Angel Seduced

by Jaime Rush

  Kasabian shook his head. “Mallory, we may not find her. I don’t want you putting yourself in danger for a possibility.”

  “A possibility is more than I’ve had since she went missing.”

  He could see determination glittering in her eyes. “But Cecily looks much more convincing as a pre-teen than Mallory.”

  “Most fourteen-year-olds don’t have racks like that.” Cecily tapped her own modest chest. “So the job is mine.”

  “Gemini delivers you to Silva, and we follow. I’ll make sure Gemini doesn’t Leap you there. We find this place the old-fashioned way.”

  Hayden started to object, but he must have realized he wasn’t going to convince Cecily to back down. “We follow in two different vehicles. That way if one of us loses Gemini, we have someone else on the trail.”

  “Agreed.” Kasabian pulled out the card Gemini gave him and touched the numbers on his phone’s screen. When he answered, Kasabian said, “Gemini, it’s Kasabian, Treylon’s son.” Gods, he hated identifying himself that way. “You wanted me to let you know if my father was on to something. Well, he definitely is. And if he succeeds, it’s going to put you out of business.”

  Kasabian had run through different scenarios that didn’t involve having to, well, involve Gemini. One was absconding with his phone and calling Silva as Gemini, but there was no getting around it. Gemini was going to have to make the drop, because Silva might get suspicious if someone he’d never seen before showed up.

  As soon as he pulled into the parking lot, Gemini got out of his old Cadillac and headed over. Good. He was taking this seriously. Now to enlist his help.

  The big Caido stopped a couple of feet in front of Kasabian. “All right, you got my attention.”

  Kasabian closed the door and settled against his car, arms loosely crossed in front of him. He had to remember how he’d felt when he first figured out what his father was doing. “I’ll be honest. I don’t like what you’re doing at the Bend, and I personally don’t care if you go out of business.” An enormous understatement. “But I imagine you do.”

  “Hey, we’re providing a valuable commodity to our kind. You must know how difficult it is to find people to do the Essex with on a continual basis. The kids get a home, and Caidos live their lives relatively pain free.”

  It was no use trying to convince people to stop doing horrible things they believed were justified. Righteous, even. Kasabian had to bite back his disgust, as well as the vitriolic words that wanted to spew out. “The only reason I’m cluing you in is because I need your help to shut my father’s operation down. I tell you what he’s doing, and you do me a favor. Deal?”

  “What kind of favor?”

  “Believe me, it’s right up your alley.”

  Gemini considered it for a moment. “All right. But this better be real information.”

  “Treylon is not using those kids to shore up extra Deus Vis for the storm. He’s draining their essences so that he can combine it with the power of the solar storm to free the tethered angels. Which will break our curse. And yeah, I think he may succeed. My problem with it is that he’s killing children, draining so much of their essence that they’re dying. Your problem is that once he breaks the curse, Caidos won’t need to give those children ‘loving’ homes. Comprende?”

  Gemini seemed to mull that over. “What does your father get out of breaking the curse?”

  “He’s always been a glory whore, and he’s been trying to break the curse for decades. His success gets him accolades for freeing Caidos and proves that he’s not a failure.” Kasabian shrugged. “Maybe there’s more to it than that.”

  Gemini’s face settled into grim lines. “I knew that guy was lying, but my boss is greedier than I am. He kept filling Treylon’s orders until there was nothing to fill them with. Man, he’s going to be pissed.”

  “You have to promise me that this stays between us for now. I don’t want Treylon tipped off.”

  “And you have to promise you won’t try to shut us down or drag us into this if it goes public. We have protection in high places, but I don’t want any trouble.”

  That was a harder proposition. Gemini was waiting for the Caido oath. Kasabian could promise, but that didn’t prevent Hayden from doing it. “I promise not to shut you down or drag you in.” The whole operation would be covered up by the Guard and Concilium in any case. No way could the Mundane world know about the nature of Treylon’s scheme…or the Bend’s. “You haven’t given me your word yet.”

  “You have my word that I won’t alert my boss. I want all of our kids back.”

  “No deal.” Kasabian didn’t want to push his luck, but no way in hell was he letting the Bend have these kids. Especially after all they had gone through. “The kids go to Youth Harbor where they’ll have a chance at a normal life.”

  “What are you, some kind of crusader?”

  Well, I’m not some asshole who profits from children, that’s for sure. “I have humanity. Compassion.”

  Gemini sneered. “Quaint. So, what’s this favor you want?”

  “The easiest way to pay me back is to tell me where Treylon’s operation is. If you can do that, your part is over.”

  Gemini’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t know where he is?”

  Of course, Kasabian being the man’s son, Gemini would assume he’d have been there. “I only recently reunited with my father. He doesn’t trust me enough to bring me in. Now I know why.”

  “He’s the same way with us. He had his people Leap us to his compound when we asked to see where these kids are going. All I can tell you is it’s in a residential neighborhood.”

  Kasabian already knew that much. “And?”

  “It’s not a residence. My guess is it’s a small, private hotel. I saw a sign pointing to the laundry room, for instance.” He started to walk away. “If that’s all…”

  “If you can’t supply me with an address or specific location, I want you to call Silva and tell him you have a girl for him. She’s newly Awakened, but assure him she’s no threat. And you will not Leap her to him or vice versa. Make up some reason that you have to physically deliver her.”

  “You’re providing this girl, I presume?”

  “Yes. As a bonus, you can keep the money Silva pays for her.”

  Gemini gave a slow nod. “All right.”

  “Call him now. We need to get this in motion. And put it on speaker.”

  “Man, you’re as pushy as your old man.” He pulled out his cell phone and thumbed down his phone directory. Then he initiated the call.

  Silva answered. “Yes?”

  “It’s Gemini. I have a teenage girl, about fourteen. A runaway looking for a better situation. You still interested?”

  “Is she Awakened?”

  “Yes, but only recently. She has no handle on her power. She’s shy, meek, won’t cause any problems.”

  Kasabian nodded his approval at the improvisation.

  “Sure,” Silva said.

  “The fee is double.”

  Kasabian lunged forward and twisted his hands in Gemini’s shirt. He did not approve of that improvisation. Take it back, he mouthed.

  Silva said, “You know what? We’re good. Thanks anyway.” He hung up.

  Kasabian shoved Gemini back, his Shadow pressing close to the surface. “You son of a bitch! You just fucked the whole deal. Call him back and tell him it’s the normal price.”

  Gemini fumbled with his phone and redialed, watching Kasabian closely. No doubt watching the shadows cross his eyes. “All right, normal price.”

  Silva paused, making them wait a few seconds. “Is she at the Bend?”

  “No, she’s with me and she does not want to be Leaped. The thought terrifies her. I can meet you anywhere.”

  “I’ll call when I’m available.” And Silva disconnected.

  Kasabian paced the living room, waiting for Gemini’s call. Why wasn’t Silva jumping at the bait? At least it had given them time to buy a Hello Kitty shi
rt for Cecily and a grown-up shirt for Mallory.

  Kasabian’s phone rang, and he saw Gemini’s name on the screen. “Finally.”

  “Silva just called back. We meet in thirty minutes.”

  Kasabian took down the details, set up an interim meeting place, and hung up. “We’re on,” he told the others. The need to get to Kye and make sure she was all right raged through him. His phone rang again: Cory at Harbor. “Yeah?”

  “Someone took the bus,” he said, words spilling out in a breathless gush. “A Deuce couple just brought four of the kids back, said they were found on Alligator Alley waving down cars. The kids wouldn’t talk until we were alone. Steven said that Lyle pushed him and some other kids off the bus to save them. He stayed on board. Then the bus disappeared. I don’t know what to do. Call the Guard?”

  The whole bus. Kasabian fell back against the wall, his knees weak.

  “Okay, tell him,” Cory was saying to someone else. A kid came on the line. “Lyle told the kids to tell you it was Daniel. And that he was going to find his brother.”

  Lyle had gone willingly.

  “Kasabian?” Cory asked, sounding lost.

  “Don’t tell anyone at the Guard for now. The last kid who escaped and ended up at headquarters was taken back. Calm the kids, tell them we’re on the case. We have to go.”

  He could barely breathe or tell the others what had happened.

  Cecily’s eyes ignited. “I hate that the Guard can’t be trusted. But we will find these kids. We’ll bring them home.”

  Kasabian rested his hand on Cecily’s back. “I need to ask you a big favor.”

  “You mean besides handing myself over to the enemy?” She gave him a grin.

  “This is a little easier. Have you ever heard of an Essex?” At her puzzled expression, he said, “It’s where we exchange a little of our essences.” Normally Kasabian didn’t explain why he needed their essence, only that it was part of the healing process for the Crescent.

  Now she frowned. “This hardly seems the time for any kind of weird sex play.”

  Hayden came over and held out his hands. She slid hers into his, clearly perplexed. “We’ve been friends for a while now,” he said.

  “Friends,” she echoed. “Yeah, sure.”

  “I know I can trust you with a big secret. The well-being of all Caidos depends on it. When we go to the resort, we will be bombarded by the children’s fear and pain. Because Caidos feel it. I can feel your emotions now, your apprehension, the way my holding your hand makes you…” He let that hang.

  “You feel what I feel? When I’ve been angry or happy or…” She let that hang, too.

  “Emotions are like a knife cutting into my soul. Good or bad, doesn’t matter. It’s why most Caidos don’t associate with non-Caidos.”

  Her expression fell. “So every time I flirted with you, it hurt?”

  He gave her a long, slow nod. “You didn’t know.”

  Cecily glanced at Kasabian. “That’s what you meant by ‘it’s complicated’?”

  “Yep.”

  She turned back to Hayden. “It’s fracked up is what it is. And sad. Of course, if you’re rescuing scared children, it will be debilitating. And I’m also guessing there’s something I can do to help.”

  “The Essex is a temporary balm,” Hayden said. “Your essence balances ours so we’re not as sensitive.”

  “And you need me to do it with all of you?” When he nodded, she said, “All right.”

  “We do it through our linked hands.” Hayden tightened his hold on her. “Just relax and let me pull your essence toward me. You’ll feel mine going into you.”

  “Sounds rather intimate.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  Hayden threw his head back and sank into it. His body shuddered, and he pulled her flush against him and wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you,” he whispered, now sinking into the bliss of being able to feel without pain. He would feel Cecily’s rush of joy at being held in Hayden’s arms at last. Kasabian felt it prickling along his skin.

  Her arms had gone around his waist. “You’re welcome,” she whispered back.

  They stepped apart, and Hayden said, “Next.”

  Once Mallory and Kasabian had done the Essex as well, they headed out to their cars. Cecily rode with Kasabian. He didn’t want Gemini to know that someone else was following. They met up with him twenty minutes later.

  “Anything happens to her, we’ll tango,” Kasabian said.

  Gemini lifted his hands. “I can only keep her safe until I hand her off.”

  “Until then, I hold you responsible. No games like you tried to pull earlier. No last-minute bids for more money. Play it straight.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” But when he saw the Shadow rolling across Kasabian’s eyes, his cavalier smirk disappeared. “Straight. Got it.”

  Kasabian followed from a safe distance, his gaze never leaving Gemini’s Cadillac. It pulled into a parking lot, and a Caido gestured for him to park next to his car. It wasn’t Silva or either of the Caidos he’d seen at the resort. Cecily played the part of a scared girl about to start a new life. Gemini accepted a manila envelope that was no doubt filled with cash and got back into his car. Cecily eased into the Caido’s car, and Kasabian followed them out of the lot.

  Kasabian kept his focus glued on the car taking Cecily to his father. Hayden had pulled in the lane next to the car. Good, they had her covered. So why was he finding it hard to breathe? It wasn’t, he realized, from the tension of what lay ahead. The air shimmered, the way the heat did as it radiated off an asphalt road.

  The storm. Invisible particles rushing into the earth’s atmosphere. It was beginning.

  Chapter 23

  Kye was jarred from sleep by a hand shaking her. “Wake up. We have more kids.”

  She sat up so fast that her head swam for a few seconds. The morning light spilled in through the drapes, casting lines across the bed from the bars on the window. Silva stood beside her, his eyes bright and triumphant. More kids. Is that what she’d heard?

  “You have more bonding to do,” he said.

  “Can’t.” She couldn’t get her mouth to work right. Exhaustion still clung to her.

  “You can and you will. Do you want those kids to die? Are you so selfish that you’d put your comfort before their lives?”

  “You already know I’m not.” Bastard.

  It hit her then, that the plan was still moving forward. She wanted to ask if Kasabian had come but held the question. Silva would have told her. She pushed herself to the edge of the bed, preparing to stand on legs that felt like strands of cooked spaghetti.

  “You were dreaming about Kasabian,” Silva said, a bite to his voice.

  “How do you know? Oh, that’s right. You can creep into people’s dreams, you voyeuristic son of a bitch.” She was so tired she wasn’t even censoring herself.

  He narrowed his eyes. “How do you know? Did Kasabian tell you?”

  “I was there when you poked into his dream about the past. When you were sad that he didn’t want to be your friend. That’s how I knew you were meeting.”

  “How? Can you dream walk?”

  “I was bonded to him.”

  “You did the Cobra with him. Because you and he are…lovers?” It seemed that he could barely say the word.

  “Yes.” Suddenly she wanted to hurt Silva, to drive home that he could never possess Kasabian. She could see how Silva ached for that, how fragile he was when it came to his obsession. Kasabian was his weakness, and Kye would use it. “We made love all night long, and he could enjoy it without any pain because of our bond.”

  A Shadow crossed his eyes, the same one she’d seen in Kasabian’s. “Shut up.”

  “I touched him everywhere, and he adored my body with his hands, his mouth. He said that with me, he felt like he belonged for the first time.”

  Remembering brought it all back, his hands on her, the taste of him, and the perfection of him buried inside her. Bu
t his confession moved her the most. She knew Silva could feel the emotions the memories evoked.

  Silva flew at her so fast she didn’t even see him move. He body-slammed her into the wall, his arm pressed against her throat. The Wraithlord pulled away, a dark and violent Shadow with the snout of a Dragon. She had miscalculated his reaction. He had become stronger, not weaker. Damn it, she couldn’t get anything right.

  “I. Said. Shut. Up,” he ground out, barely reining the beast within. “I will rip you to pieces when this is over so you will never experience any of that with him again.”

  Killed in a jealous rage. Sarai hadn’t seen Kasabian; she’d seen Silva!

  “I won’t experience it again,” she managed. “We are no longer bonded. He left me the same way he left you.”

  He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but at least he pulled his arm back so she could breathe. “How?”

  “He cut the cord.”

  “He found you wanting? Lost interest?”

  She gathered her thoughts quickly. Which tack to try? She went with the truth because the rage thing wasn’t exactly working. “He’s not a callous person. Everything he does, he does for the good. He left you to save the children, but he intended to save you, too. He left me so I would not get hurt. He is blinded by his love for others.”

  “He does not love me, never did. But I thought he cared about me, a long time ago.”

  Silva’s pain and emptiness went far beyond his obsession for Kasabian. Her anger had made her miscalculate. His weakness could not be mined by taunting him with what he couldn’t have, but by seeing his humanity. The speck of it she could find, anyway. He wanted to matter to someone. Wasn’t that what she wanted, too? It pained her to realize that they had something in common. That they both had gone to great lengths to feel valued. That was something she could mine.

  “Silva!” Treylon’s voice boomed from down the hallway. Damn, she needed more time.

  Silva gripped her wrist and pulled her with him. He still longed for a father’s love and approval. She doubted he got it much.

  Silva followed Treylon upstairs, where two of their minions opened the first door. Six kids huddled together inside, Caido and non-Caido. Her stomach turned. Then it leaped when she saw Lyle. His eyes widened as he saw her in the same moment.