Lucian grabbed her shoulder. “No. Reysa is the target here. I will not let you be in harm’s way.”
Olivia shrugged his hand away hard. “I’m not asking you, and I don’t need your permission.” She marched over to Reysa. “Let’s go.”
Before Lucian could object, Reysa dematerialized them to the woods.
“Shit!” Lucian slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a sizeable dent. “We have to stop them before Olivia gets hurt.”
“That’s one thing we can agree on,” Kaden admitted.
The two raced out, searching for Olivia.
II
Olivia, Reysa, and Alejandro landed in a riverbank. “Sorry, but this was the only place I could remember, so I had to land us here.”
“That’s fine. We should look for the reaper.” Olivia emerged from the water. As much as she wanted to find the killer, the reality was that she wasn’t much of a hunter or fighter, but she was willing to die trying. This crazy bitch had caused enough problems for her family. She wanted to silence her once and for all.
“You should grab one of my blades, just in case.” Reysa handed her a gigantic sword. Olivia accepted the mammoth weapon, but knew she was more likely to slice herself rather than the killer.
“I’m sorry for what Kaden said to you. I know it must’ve hurt.”
“He didn’t mean it,” Olivia hoped. “He was just lashing out.”
“He meant it, Olivia. He practically called you a whore in front of everyone.”
Olivia continued walking, refusing to let the voice distract her.
“He can be a real ass,” Reysa added, “but there’s another side to him. It’s hard to see it and he will only show it for about a second at a time, but he’s not all obnoxious.”
“Sometimes, he will even let you see that side of him for a whole minute,” Olivia quipped. “You care about him, don’t you?”
Reysa did not want to care for Kaden. “I care about all of you.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Reysa shrugged. “He’s not my type. We couldn’t last one day together without one of us ending up with a stake in the heart. He’s so not my type.”
“The lady doth protest too much, my dear.”
“I’m serious. Kaden may be gorgeous and physically perfect, but he is a royal pain in the neck with serious baggage. I need someone normal, like my best friend Christian -- or someone like my Alejandro. Kind, compassionate, loving, fun, sane. The basic qualities.”
“You be surprised who ends up stirring your heart. Don’t foreclose any opportunity.” Olivia paused and stared at the proud woman who was risking so much for her son’s safety. She had always wanted a daughter and would have liked her to be just like Reysa. “Whether it’s Kaden or someone else destined for you, don’t ever lose yourself so much in that relationship that you cease to know who you are. Don’t let anyone ever change you or weaken you. Your strength is to be admired, Reysa. Any man who can’t appreciate that does not deserve you, whether it is my son or another sorry fool.”
“Thank you. Your sons are lucky to have you.”
“Yet neither of them wants you.”
The three of them continued strolling, looking for some sign of another’s presence, but the woods were eerily quiet. Olivia could sense Lucian was near. She knew he must be fuming, the way she stormed off like that. Her emotions were raw after her confrontation with Kaden, and she needed to get away. Being with Reysa and Alejandro, two people who had no reason to look upon her disappointment or resentment, seemed the best option.
Olivia had not realized how vast Julian’s property was nor how truly isolating. Julian could shut out the world here and hide from his family. After what they had put him through, she could not blame him for his need to escape.
Not paying attention, Olivia tripped over a rock and landed face down on the ground. Embarrassed, she started laughing. Reysa reached to pick her up and just missed another arrow flying past her head.
Alejandro roared. He shifted into a cheetah and sprinted in the direction of the arrow. Reysa and Olivia raced after him, but the cheetah moved at a lightning pace. Despite their supernatural speed, the cat was remarkably quicker. Suddenly, they heard the piercing scream again and followed the direction of the yell. The cloaked figure was on its back with a very pissed-off cheetah trying to rip out her throat. The figure’s hair tangled in Alejandro’s side, piercing his flesh. He leapt off of her and then fell to ground immobile from the sting of the snake-like tendril.
Reysa struck the demon with one of her famous right hooks, shattering the demon’s jaw. She carefully dodged the locks of the figure’s hair that struck out, trying to rip into her flesh with their sharp fangs. One swift jarring kick to the demon’s midsection and the creature fell to the ground trembling.
The demon’s hood fell and revealed a face of a beautiful blonde woman with pale blue eyes who looked like a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model rather than the ghastly ghoul they imagined. Her face was nearly flawless but for the broken jaw courtesy of Reysa. Suddenly, the woman shook and her beautiful face turned a horrid shade of red, with disgusting oozing boils. Reysa jumped back, not wanting to touch any part of that nastiness.
The others appeared and surrounded the monstrous figure. “This is the reaper?” Corinne asked. “I think we just insulted the real reaper. Girlfriend, what happened to your face? Proactiv® couldn’t even fix that mess.” Corinne turned to Kaden, who seemed transfixed by the vile figure. “Please tell me that even in your drunkest craziest moment you were not so desperate as to shag that hot mess over there.”
Kaden did not respond and moved closer to the woman, who stared intently into his face. “Recognize me, lover?” she asked. Kaden continued staring, at a loss for words.
“Ewww, maybe he did do her?” Corinne surmised.
“Shut up, Cori.” Olivia walked away from her childish friend although she had to admit she shared her surprise that this woman could have been part of Kaden’s past.
Kaden just stood there silently watching as the woman rose. Reysa pointed her sword at the woman’s head just in case she launched to attack.
“I guess you don’t recognize me like this. Maybe this would help.” The woman trembled again and the horrid skin was replaced with perfectly smooth porcelain. The snake-like tendrils were now long flowing locks. The gorgeous blonde Reysa first encountered was standing before them again.
“This can’t be,” Kaden finally spoke. “I saw you die. You did not survive the transformation. I saw you die, Helena.” Kaden wrapped his hand around her neck, enough to limit her movements, but not enough to harm her. “How can you be here?”
“I came back for you, my love,” she purred. “You’re mine, Kaden. Always mine.”
“Are you the one who killed all those women?”
Helena laughed. “Of course.” Focusing on Reysa, she said, “As soon as you let me go, I will kill that bitch too.”
“I’d like to see you try it,” Reysa challenged.
“I won’t let you hurt her, Helena, or anyone else.”
“You love her more than me, don’t you? You never loved me. You used me.” Helena’s hair transformed again, but before the coils could reach Kaden, Reysa sliced through them, leaving the remains scattered at Helena’s feet. “What have you done?” Helena bawled.
“Gave you a much needed haircut,” Reysa replied.
Helena’s hair immediately grew back just as long as before. “I like my hair just the way it is,” Helena smirked. “It’s not that easy to stop me.”
“Helena?” Julian slowly walked over to where Kaden held Helena. Julian had been the last to arrive. He had remained in the shadows, too shocked to believe his Helena was alive again. He approached cautiously, keeping a close eye on Kaden, who looked ready to attack. Julian would not allow Helena to be harmed. He would protect her always.
Kaden reversed his position, keeping his hand tightly on Helena’s neck, but placing her in front of him so he
could keep a close eye on Julian. As shocking as Helena’s reappearance was to him, it must have been even more confusing for Julian.
“Julian. My sweet Julian.” Helena reached for him, beckoning him to come to her. “Help me. Stop them from hurting me.”
Olivia could see the agonized expression on her son’s face. He clearly still loved this deranged woman, and this beast knew how to manipulate him.
“Help me, darling. Kaden is going to kill me again.”
“What are you talking about?” Julian questioned. He never fully understood what happened that night Kaden tried to transform her. He just knew Kaden failed, and Helena was lost to him forever.
Helena batted her lashes and looked at Julian with all the false affection she could muster. “Kaden forced me to leave you for him. He threatened me, Julian. Then he forced me to turn into a vampire even though I begged him not to. He said that was the only way to keep me forever. The transformation was horrible. He left me there to die alone. I was so scared. I had no one to turn to. I was too ashamed to face you.”
“You lying bitch.” Kaden squeezed her neck tighter.
“Leave her alone, Kaden,” Julian demanded.
“Listen kid, this isn’t the time for you to play hero. Certainly not to save this deranged bitch. She’s the one who butchered all those women whose only crime was to want me. She’s the monster we have been searching for. Don’t fall for her games again. She’s played us enough times already.”
“Please, Julian. Don’t let him kill me again. He forced me to leave you, to leave my love.”
“Julian, she’s lying,” Olivia pleaded. “Before you arrived she was declaring her love for Kaden and now she’s manipulating you.”
“You weren’t there back then when Kaden stole her from me. He took her away just like Dad took you away from Lucian. Of course you would side with Kaden, Mother, but it’s not that hard to believe he would force her to be with him. He’s just like Dad.”
“Yes, Julian, he did force me.” Helena batted her unnaturally long eyelashes.
Olivia could see Julian’s body starting to freeze. He was summoning his ability and preparing for an attack, no doubt directed at his brother. “Julian, think about this for a minute. Even if Kaden did all those horrible things to her, that doesn’t justify her killing all those innocent women. She’s the killer we have been tracking, Julian. She’s no innocent. She needs to be stopped.”
“I have paid,” Helena cried. “I will never be the same because of Kaden. My appearance is forever ruined. I’m destroyed. Help me, Julian.”
“Don’t be an idiot, Jules!” Kaden shouted, sensing Julian’s imminent attack.
“You never pay for what you do. You ruin lives and get away with every time. Mom bails you out or you charm your way out of trouble. You never suffer the consequences, but all of us pay because of you. Over and over again, we pay for you. No more.” Julian launched a frozen ice in the shape of a dagger at Kaden’s throat. Kaden ducked, but part of it grazed the side of his face. Heat radiated from his body, melting the ice that managed to pierce his flesh. Kaden tossed Helena to the ground and pounced on Julian. Before Reysa could grab her, another pair of hands seized the blonde.
“Still causing trouble, sis?”
Lucian and Lorenzo struggled to pull the dueling brothers apart while Olivia focused on the stranger who was currently holding a struggling Helena. No not a stranger after all. A familiar face she had seen only one time, but would never forget. “Liam?”
“Yes, princess. It is I. I wish I didn’t have to see you again under such inhospitable circumstances, but unfortunately, this one was wreaking havoc again and needed to be stopped.”
“She’s your sister?”
“Half-sister,” Liam replied as he nonchalantly dangled his raving sister by her throat. “I’m convinced it’s the fault of some genetic mistake, but we were spawned from the same demonic father.”
“Did you know she was the one we were looking for?”
“Suspected, but did not know for sure until one of my spies discovered her presence in town. Then it made perfect sense.”
“Can you make sense out of this for the rest of us?”
“For you, gorgeous, I will do anything.”
Lucian put his arms around Olivia’s waist, pulling her tightly to him. Liam just smiled at the display of possession.
“What would you like to know first, Olivia?”
“Where do we begin? What is she and why did she do all this?”
“Abridged or unabridged version?”
“Something in between would be nice.”
Liam winked, irritating Lucian even more. “My half-sister is a pretty powerful and remarkably evil succubus. She has spent a lifetime luring men to her web and then destroying them for kicks. Your sons provided good entertainment for her. She played with Julian for a while, and then moved on to Kaden. She prefers bad boys and Kaden appealed to her wicked side. She used her powers to control both of them, make them think they loved her. Well, almost. Kaden was not as cooperative. She couldn’t quite manipulate his emotions the way she could Julian’s. Kaden was a challenge and later became an obsession. She had to have him. She needed his love, but he would never give it to her. He couldn’t be controlled. He could give her sex, but no feelings. Stupidly and against my excellent advice, she agreed to be a vampire like him, thinking he would love her. Makes no sense, but she’s a bit crazy.”
“Go to hell!” Helena spat in his direction. Her newly grown hair tuned back into snakes that tried to bite Liam. He shifted position and used the tendrils to suspend her away from him.
“You first, princess.” Liam turned to Olivia unperturbed by his sister’s remonstration. The bites had no impact on him, but could temporarily paralyze other creatures, as they did Alejandro. “Anyhow, she convinced Kaden to transform her. I knew it wouldn’t work completely because a succubus’s blood would not mix with a vampire’s. That’s one combo that has never worked out well. No offspring of such a union has ever survived. We’re genetically incompatible, but sexually very compatible.” Liam winked again at Olivia. “All of our kind knows this. Helena knew this.” He bobbed Helena up and down by her hair. “You tell my sister not to do something and she’ll dive right it. As expected, the transformation was a disaster. She died and stayed dead for weeks. She lost her ability to mask her appearance with glamour and came back one repulsive-looking demon. No one wanted her around. She was bad for business. We need sex to survive, and she’s a sex deterrent.”
“You’re an incubus. That’s why you told me if you touched me you would have me no matter what I said.” Olivia could not help but wonder if the man standing before her was real or if his true appearance was something similarly hideous as his sister’s. Did he use glamour to transform himself from a beast to a young Laurence Olivier?
Liam grinned that dashing smile. “Exactly, princess.”
“I would have helped you, Helena.” Kaden stared into the eyes of the woman who had haunted his dreams for years. He could not get past the guilt of her death, and now she was standing here alive. “Why didn’t you tell me you were alive? Why cause all this pain?”
“I was ruined. You heard Liam. You would never have accepted me as the monster I had become because of you. I couldn’t stand by and watch you enjoy other women when I was the one you were supposed to love. None of this would have happened had you just loved me.”
Liam could see the guilt on Kaden’s face. “Don’t pity her, Kaden,” Liam warned. “This little devil has been a killing machine for six hundred years. The carnage she has left behind is unimaginable. No one would punish her, for she would just seduce them into letting her free whether man, woman, or beast. I hoped after this last disaster she would change, but to no avail. Now it’s time to end this. Since the great Council can’t manage to stop my sister, I will.”
Liam snapped her neck in two and dropped her to the ground. Julian rushed to her side while Kaden stared in horror. Liam
pointed to Kaden. “Fire boy, char the remains -- otherwise, my sister may find a way to resurrect herself again.”
“I can’t believe you just killed her.” Olivia looked in horror at the lifeless body on the ground.
Liam pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaned his hands. “Someone had to do it and I should have done it years ago. Family loyalty goes only so far. She needed to be stopped. We don’t need to kill to survive. We need sex and the energy from sex to live, but we don’t have to kill. She killed for pleasure. She’s a danger to our whole race, let alone all immortals.”
“But she’s your sister?” Olivia stated as if Liam needed a reminder.
“Technically, but we’re not exactly a close family. My father will not be pleased, but I’ll deal with him and anyone else in my family who has a problem with this. Frankly, I doubt anyone other than my father will care. I’m not sorry for this, but I am sorry I didn’t deal with this sooner. It would have saved you much grief and those innocent women their lives.”
“Thank you, Liam.”
“Come to my club some time. Then you can thank me properly.” He smiled, then disappeared in the shadows.
III
Olivia, Lucian, and Kaden watched as Julian stood over the remains, staring down at the woman he once loved. “I need to burn the body.” Kaden walked over to Julian and put his hand on his shoulder. “Brother, let me finish this.” Julian turned to walk away, but Kaden stopped him. “I’m so sorry. She manipulated both of us, but I should have been able to resist her. My love for you should have been stronger.”
“That’s just it, Kaden. You don’t love me or care about anyone other than yourself. You hurt everyone you claim to love. I don’t need your kind of love.” Julian left as Kaden turned Helena’s body to ash.
Olivia and Lucian walked hand in hand in the woods away from the smell of smoke and the pain that was left behind. “I’m glad this is over, but I fear it will not be the end for the boys.”
Lucian agreed. “It will take time for them to make peace with each other. Julian’s hurting and it could take years before he reconciles what happened and finds the strength to move beyond it. The healing process can be quite long.” Lucian was all too familiar with how much time that process entailed, as was Olivia.
Lover's Betrayal: Misfits of the Lore Series Page 24
