masters had negotiated behind the queen’s back, where they agreed to sell you.” Leontes grimaced. “Not sell. More that you would be loaned to Alpha and Mai. They could employ you in any capacity necessary to empower their organizations. Shore up weaknesses, eliminate enemies.”
Kiara made a face. “Basically, kill for them.”
“Wait a minute.” Jaeger leaned on the coffin. “My dad and Mai have wanted control of Kiara for years. Since she’s part shifter and part witch, they have a very real claim on her.”
“That is but one opinion,” Leontes said, giving him a dark look.
“You know it’s legit,” Jaeger shot back. “But the vamps have always shut the idea down because you guys say you’re the only ones who can keep her sane enough to function. So why would the vamps agree to share her now?”
“Simple,” Leontes told him. “In return for sharing Kiara, Alpha and Mai have agreed to share any of Kiara’s artifacts in their collections and work with Rusila to find the rest so they can—”
“Restore my memory and get their hands on the Midnight Poison,” Kiara finished.
“Exactly,” Leontes said. “But after the attack on Jaeger’s brother, Alpha and Mai wanted assurances that Rusila was not behind the Fauxleander attacks. Alpha swore that if any further harm came to his family, both he and Mai would consider the agreement null and void, and actively work against the queen. Even negotiate with the fey against her.”
Frankie snorted. “Bet she didn’t like that.”
Leontes blinked several times. “I believe there is more, but it is unclear and…I think the queen told Elliott to…” He shook his head, frustrated. “I have lost it.”
“Who the hell is Elliott?” Jaeger asked.
“Rusila’s driver,” Frankie replied. “Who’s still missing. Maybe he was in on it.”
Leontes massaged his temples. “If only this blasted headache would dissipate. The visions bombarded me in such an extremely powerful way.”
“Visions? Plural?” Frankie asked with concern. “That doesn’t happen often. You okay?”
“Yes,” Leontes assured her. “Other than I feel as if I am missing something significant. With so many memories, it is hard for me to focus on the details of this one.”<
br />
Kiara made a frustrated noise. “I can’t believe they’re planning to use me as some sort of …cough-up.”
“Co-op,” Leontes and Jaeger said at the same time.
Leontes glared at Jaeger, then asked, “What did you know of this accord?”
“Some crazy Kiara Coalition?” Jaeger put his palms up and took a step back. “Not a thing. I swear. My father still half considers me a traitor.”
Leontes watched the werewolf closely for a moment then began to pace. “Fauxleander has murdered everyone else, so why only kidnap Giselle and not demand a ransom?”
“To stop their deal to use me,” Kiara said.
Frankie righted one of her stepping stools that had been knocked over by Kiara’s earlier outburst. “This alliance would strengthen each of the supernatural factions. Why would any in the community, shifters, vampires, or witches, want to mess it up?”
“Because they’re stupid.” Kiara stalked around the room kicking debris. “And so is the moron who dreamed up the super stupid treasure hunt for my ‘artifacts.’ That’s what started this whole nightmare.”
“Oh, dear God,” Leontes said with sudden horror. “You are mistaken, Frankie. It would not strengthen every supernatural faction.”
After a beat, Jaeger groaned and dropped his forehead on the end of the coffin. “Please, no. Not them.”
“You’re right,” Frankie said. “Although I don’t want to believe it.”
“I don’t even want to say it,” Kiara whispered.
“Who?” Mabel said, coming into the room, looking proud in a fresh white lab coat. “Who has Giselle?”
Next to Jaeger, the lid of the coffin creaked open, and a corpse sat up.
CHAPTER 88
Jaeger yelped and jumped away, knocking over tables and footstools, stumbling and nearly falling down. “What the hell!”
Mabel screamed and ran out of the room.
Bane blinked a few times and looked around. His skin was still a dull ashen grey, but regaining some color. The burns and wounds from the wooden stakes stabbed into his body were blackened and scabbing over, and most of his skin was no longer peeling away.
