Wicked Thing (C.O.A Series Book 2)

by Kim Cormack

  He stepped towards her, tucked her crimson hair behind her ear, gently kissed her forehead and whispered, “You don’t have any idea how beautiful you really are…do you? Listen, I’m not sure what came over me yesterday. It was absolutely ridiculous. I don’t have any right to judge you.”

  All of a sudden she felt like an enormous asshole because she knew what he’d said was the truth. He’d sooner die than intentionally hurt her but she would intentionally hurt him. Vengeance was a part of being a Dragon. She’d have to try harder to keep him here in the friend zone. Friends were forever. They embraced, and as always, it felt so right. This was where the line became crossed in her mind. She took another deep breath. The scent of his skin had always made her feel like there was nowhere else in the universe she was supposed to be.

  Their embrace had gone on just a bit too long and he whispered in her ear, “There’s nothing you could ever do that would make me love you less.” He jokingly cringed and teased, “Even Tiberius.”

  She stepped away, smiled at him and sparred, “I’m sure I could find something.” Then she started to jog ahead of him to catch up to the others.

  Her Handler laughed, chased her down and tripped over an enormous tree root that had grown up along the path, accidentally tackling her from behind. He landed on top of her on the dirt floor of the pathway and with their lips this close she had to actively fight the urge to kiss him.

  Grey ruffled her hair with one of his hands, climbed off of her and scrambled to his feet. She remained there for a second after his brotherly action. It was as though fate expected her to be able to shift her heart to wherever he needed it to be on that day. Today it was taking her through all of the motions.

  He held out his hand towards her and chivalrously announced, “Madam.”

  Lexy took Grey’s extended hand, but couldn’t help rolling her eyes.

  They continued their peaceful stroll towards the motorhome and as they scaled the few steps towards the front door it felt like they were coming home. Lexy could tell something was amiss the second she entered; she leaned over, opened the fridge and hissed, “Shit.” This was one of her biggest pet peeves. A scent wafted out at her and she complained, “You guys didn’t even touch the fridge. This milk’s seriously outdated. It’s going to stink up the whole place.”

  Grey shoved past her, snatched the carton out of the fridge and chuckled, “I’ll get rid of it then. It’s not a big deal, Lex.”

  To her. It was…Lexy continued to give Zach the stink eye until he gave her a response.

  Zach grinned as he replied, “I know, I didn’t come back to the campground. I’m pretty sure none of us did. We had everything we needed back at the cabin.”

  Melody walked past her and piped in to the conversation, “None of us came back here. I think we were all just enjoying the little mental vacation too much to remind ourselves that’s all it was.”

  Lexy glanced towards the third culprit and watched as Kayn slid her backpack under the bunk beds in the narrow hall. She sat down on her bunk appearing to be deep in thought. Heart break sucks. Frost had taken a seat on the bunk beside her. Lexy decided to stop the interrogation and chill herself out. She was amped up today for many reasons. One of them being the vision of Tiberius’s deviously sexy smile as he poised above her while she laid on the table like a naughty smorgasbord entree. It kept popping into her mind and each time it did, her pulse began to race. She needed a cold shower. Lexy grinned suspecting that probably wouldn’t cut it. She’d need to submerge her entire body in a bathtub full of ice for a measly five-minute break from the naughty images that kept flooding her mind.

  She heard Zach clear his throat and snapped out of her seductive daydreams.

  “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that expression on your face. You look a little bit …” Zach started to say something but hesitated instead of completing the sentence.

  She knew what he wanted to say. “A little bit what?” Lexy not so innocently prodded.

  He grinned and blushed while tapping the linoleum of the kitchen table nervously with one of his fingers. He was completely avoiding eye contact with her.

  Lexy grinned and said, “Spit it out, Zach.”

  He held both hands up as though he was ready to surrender and chuckled, “Promise me you won’t kick my ass if I say it.”

  Grey opened the front door just as Zach spoke and began to fill in the blanks, “Yes, Zach. Lexy was a very naughty girl at the Summit. Do you want to tell him or do you just want to wait until the dirty details trickle back to him through the rumor mill?” He snagged a beer out of the fridge and an extra one for Zach. Grey opened both and handed one to Zach as he slid onto the bench seat beside him.

  Lexy recalled her earlier thoughts about wishing she’d taken the time to get to know Zach and decided, what the hell, why not?

  She grabbed her own beer out of the mini fridge, opened it and chugged half of it before responding, “I fought along side of Tiberius at the Summit and during half time we were locked in a room together. We knew we had to recharge our abilities in order to fight Abaddon. Afterwards the lines became a little blurred.”

  Zach parted his lips with fake shock, then grinned as he responded to her confession with one of his own, “Let’s just say I’ve also done a few things this week that I’m feeling a little bit confused about.”

  Lexy smiled at her unexpected partner in inter-clan debauchery. She raised her can of beer into the air.

  Zach shrugged, raised his and gave the salute, “Shit happens.”

  Grey joined in and chuckled, “To shit happening.”

  In an instant they had bonded and Lexy had one more person she was about to lose. She looked at Zach and questioned, “What happened this week with Kayn and Kevin?”

  He glanced down the hall to see if Kayn was out of earshot and the curtains had been closed. Zach responded, “They had a great week together and last night they said goodbye. I really wanted him to be an asshole but he’s actually not a bad guy. None of them are. I think we all came to the conclusion that we were all the same.”

  Grey shimmied off of the bench presumably to go and break up the long intense conversation Frost and Kayn were having behind the curtain. They heard Grey boisterously announce, “Okay, you two. Break it up,” as he pulled the curtain back and disappeared behind it.

  Lexy smiled at Zach and whispered, “Want to talk about it? I’m like a vault if you want something to be a secret it will never go any farther with me.”

  He looked into her eyes and quietly responded, “Have you ever been really drunk and ended up in a situation that felt both wrong and right at the same time?”

  Boy, had she ever. She gave him the biggest grin and started to laugh.

  He started to as well realizing she’d just confessed something more than a little bit messed up.

  Lexy placed her empty can on the table and sighed, “I don’t even have alcohol as an excuse for what I did with Tiberius at the Summit.”

  Zach shook his head, cracked a giant grin and teased, “That was bound to happen. The sexual tension between the two of you at the banquet was even turning me on.”

  Lexy took a drink of her beer, biting her bottom lip as she pondered his words. She looked at Zach and decided to give him some truly intimate details about who she was as a person, “Honestly, sometimes I don’t notice things like that. If we’re being honest and this whole conversation is truly off the record, I felt it by the end of the banquet. All of that hate was beginning to do something for me. I remember thinking it was like foreplay between Dragons.”

  Zach choked on the last gulp of his drink, met her eyes and said, “We should have gotten to know each better. I think we would have been friends.”

  He knew the Testing was here and Zach was saying goodbye. Lexy stood up and slid onto the back bench seat to sit beside the boy that she hadn’t given the time of day to in a year. She wasn’t allowed to give him any details about the Testing. She placed her hand gently on
top of his and summoned her inner Grey by saying, “Believing you can do something is more than half of the battle. If you go into a fight believing you’ll lose, then you will. I’ve seen what you’ve been through and I believe in you. You’ve already shown that you are more than capable of surviving the unthinkable. Believe in yourself as much as I believe in you and nothing can stop you.” She squeezed his hand and Zach smiled peacefully back at her. Lexy excused herself from the table by saying, “I’d better get back there before those positive fortune cookie quotes those boys are probably spouting off to your friend become unbearable.” She grinned because she’d just given him a couple of good ones in lieu of telling him what was really about to happen. Lexy paused to look back at Zach. He was smiling. She yanked the curtain open and Kayn was sitting on her bunk with both Frost’s and Grey’s arms around her. She laughed and teased, “I’m not saying a word.”

  Kayn grinned and sat up as straight as she could without smoking her head on the bunk directly above her. It was time to change the subject. Lexy jumped on the bunk with them, wrestled Grey to the mattress, and teased, “While we are speaking of bone headed moves born of necessity. You didn’t get a chance to tell me all about your naughty deeds the night before we left, but I heard it through the grapevine in about five minutes flat.”

  “Seriously Frost. What did you do broadcast it?” Grey stammered.

  Lexy shook her head slowly and sighed, “I didn’t hear it from Frost! You had relations in public. You should make a list of who didn’t see you. It would be a hell of a lot shorter.”

  Frost chuckled, “Why does everyone automatically assume it was me?”

  “Well, it wasn’t my idea,” Grey accused as he attempted to avoid eye contact with her.

  “Well, my friend. I only have one thing to say to you,” She placed her arm around him, hugged him to her side and whispered in his ear, “Quit hitting yourself.”

  “Point taken,” Grey answered. “It won’t happen again.” He gave Lexy a tight squeeze back and winked at Kayn.

  “I heard something intriguing about your extracurricular activities that same night, involving a certain young Triad.” Grey teased.

  Funny, random men didn’t appear to bother him, just Tiberius. Lexy replied, “I don’t really remember the details, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t happen, for reasons that I am not at liberty to say.”

  Grey groaned, “Okay, you know what? Every time I try to use the excuse, I don’t remember, you give me shit. What was the speech again? I don’t remember doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”

  “Touché...but there are certain situations that you can be pretty sure there was no interest from the other party involved,” Lexy answered. She met Kayn’s eyes and could tell she was intuitive enough to know exactly what she meant.

  Kayn changed the subject with brilliant timing, “So, I heard you were chosen to fight for Ankh and you fought everyone all by yourself.”

  Lexy smiled for Kayn obviously hadn’t heard the sordid details. Grey and Frost both rather comically cleared their throat in unison.

  Kayn gave her a strange look and questioned, “What was that about?”

  Lexy smacked Frost before he had a chance to open his big mouth and give her the dirty details. She smiled back at Kayn and stated, “What happens at the Summit stays at the Summit.”

  Melody came out of the bathroom and said, “Good job, Lexy.”

  Frost and Grey were quite obviously still lost in the comedy of what had been left unsaid and they both burst into a fit of raucous laughter. Lexy glared at them, and hopped up to follow Melody. She wanted a moment alone with her. Lexy paused before pulling back the curtain, looked back at them and stated coldly, “You two saw what I did at the Summit. Just try me.”

  Frost teased, “To be honest, I’m tempted.” Lexy smiled and dove back onto the bed, wrestling around with Frost until she had him in a choke hold.

  Kayn appeared to be deep in thought and completely ignoring Lexy’s stronghold around Frost’s throat as she casually asked, “Where’s everyone else?”

  Lexy’s expression changed ever so slightly. This wasn’t the time or place for this…She released her annoying clan member and replied, “They’re at the Ankh crypt waiting for us.”

  Kayn turned to look at Frost who met her probing gaze. A hint of concern flashed in his eyes. He turned away from her quickly and stared directly at Lexy. He needed to use her emotionless response as a focal point. She stared into his eyes taking in his internal turmoil for only a moment before her inner Dragon began constructing the wall that dulled her emotions. Lexy wanted to fight against it for a few more minutes so she could have a chance to say goodbye to Melody as she’d planned, but she could tell that time had passed. Kayn kept attempting to make eye contact with the boys and neither of them could look her in the eye. They’d all become far too attached this time and they were about to send the lambs they adored to the slaughter.

  With a solemn expression on her face Kayn stood up and announced, “I’m going to find Melody, and Zach.”

  She knew it was time. Lexy nodded at Kayn and instead of hiding the truth in her eyes she gave her a look of strength similar to the one she’d given her before when she’d told her to jump off of a cliff and die repeatedly during her training in the in-between. Kayn nodded at her and she did the same without speaking. She wasn’t allowed to explain or go into any detail until the three were standing on the top of the Testing ready to drop into the bowels of hell.

  “Don’t be too long. We have to leave soon,” Frost said, grasping her arm. He didn’t let go. He stared into her eyes as though it might be the last time. He was trying to warn her without saying the words.

  Lexy opened the curtain and Zach was no longer sitting at the table. He must have taken off with Melody. Kayn left the trailer and the door slammed behind her. Lexy opened the door and watched her, following her with her eyes as she walked briskly down the path towards the water. The three of them followed Kayn, but made sure to remain out of sight. Lexy watched her march down the rickety looking old dock towards the others. That endearingly goofy girl was walking to the end of a symbolic plank and there was nothing they could do to stop it. This was the next level of their evolution and in order to remain with them as a second tier on earth the immortal Testing had to be completed. Zach and Melody were already sitting on the edge of the dock with their legs dangling in the lake. Kayn sat down beside them and dangled hers in the water. Zach reached over and put his arm around Kayn’s shoulder. They were all in a deep conversation for a while and then they started to joke around.

  Frost sat on a wooden bench that had a perfect view of the dock yet would be completely obscured from sight from their vantage point. He observed the three and said, “I wonder why they’re laughing?”

  Grey grinned as he took a seat beside him and stated, “That is why they are all going to survive.”

  They heard Kayn’s high pitched shriek. She yanked her feet out of the water.

  Frost smiled and explained, “A fish probably touched her foot.”

  The other two lifted their feet out of the water while hysterically laughing.

  Damn it, that girl was a sitting duck. Hell, they’d all become far too squirmy over a fish that probably had no interest in eating their toes. This meant they’d probably find one that was in the Testing. They left them there alone for a little while longer. When it felt like they’d given the trio enough time to have a ‘we can do it’ pep talk. Lexy piped in, “Who wants to go and collect our subjects for the Testing that are still squealing over a fish touching someone’s toe in a lake?”

  Frost volunteered and with an optimistic skip in his step he started to walk down the trail towards the dock. Grey was good. He’d given him a tiny amount of hope to cling to.

  She heard Frost loudly announce, “It’s time to go.”

  The three helped each other up, and followed Frost down the dock and as they started up the trail Lexy grabbed Grey and said, “Let�
�s go. We can beat them there.”

  Chapter 3

  Lambs to the Slaughter

  The light flowed in single rays through the trees creating a heavenly looking pathway as it usually did, but this time, Grey didn’t stop to experience the moment. They were both in silent agreement that they wanted to get ahead of the drama that was in the process of unfolding. Even the musical chirping of the birds did nothing to lure her Handler’s beautiful heart into taking its time. They glanced at each other as they heard the voices coming closer and neither one of them wanted to be a party to the awkward guilt ridden stroll, so they sprinted through the trails towards the Ankh crypt in an attempt to arrive before the others. Perhaps, they’d even have enough time to take a beat and compose themselves. They arrived slightly out of breath but neither of them worse for wear. Lily was the only one standing there waiting for them to arrive.

  Lily strolled towards them and explained why she was waiting there for them all by herself, “Markus thought it would be best if those closest to the three accompanied them to the Testing.”

  Grey walked towards her and said, “Are you alright?”

  Lily nodded, looked down at her feet and kicked the dirt causing a bit of dust to rise around her shoe. She responded, “I’m okay.”

  Greydon gave her shoulder a knowing squeeze and whispered, “You don’t look okay.”

  She raised her eyes to meet his and gave him an answer that they all could relate to, “I just wish I’d kept my distance.”

  Grey looked back at the trails where they could hear the muffled voices of the Testing’s sacrifices as they approached and replied, “I’m with you there.”

  A gentle breeze whispered through the trees rustling the branches above her and stirring up the forest floor beneath her feet. Lexy glanced down at the ground and in front of her the sun had filtered through the trees on the pathway in the pattern of a number. It was eleven…that was the number of the stall she’d spent five long years held captive in. It was coincidence, that’s all it was…The number eleven remained on the ground in front of her until it successfully sunk into her soul and gave her the reaction intended. Her heart began to solidify against her will. She needed more time, a few more minutes to remain in land of the sane. She looked at Grey and he was deep in conversation with Lily. She needed him to keep her with him for a few moments longer, Lexy felt herself sinking into the background. In the sound of the crickets chirping she heard a name, it was being repeated over and over again. Charlotte… Charlotte. This was the name of the little girl that she’d failed to protect. It had been the most painful goodbye of her life. She was forced to step back from everything and allow the Dragon to dull her reaction. Logic played no part when the beast within her began to take hold. The Dragon was a necessary evil, it had come to save her as a sixteen-year-old girl after she’d been murdered and tossed to the bottom of a well with all of the other forgotten children. The Dragon had given her the strength to heal and climb out of the pile of water logged rotting corpses to seek her revenge upon the demons that had enslaved her. As the visions of that time caused her mind to begin to drown in the horrific images.