“You don’t have to tell me, but if it’s affecting you and Kale, I would say let it out, because that man is lost in you. He loves you.”
“I know he does, and I love him.”
“So then, remind yourself of that next time you see him, and let him in on your secrets.”
Kat bit her bottom lip and smiled. “You know what? You’re right.”
A knock sounded at the door, but before Marie could answer, it slowly pushed open, and Uriah’s smiling face greeted them. Makiah’s eyes grew larger, and he reached towards Uriah as he, followed by Kale, entered the room.
Kale smiled at Kat, and she reminded herself that Marie was right. Her secrets would always be safe with Kale… but still, they could wait a couple days. Rising from the couch, she flung herself at him. He caught and lifted her as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
“You’re safe,” she murmured and pecked at his lips.
“Yes, we all are. We got Makyle back, and there was a little hiccup, but Cree is dealing with it. He gave us two hours to come check on you, and then we need to go back.”
“Do we get to come with you?” she asked with a pouty bottom lip.
“Not just yet, but really soon, Kitten, I promise.”
“All right,” she conceded. “Hey, my room’s that way.” She gestured to her door and smiled down at him.
Kale growled softly. “I remember, Kitten.”
“Let’s make good use of those two hours,” she purred.
Kale made a beeline for her room, kicking the door shut behind them.
Uriah shook his head as he took Makiah in his arms. “I hope these rooms are soundproof.”
Marie smiled at him. “Let’s get this little guy down for a nap, and we can test it.”
“Mmm, sounds good,” he said, leaning in to kiss her softly.
Chapter Sixteen
Lothar’s fingers settled in Samira’s thick, red locks to press against her scalp. With a deep breath, she did her best to open up to the words Izzy chanted. As the spell repeated, Lothar found himself tumbling through time. His consciousness separated from his physical body, and as he drifted through memories, he caught bits and pieces of conversations, while visions of long ago flashed before him.
He saw Samira alone as a child. She was beautiful, even with the smudges of dirt that caked her thin face. Her strawberry curls were matted as she struggled to survive on little food and no place to call home in the shadows of the Dark Lands. He saw the day her magic manifested and she was pulled into the confines of her gold lamp. A young girl now bound with the gold cuffs of a slave. Then, he caught sight of Kadar’s grin when he first pulled Samira from the lamp.
Calming himself, Lothar was able to slow the passing of time and observed what was Samira’s life with Kadar.
“You aren’t quite what I was hoping for,” Kadar said as he circled her. “I figured I would either see an incredibly beautiful woman or a strong male materialize from such an exquisite lamp.”
“I’m sorry I disappoint you, Master. How can I make your wishes come true?”
Kadar grinned. “How old are you?”
“Sixteen, Master. You were the first to find my lamp.”
“And I will forever remain the last. To start with, fix your appearance.”
“How can I please you, Master?”
“Start by doing something about the awful color falling from your head.”
Lothar watched as Samira dipped her chin and the strawberry waves framing her face became a much darker shade of red. It was the color she still wore, and it was beautiful, but the way she came to look as she does now clenched at Lothar’s heart.
“What else can I do, Master?” she asked quietly.
“Let’s do something about those rags you are wearing. You will be at my side every time you are free of your metal prison; you must look the part of a woman worthy of my attention.”
“What would you prefer I wear, Master?”
“Something black, and I will assume there are at least a few curves hidden behind all this material.” He plucked at the cloak she’d always worn for warmth.
Samira nodded, and a long black dress formed around her, clinging to her young curves and displaying her breasts in a provocative, corseted top. “Is this better, Master?”
“It is indeed.” He stepped forward and ran his hands down her sides to grip her hips. “Now, we will have some fun.”
Lothar felt Samira trying to push him along, to move past this particular memory, but he fought her. This was what they had talked about; this was where he needed to be. One of Kadar’s first orders was for her to charm the lamp. He watched as Kadar set loose on a string of wishes, and as some didn’t go the way he had anticipated, Samira was punished—mostly tossed around and beaten. Lothar hated that he thought she was lucky she hadn’t been a slave to someone like Darion. He despised the fact that he knew it could have been worse.
“You know you are supposed to hide what you are!” Kadar shouted, as the back of his hand made contact with Samira’s cheek.
Samira hit the ground from the force of the contact, and her hand flew to her cheek. “I’m sorry, Master. I did not intend for him to see the cuffs.”
“You are to always hide them!” he roared as he pulled her to her feet by her hair. His face was within inches of hers when he continued his berating of her. “You are a stupid child, unworthy to be even my slave. We must move on now. That fucking wench and her mate will come for you. Get back in your lamp, now.”
Samira dematerialized into a cloud of gold smoke and disappeared into her lamp. Time passed as she held herself in a small ball on the silks that decorated every inch of her lamp. When she was called back out, they found themselves before a rather beautiful stone-and-mortar home, hidden in a forest of redwood trees.
Samira dipped her chin. “What is your wish, Master?”
“I wish for this home to be mine. You will relocate the inhabitants somewhere far away, where they will never be able to find their way back to this place.”
Samira’s eyes widened, but she nodded, and with a quick gesture of her hands, the home was empty.
Lothar studied the home, the creek he could hear bubbling not far away, and the forest surrounding them. He took note of every detail before Samira disappeared inside the lamp again.
When Samira was released again, she was in a dark room lit by torches hanging off the stone and dirt walls. Lothar could hear running water and noticed the ceiling held floor joists. He scanned the room, and a wide smile pulled at his lips as he watched Kadar place the lamp on a tall pedestal that sat next to an empty throne. Lothar guessed this was his weak start to dreams of grandeur. Samira’s head stayed downcast as she addressed Kadar.
“What is your wish, Master?”
“So many things, genie. We have much work to do.”
Lothar pulled from her memories and found himself tumbling from her world back in to his own headspace. He let a deep sigh out and opened his eyes to see Izzy and Makyle both watching him closely. Samira hadn’t opened her eyes yet, but Lothar could sense her struggling to bury the memories he’d kicked up.
Izzy kept her eyes on Samira. Makyle's hard gaze shifted from Samira to Lothar, who shook his head.
“Just give her a minute.”
Makyle's eyes softened, and he sighed. “Well, what did you find?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest.
“It’s in the basement of the home Kadar had her take over for him. It’s in a forest somewhere.”
“That explains him instantly heading for Darion’s lands,” Izzy added.
Samira finally opened her eyes and sat up. Makyle took a seat next to her. “You all right?”
She nodded. “I am, but how are we going to find him now? I don’t know where the house is.”
Izzy grimaced. “I have an idea, but Bain isn’t going to like it.”
Lothar shook his head. “No, he won’t, but you might be on to something.”
“Stop b
eing cryptic, you two. What are you thinking?” Makyle asked.
They looked at one another briefly before saying one word. “Zander.”
Samira’s brows furrowed. “The luck eater?” Could her Zander really be here? She hadn’t seen him since the club burned down over two years ago. She had prayed he hadn’t been among those caught in the disaster. However, she gave up hope when she didn’t hear from him again. Had he really been with the Light Fae all this time? There was too much history to explain to the questioning eyes that were studying her.
“You know Zander?” Makyle asked.
“I do,” she said softly. “Can I see him?”
Chapter Seventeen
Samira could feel Makyle’s eyes burrowing into the side of her head as they made their way into the dungeon. She kept her gaze glued to Izzy’s back as she and Lothar led the way. She tried not to focus on the cold that seeped from the packed-earth floors and radiated off the stone walls.
They made it to one of the last cells. She stopped short and waited for Izzy and Lothar to stop and turn towards the bars.
“Uh oh,” a familiar voice echoed from the back of the small cell. “Where’s your guard dog, beautiful Isabelle?”
“Don’t start,” Lothar warned. “We need your help.”
Zander chuckled. “I’ve been hearing that a lot lately, and still, here I sit, rotting in your prison.”
“You are hardly rotting,” Izzy remarked. “You survived the freeze in our dungeon.”
Zander rolled his eyes. “I would have survived it in the Human World. You realize that was where I was headed when your warriors captured me, right?”
Izzy shrugged. “You should have stayed off our lands. After what happened, did you really think they would give you a pass?”
Zander snorted. “Fine. What is it the Light Fae need from me now?”
“It’s me who needs your help,” Samira said as she stepped up to the bars.
Zander grinned as he flew from his careless position on the cot against the back wall. His arms shot through the bars, and he cupped Samira’s face.
“Sam… what the fuck are you doing with the Light?”
She laughed and placed her hands over his. “They’re helping me. He’s back, Zan.”
“Kadar?”
She nodded and forced a small smile.
Zander’s eyes narrowed, then lifted to Lothar and Izzy. “I will assume it’s your fault he’s back?”
Izzy chewed on the inside of her cheek for a brief second. “It’s mine. I brought him back with us when we went after Makyle.”
Zander shook his head. “What do you need, Sam?”
“We need to find him.”
“I would assume he’s in the forest.”
“Which one?” Makyle asked, as he finally stepped into Zander’s line of sight.
“Let me out, and I will show you. Hell, I’ll even knock on his front door for you.”
Makyle’s gaze fell to Samira. Her eyes were pleading with him, and all he could seem to focus on was the fact that Zander’s hands were on her.
“That is a conversation that will need to be had with Cree,” Makyle said, as he turned and walked away.
Samira sighed. “We’ll find a way to get you out of here,” she said to Zander, causing Izzy and Lothar to both narrow their eyes on her.
“I’m not going to try and break him out, but I won’t idly sit here while you keep my friend as your prisoner.”
“Friend, huh? Is that it?” Izzy asked as she turned to follow Makyle. She stopped and quietly spoke with Trevan. His gaze found Lothar and Samira, and he nodded.
“Well, that went well.” Lothar sighed. Knowing what everyone felt all the time could be so incredibly draining.
“She doesn’t like me much, Sam,” Zander chuckled.
Lothar glared at him. “You nearly killed her, and now you’re making jokes about it. You’re damn lucky Bain hasn’t gotten his hands on you.” Lothar turned to Samira. “We need to go find Cree.”
Samira nodded. “I’ll be back to see you,” she promised Zander before following Lothar from the dungeon.
****
Cree arched a brow as Makyle slammed through the door to his office. He remained silent and waited for Makyle to speak.
“You need to let Zander go.”
Cree laced his fingers and placed his hands on his desk. “Oh, what did I miss?”
“He’s our best lead on Kadar.”
Cree sat back in his chair. “I’ve missed something.”
“Lothar pinpointed where her lamp is. It’s in the basement of his home in one of the forests of the Dark Land. However, she doesn’t know where it is. Isabelle suggested we talk to Zander, that he might be able to help you all navigate the Dark Lands. Even with all my time spent collecting souls, I don’t know the land all that well.”
Cree nodded. “So, Isabelle wants me to let Zander go so he can help us?”
“No,” Izzy scoffed from the doorway.
“I do,” Samira said as she pushed past Izzy and into Cree’s office. “I’ve known Zander for years. He was kind to me when Kadar was cruel. Zander and I met a few years after Kadar became my master. He and Kadar were friends. Or better put, Zander dealt with Kadar for my sake. I hadn’t seen him for years. Then one day, there he was, in Vegas. We reconnected.” She looked to Makyle, who stood, stone-faced. “Anyhow, that was a few years ago. We lost touch after the club fire.”
“And he knows where this home is?” Cree asked.
Samira nodded. “He said he will take us there. He just wants out of your dungeon.”
Cree nodded. “I see. I will go speak with him.”
Izzy’s gaze drifted between Cree, Makyle, and Samira. She smiled softly when her gaze fell back to Cree. “What can we do in the meantime?”
“I believe Kyra was looking for you… She said something about you and she having a breakfast date. Banana pancakes.” He smirked.
Izzy looked to her watch. It was breakfast time. She wondered how any of them were functioning at this point. It had been a jam-packed twenty-four hours—she was going to need coffee with her pancakes.
“Go do what you need to do; I will deal with this.”
“We don’t have a ton of time,” Samira said, a bit of panic lacing her tone. “If Kadar gets to my lamp…”
Cree smiled. “We move through this world much faster than he can. Bain and Kale followed him to the border. It will take him time to get to any one of the other forests in Darion’s land. Take a breather while I figure some things out.”
Izzy walked out and headed towards the kitchen. She wasn’t at all surprised to find Kyra had Kale, Bain, and Uriah helping her get everything ready for breakfast. Izzy smiled and grabbed an apron as she made her way over to the group.
“Izzy!” Kyra’s tone was almost a scolding. “You are late.”
She pinched her lips and nodded apologetically. “I know; I’m sorry. I was helping Uncle Lothar and Uncle Cree, but I’m here now. What can I do?”
Kyra smiled brightly. “You can make the pancakes, silly.” She gestured towards the guys with a rubber spatula. “They have nooo idea what they are doing.” She sighed dramatically.
Izzy laughed as she grabbed a bowl and settled in between Uriah and Bain.
“Everything okay?” Bain asked.
Nodding, she kept her gaze fixed on the bowl and the ingredients she was pouring into it. “Everything’s fine. We have some new leads; Cree is looking into them.”
Uriah arched a brow, and Kale leaned forward to get a look at Izzy. She swore she could feel all their eyes burrowing into her.
“What aren’t you telling us?” Uriah asked quietly.
Izzy continued to mix the batter. “Samira and Zander have history. He may be able to help us.”
Bain groaned. Izzy looked up and stole a quick kiss. “Let it go. Cree wants us all to leave him to sort it out.” She looked to Kale and Uriah. “He said to do what we need to do for now. Maybe another
trip to see Kat, Marie and Makiah would be good for you guys?”
Kale shook his head. “I don’t think so… leaving is too hard.”
Uriah nodded. “I get that.”
Izzy sighed. “All right then, go crack some eggs, and we’ll all have breakfast together.”
She looked back to Bain. “Why don’t you go get Holly and Lothar, too?”
“What about Makyle and Samira?”
She shook her head. “No, I think they need some time to talk.”
****
Kat slid her arms into the light material of her black windbreaker. Vegas was hot as hell most the time, yet she felt a deep chill down to her bones. With a sigh, she quietly stepped from her room in Evan’s home and attempted to stay light on her feet as she moved down the hall. The house—no, mansion—was quiet during the day.
“Where ya trying to sneak off to?” Syna asked as Kat had tried to sneak past the large library her friend favored.
Kat arched a perfect blonde brow. “Why aren’t you in bed with your vampire?” she asked, averting the focus of the conversation.
“Because her vampire rarely sleeps,” Evan’s lightly accented voice spoke up from behind her. “Sneaking out doesn’t work around here. The gates and fences around this place that keep those unwelcomed out also keeps my vampires in… unless they check out at the gates. But you already knew that.”
Kat entered the library with a sigh, where she not so gracefully flopped down next to Syna. “I’d ask how well you can keep a secret,” she commented as she looked at Evan. She then let her gaze slide to the succubus sitting next to her. For years she’d thought Syna had perished in Darion’s castle, only to find her living with the same vampire who had hidden Bain and Rowan’s youngest sister for over a century. “But clearly you are more than capable of keeping secrets; Syna and Holly are living proof of that.”
“Are you asking me to keep your secrets?”
Kat shrugged. “I don’t know if there is even a secret to keep. But I do need to get out of here and go see someone.”
Syna’s brows drew together. Closing her book she placed it on the table in front of her. “What’s going on Kat?” She studied her closely, her color seemed fine and her eyes seemed bright, both signs that this was not about needing to feed. “I can tell this isn’t about hunger.”
Immortal Awakening: Immortal Heart Page 8
