“Now we wait for the rest of the cavalry,” Trevan said softly.
“How many were you able to convince to help us?” Kat asked.
Trevan smiled, though neither Kat nor Jake was looking at him. Their eyes were glued to the few sentry guards who patrolled the four-foot-five curtain wall, forty feet above them. “Five,” Trevan answered.
“Five?” Jake repeated incredulously. “Eight of us are going to storm Darion’s stronghold?”
Trevan nodded. “Eight of us are going to sneak in on a rescue mission.”
“That’s not enough,” Jake said, leveling his gaze on Trevan.
“I disagree, any more would be too many, plus my recruits are… talented.”
Talented? Kat arched a brow. They better be fucking amazing if they were going to pull this off.
Kat flinched as five massive males stepped up behind Trevan. Where they’d come from, she had no idea. They had literally appeared out of thin air.
Kat studied them briefly as the lights went on in her brain.
Tricky, tricky, she thought.
Their pale skin and lithe movements meant one thing—Trevan had recruited Vampires.
It was a wise move; one she should have thought about. Vampires were strong in the Human World, but in their native world they were powerful to the point of being downright scary. And yes, they had appeared out of thin air, or more precisely they had flashed to this meeting. It was a power that would come in handy. They could think of the place they wanted to be, blink their eyes, and when they opened them, they’d be in the place they’d just thought of.
It was an impressive time saver. One that Kat wondered if they maintained in the Human World.
She hadn’t seen Evan or any of his coven flash, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t. A little like the Succubi, they were rather private about what they were capable of. There was a lot she didn’t know… like what differences a born Vampire had from a made Vamp. But now really wasn’t the time for her curiosity.
“Kat, if you think of where Darion kept you, Christian can pick up on your thoughts and flash you two there. I’m going with Jameson to find Jaylyn. Jake, you and the remaining Vamps hit the dungeon once you’ve cleared ahead for Kat.”
Kat looked to Christian and held out her petite hand. “Why are you helping us?” she asked.
Christian’s eyes flashed with pain—that one would have had to be completely oblivious not to see. “Personal family reasons,” he told her.
Kat got that. She guessed that was how Trevan had recruited these five fierce-looking Vamps—he shared a private pain with them.
Kat nodded as she began thinking about the private prison Darion had held her in.
She could still picture it with glaring detail: the wrought-iron canopy bed adorned in silks of red and purple and the writing table that had never been used. She wasn’t allowed a pen or pencil, not even a quill and ink. Not that she had anyone to write to. Everyone outside the beautifully arched window and stone wall thought she was gone—another soul belonging to the Immortal Four.
She pictured the thick rugs that warmed her feet against the harsh, slate floors. She had been a prisoner with pretty luxurious accommodations. The thought of that room brought the bile high into her throat.
“That’s enough,” Christian said sympathetically. “I can get us there. Keep your eyes closed and remember to breathe.”
Kat closed her eyes tightly. She couldn’t handle actually seeing the pity in the Vampire’s eyes—the pity in his voice was enough.
Kat felt the air rustle around her, swore she heard a whistle echo in her head, and felt the world pressing in on her.
“Give it a second and keep breathing,” Christian whispered in her ear.
Kat took a few more deep breaths and then opened her eyes. She felt a pained gasp escape her; the room was exactly the same. She could even see some of the same humiliating clothing she’d been forced to wear hanging in the open closet.
“It’s exactly the same,” she breathed quietly. “But no one’s here.”
“I know. I checked before flashing us in.”
Kat raised her eyes to look at Christian. “Something all Vamps can do?”
Christian shook his head. “No, it comes with age.”
Kat nodded. She got that—age affected most Fae magic—the longer you were around wielding it, the more powerful it became.
Christian held up a finger, tilting his head towards the door. Whatever he heard must have been close. He pushed Kat towards the cracked bathroom door, where they listened to the sound of the bedroom door opening, a few footfalls, then the door closing again and a lock sliding into place.
The tall female form lit a candle and moved to her bed, where Kat could barely see her, but she heard her flop onto it. Kat peered around Christian and watched as the woman crossed her long legs and turned her face towards the cracked bathroom door. Kat caught sight of a swath of long, deep mahogany hair and a smile as the face came into view, highlighted by the flickering candle she’d just lit.
“You might as well come out so we can get the hell out of here.”
Chapter Forty
Kat shot Christian a surprised glance before focusing again on the female seated on the bed. Christian shrugged a shoulder and then pulled the door open.
The female reached under the bed, pulled out a small satchel, and smiled.
“I’m ready and so are the others,” she said as she thrust her hand towards them. “I’m Juliette.”
“You knew we were coming?” Kat asked, eyeing the female’s outstretched hand.
“Yep, I saw you two coming. We’ve been waiting for you.”
“You’re a Seer?” Christian asked.
“Yep, Darion likes to keep more than Succubi as trophies, though admittedly the rest of the females you’ll rescue tonight are your sisters.” Her opalescent eyes shimmered at Kat. “I’m not accustomed to this hand shaking thing but I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to clasp my hand now.”
Kat took the woman’s hand and gave it two pumps before pulling her hand back.
“What a strange greeting,” the Seer mused, “though I saw you come from the Human World and I understand that is their form of introduction.”
“You saw me?” Kat asked.
“Yep, I’ve been seeing glimpses of you since the day Darion plotted to capture you. I only wish I’d been able to find you then—perhaps all of our pasts would have been different.” She smiled, a knowing tilt to her plump, pink lips that Kat swore spoke of her deep secrets. The woman knew more about Kat than she was comfortable with.
“Three days ago I saw you two appear out of my bathroom. We need to hurry—your friends are about to alert the guards that you’re here.” She looked to Christian. “You should flash us to the dungeon so we can stop that from happening.”
Kat chewed lightly on her bottom lip before speaking, “What about the other rooms on this floor? Are there Succubi being held in them?”
“Yes, but Jaylyn knows what she needs to do. She’s expecting her brother and the other Vampire. They’ll get them out. Now come on, we need to hurry.”
Christian looked from the Seer to Kat. “That wasn’t the plan.”
Kat nodded. “I know but if Jake is about to inadvertently alert the guards, we need to stop him”
“Good, it’s settled,” Juliette said as she stepped up next to Christian. “I’ve always wanted to experience what it feels like to flash.”
Christian took both Juliette and Kat’s hands, focused on the dungeon Kat was now thinking of, and flashed them to the dank, underground prison. The scents assaulted Christian’s hypersensitive nose—mildew, blood, and fear wrapping around him to settle somewhere deep within his lungs. Fear along with most emotions had a very distinctive scent to them.
“Kitty?” Jake whispered from the shadows, telling Kat to open her eyes and hurry to him.
“Shh,” she said frantically as her group hurried to them.
“
What’s going on?” Jake asked as Kat huddled in a dark corner next to him.
“You’re about be found out by the guards,” Kat whispered. “Juliette, what do we do?”
Juliette waved a hand, silencing everyone. Moments later, three guards moved through the sparsely lit hall bordered by multiple cells. The group pushed against a wall inside one of the open cells and waited. Once the guards passed and disappeared around a corner that lead to the stairs and the main floor of the castle, Kat let out a heavy sigh.
“The Vampires could have just compelled them?” Jake spoke softly behind Kat.
Christian shook his head, looking to the other Vamps. “Afraid not, we can’t compel other Vamps.”
Jake looked down the now-empty hall. “Darion has never employed Vampires.”
“I’m afraid a few things have changed since you two were last here,” Juliette offered as she pushed off the wall. “We need to hurry and get to Marie then back to Jaylyn.”
“Who’s Marie?” Kat asked.
Juliette smiled as she hurried down the hall to a small—very small—cell before the curve in the hall that lead to where the guards had disappeared.
“Marie, sweetie, it’s time to go,” Juliette spoke calmly.
“Juliette?” a broken voice spoke up from the back of the cell.
Juliette looked to Jake. “Open the door.”
Jake’s brows rose at the order.
“Yes, you,” Juliette said, motioning him forward.
Kat smiled. “She’s a Seer. We’re working on faith here,” she offered.
Jake narrowed his eyes, then moved to the cell, grasped the bars, and pulled. With a groan of metal, the bars came loose from the door, creating a space wide enough for the cowering female to squeeze through.
Kat held back a roar of anger as the young female slipped from the cell. She couldn’t be more than about seventeen. Kat wanted blood. Darion was going to pay one way or another. Juliette’s eyes went solid white as she took in a deep breath. A wide smile fell over her lips.
“Let’s go; Jaylyn and the others got out. There is one more Vampire heading back for us.”
Kat almost came out of her skin when Jameson appeared next to her.
The Vampire smiled, his fangs flashing in the torch light.
“We got her,” he said to Christian.
In the next blink, Christian was gone.
****
Kat settled an armload of blankets down on Trevan’s micro-suede couch. The handsome Siren had had tears in his pale eyes when Kat and her group met up with him and the rescued Succubi. He held his sister so tight she thought the embrace might break the poor girl. Trevan tossed his keys to Kat, telling her his house was all hers, to take the Succubi there. He was headed to his family home to take Jaylyn to see their parents.
Kat let out a contented sigh as she watched the captives they’d saved. She was satisfied that they would be safe now, but Darion had to be stopped. There was no doubt in her mind he’d strike back and have a new group under his thumb or, more precisely, in his bed. Kat pushed down the sickness welling up in her—some of these girls were barely sixteen years old.
Juliette made it clear that she would be taking care of Marie and the other two youngest. Until they knew they would be safe in the Middle World, they were staying in the Human World and they would have to wait to be reunited with their families.
“I knew when I first stepped into that room that the injustice you’ve suffered would not break you,” Juliette said as she leaned against the wall behind Kat.
Kat stiffened at the knowledge that someone she knew very little about was privy to all of the pain she’d suffered, but still, she trusted Juliette. Had it not been for her, they may not have made it out of that castle alive.
“They’re going to be fine,” Juliette said, approaching Kat. “And when you take them to the black-haired warrior, so will you.”
Kat tilted her head to study Juliette… Black haired? Cree or Kale, she wondered.
Juliette smiled at her. “The one who loves you more deeply than any woman has ever dared to dream of being loved. He won’t deny you if you return.”
Kat’s heart stepped up a beat and a flutter took residence in her tummy. She wanted to believe if she went back to Kale he would accept her as his mate, but she feared the knowledge of what she’d just done would force him to walk away. She may have just started a war the Light Fae would refuse to be a part of.
Juliette nodded. “Get some sleep. The girls and I will follow what you choose to do tomorrow.”
Kat arched a brow at Juliette, “But you already know what I will choose.”
Juliette’s head tilted as she shrugged and then turned around to leave Kat in the silence of the living room. Everyone else had migrated to the kitchen for a well-deserved meal. Even Christian was with them along with his mate that he’d been separated from for over two years.
Chapter Forty-One
Cree fell to his knees as memories blinded him. Flashes of Kat over the past fifteen years bombarded him. Pain seared through his conscience as emotions flooded him—love, hate, fear, despair, betrayal, determination, and finally, an overwhelming strength. Cree heard Rowan calling to him, but she sounded so muffled. Yet he felt her soft yet strong hands press against his face as she cupped his cheeks.
“Cree, talk to me. Cree?”
The voice was panicked. He was scaring the hell out of his wife, yet he couldn’t manage any words through the sights that were flashing at him. Everything he’d missed from Kat was suddenly pouring into his brain, overloading his conscience—her and Kale by the lake, her in the dungeon in Darion’s castle, her tear-streaked face as her Lord tortured her, her escape, her years in the Human World, and finally, her return to the Middle World and infiltration of the Dark Lord’s castle.
As quickly as the visions came, they ended with Kat and a group of at least thirteen women making their way to Hawk’s Eye headquarters.
Cree blinked as the walls of his and Rowan’s room came back into, focus along with Rowan’s concerned face.
“Ouch,” Cree grumbled.
“Oh, thank you,” Rowan breathed, taking hold of Cree’s arm to help him to his feet.
His knees would be bruised for at least a couple hours. The stone floors had been unforgiving as his legs had crumbled beneath him.
“What just happened?” Rowan asked, moving him to sit on their bed.
Cree let out a light breath and an awed smile came over his face. “I just learned why I couldn’t see Katarina’s future.”
He had Rowan’s curiosity more than her concern now. “Why?”
It had been something that they’d pondered over many times.
“She’s been linked to a Seer for the past fifteen years, who has been blocking her from my sight.” Cree leaned over to Rowan and pressed a kiss to her lips, soft at first then deeper and more passionate before he had to pull back. “We have to go to Hawk’s Eye, now.”
Rowan nodded. She knew when Cree was like this that he had good reason and she should follow.
****
Kale sat in his office; the bottle of Patron sitting next to him didn’t even lift his spirits.
It’d been nearly a week since Kat had left with Jake. Trevan had showed up at Hawk’s Eye with the three other Succubi Kat had escaped with. They’d filled out the standard paperwork and were now, according to the Light, residents of the Human World.
Kale asked Trevan about Kat, knowing he was still in contact with her, but he didn’t get a real answer from the Siren. Trevan still seemed a little twitchy in Kale’s opinion.
Trevan was on vacation now and Kale hadn’t heard from him in a few days. Kale blew out a heavy breath and reached for his cell. He’d heard it chime at him a little while ago and knew it was Izzy; she and Bain were back at the Castle. She was on an extended leave from work, which Kale was sure Bain was just fine with. It turned out that every magical Fae who had any sort of gift Izzy came in contact with—she could
wield their powers for around a week.
Kale unlocked the screen on his phone and read Izzy’s message.
Just checking in… wanted to make sure we were still on for tomorrow… miss you
Kale smiled and sent a quick message back.
Yep, I’ll be heading home here shortly.
Izzy had been working with Uriah, who was totally healed now from his burns, and Makyle on controlling the powers she siphoned. Kale was to head back to the Middle World tomorrow as her next test subject. That thought did make his lips twitch. The thought of her fiery little disposition wielding actual fire was going to make for a fun day… a day he needed.
Kale shut his computer down and flicked off his desk lamp. Pushing his chair back, he rose and headed out of his office.
A familiar charge electrified the air and the scent of jasmine and citrus lightly filtered into his nostrils. He heard Sienna in the front lobby speaking to a familiar voice.
Kale’s heart squeezed as he dropped down the stairs, his wings catching the artificially cooled air to slow his decent.
Kat’s head whipped towards the thump of two feet hitting the ground a few yards away from her. Her breath caught at the sight of Kale’s handsome face, his deep eyes wide with surprise.
“Kitten?” he said her name softly, as if trying the pet name out on his tongue.
Kat smiled, sparing a glance at Juliette, who smiled lightly and nodded. Taking that as a cue, Kat pushed past the flustered Nymph and ran as fast as her legs would carry her.
Kale caught Kat as she threw herself into his arms, burying her face in the crook of his neck. She stayed settled there only briefly before pulling back, thrusting her fingers through his hair to cup the back of his head, and slanting her lips over his.
Kale held her tight, their tongues frantically meeting in a desire-filled rhythm that spoke of coming home and finding love that they were both promising to never let go of.
Kale finally pulled back but still held her close. “What’s going on, Kitten?”
Immortal Craving: Immortal Heart Page 17
