Lost Beauty (Deadly Beauties Live On)

by C. M. Owens

  Slade never intended for me to see them in that vision. He was introducing me to the many immortals he crossed paths with before he was locked away, giving me their eyes so I could see their souls and imprint their essences into my mind for reference.

  This... this wasn’t supposed to be possible.

  “Karma saw that Lokie. She had to have,” I tell him instead of answering.

  He shrugs carelessly, possibly even unconcerned. “Karma isn’t as strong as you are. Besides, Karma owes me her life. If she knows, she’s repaid me by keeping it quiet. Now what about the beasts you mentioned. Tell me, Kya.”

  He almost looks like he’s desperate for the information, and it occurs to me that he might not even know about all they did. They weren’t written into very many factual record books.

  “How do you know what you are?” I ask him quietly.

  The desperate intrigue in his eyes fades into a familiar bitterness. “My mother cast a spell when she stole me away from my biological jinn mother. There’s a reason red jinn are rare. They can’t help themselves from feeding on their children. Long story short, I was a food source for my birthmother, and I was on the verge of death. Mom saved me, almost died in the process of killing the woman who couldn’t get enough of my power that hadn’t even fully surfaced yet. I was young, but I wasn’t as young as the others still believe. Anyway, Mom used an ancient, powerful spell that very few knew existed, and my eyes told the story in sequence: black fire, pure gold, and red and black swirls. They appeared in sequence, terrifying her. She was an archivist and privy to more information than most immortals. She knew what it meant.”

  That’s almost unbelievable.

  “She knew and still took you?” I ask him, watching as he glares at me.

  “I guess a child is deemed less threatening than a man. So yes, she took me, she raised me, loved me, protected me... I’ll kill anyone who ever even thinks of laying a hand on her. She saved my life, and she saw more than the darkness within.”

  Then she didn’t see the beasts the way I saw them through Slade’s eyes.

  “What did you see, Kya?” he asks again, quieter this time.

  “Destruction. Death. Blood... They killed everything in sight. They were so vicious that the Lokies took it upon themselves to expel them from this dimension, even though they were the ones who forced them here to begin with. There was a breach after the Lokies split the dimensions too often to come here. Fixing the breach weakened the Lokies, but they got rid of the beasts that had the power to kill them. That was what weakened them enough for the immortals to get rid of the Lokies afterwards.”

  He closes his eyes, seeming crestfallen and a little lost. If he wasn’t a ticking time bomb, I’d almost feel compelled to console him.

  “Say the word, Kya. What were they?” he asks in a rasp whisper.

  Wings. Scales. Fire. Barbaric. Brutal. Merciless... All of it rushes to the forefront of my memory, and I swallow against the knot in my throat.

  “Dragonites.”

  The single word has him vanishing from sight, and I sit alone in the darkness. The problem is, now I don’t know whether or not to tell Slade.

  There’s no doubt he’d go after Chaz, and this time it wouldn’t be a woman. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill another man the way he did with Roslyn and Leah.

  I almost wonder who would win in that fight, considering I just watched Chaz take down an ogre with minimal effort. Slade is just now getting back to full strength after centuries of being restrained and weakened.

  I’m not a gambling woman, so I decide to keep my lips sealed. For now.

  I also decide to ignore the inexplicable lingering feelings that refuse to go away. I’m a warrior. Not a stupid little girl with a stupid little crush on a possible huge threat.

  I never knew freedom was so full of confusion.

  Chapter 2

  CHAZ

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity fuck.

  Staying under Kya’s radar was supposed to be easy, but it has gradually gotten harder and harder to do since our groups continuously run into each other. I let my guard down one time, and this happens. I never expected to run into her at the fight.

  Just as I suspected, she saw through to my core, but surprised me by knowing the one part of me that I thought could forever remain a secret. Dragonites aren’t even whispered about. Dragons are fabled creatures that never truly existed—according to the human world. Which is mostly true.

  Dragon shifters were real, though. They were also hungry for death. I knew this, but hearing it aloud...

  Panic. Fear. Anger.

  Her eyes were teeming with so many emotions it was hard to keep up, but hatred was amongst those emotions.

  She doesn’t even know me and hates me.

  It’s a small reminder why my mother worked so hard to teach me to use my jinn magic to pull off the duster persona. A little gold dust goes a long way in convincing someone I’m harmless. Add in a couple parlor tricks—such as turning Dice’s voice into a cat’s meow—and you can sell it. Since a jinn can do almost anything a duster can, no one was the wiser.

  Duster eyes flicker with gold flakes, and a Lokie’s eyes turn solid gold. My default color is gold, though I rarely touch my Lokie powers. It’s easy to convince someone they just saw things wrong when I slip.

  Were your eyes just gold?

  They have gold flakes when I use my power...

  Oh. Guess I saw wrong.

  Those are the conversations I’ve had countless times.

  Alyssa and Ella both have a touch of Lokie in them, which is only possible because of their creature goddess status. Neither of them knows it exists. Ella’s is more profound when she loses it. I can almost taste her need for bloodshed.

  The Lokie blood drove several other creature gods and goddesses insane. Not that I ever mentioned that to them. The insanity was blamed on various other reasons and explained away to give Alyssa peace of mind.

  Her royal bloodline was strong and prevented the same fate... Hopefully it will continue to do so for Ella. Kane was only saved by the fact he was sired by a night stalker before turning. It gave him time to mature and grow into his powers much slower, once his final bond was finally destroyed.

  Being someone you’re not is exhausting, but becoming a target isn’t an option. If I’m a target, so is my mother, and though she’s hella strong, she’s not strong enough to take on an army.

  Telling her what just happened is also not an option... She’ll go after Kya and eliminate the threat if I called her right now. She’s not stronger than Kya, and honestly, I wouldn’t let either of them hurt each other.

  I had to give up Alyssa—my best friend—when my powers started coming in stronger. Suppressing the Lokie was the hardest, and keeping the dragonite turned off was almost impossible at first.

  Mom sparked an argument with Calypso—Alyssa’s mother—in an effort to give us cover. Turns out, Calypso was doing the same thing to keep her own daughter’s secret.

  What a fucked up web we’ve all woven.

  Now I have no choice but to tell everyone, because there’s no doubt in my mind that Kya isn’t already on her way to tell Slade everything. I think enough other shit is going on that they could overlook this. Maybe even see the additional power as a bonus.

  I’ve been their friend for so long. I’ve had their backs through hell and fire. I’ve stopped an apocalypse with them, and I’ve saved their lives.

  There’s no way of knowing if they can overlook what created me unless I finally tell them. There has already been plenty of suspicion floating around, and I haven’t been denying their suspicions.

  Taking a deep breath, I land on the front porch of Gage’s home, not even bothering with the fake gold dust. When I walk inside, I’m fully prepared to unload everything I’ve held back.

  I can handle Slade if he comes for me. But I won’t let him near them.

  I have no idea how truly strong I am, but I’ll find out if he comes for me.

>   Just as I open my mouth to call for everyone, I hear arguing.

  “How could you lie to us?” Alyssa is demanding.

  What the hell is she doing here? She’s supposed to be in hiding until she has the baby!

  Scowling, I head into the front room to find them all staring at Zee as Leah rubs his back like she’s proving she’s on his side.

  Zee’s fists are clenched at his sides, and his eyes are narrowed. There’s something on the news about a Clayton child who has been kidnapped, and I cock my head, wondering why Alyssa is pointing at the screen.

  “You lied about your name. Hell, you said you had a fiancée when you were turned. You told us someone’s story, but it wasn’t yours. Why?”

  What the actual fuck is going on?

  “It was safer for my family if no one knew my true roots,” Zee defends, even though he looks regretful. “We all have our secrets, Alyssa.”

  “Not from each other,” Kane growls. “You’re my brother. You’ve always been my brother since the day I found you and took you under my wing. Why lie to me?”

  Zee looks down, his shoulders hunching.

  “I didn’t trust you at first. Then I didn’t want to cause you to distrust me later on, so I went with the story. It was best for everyone. I had no idea it would ever become an issue. But I have to go after the child. I know a night stalker took her. You know it too. The blue eyes from the reports? Someone found out who I am, and they’re expecting me to come. It’s why they took her.”

  “And she’s your niece?” Karma asks.

  Zee nods. “I didn’t know of her existence until today. That’s the truth.”

  “Who knows what’s truthful from you anymore?” Dice drawls, sounding bored, but even he looks hurt.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, even though I have the gist of it.

  Zee looks my way, and his lips tense. “I’m sure everyone will fill you in. I have to go save my niece.”

  He starts to walk by me, and Leah follows him. I step in front of him before he can go, and I cast a glance at all the hurt expressions in the other room. I guess I’ll keep my fucking mouth shut after all.

  “I’ll go with you. You need backup.”

  When I face him again, his eyebrows are up in surprise. “You aren’t pissed?”

  “I’m sure you kept your secrets for a reason. I’ll grab a bag.”

  I don’t even know where we’re going, but it doesn’t matter. Zee and Leah walk outside, and I move into the room.

  “You’re going to send him off on his own? Because you’re butt hurt over some secrets?” I ask them, pissed on his behalf.

  Alyssa walks out as her tears start falling. I hope that’s just pregnancy hormones, since she doesn’t cry so easily. Kane is tense as he glares at me.

  “You’re not as close to him as I am. I really thought we were brothers. Now I learn he never once trusted me. Yeah. It hurts. I’d go with him if I thought he was going to get himself killed. But he’s going after a lone night stalker. Between him and Leah, he can handle this on his own. Besides, this is the life he never wanted any of us to know about.”

  After his bitter rant, Kane disappears, and Thad groans as he runs a hand through his hair.

  “You really pissed at him?” I ask in disbelief.

  Roslyn shakes her head. “I’m not. I barely know him.”

  Thad rolls his eyes. “We don’t have room for lies about the past right now.”

  “Says the guy who refuses to talk about his bloody past.”

  Thad’s eyes narrow. “I have a really long past, and I don’t hide the fact it was messy and dark. I just don’t dole out details. It’s a lot different than lying outright. Secrets are not the same as lies.”

  His words strike a nerve, and I vanish from the room, grab some things to throw in a bag, and vanish again. I’ve been living a lie since I was a child. But the lies were merely to mask the secrets.

  Gage and Kimber look torn, Ella isn’t here, Deke and Sierra are obviously furious.

  Amy won’t even look at me when I come back down, as though she’s pissed that I’m taking Zee’s side. Then again, she’s been pissed at me for a long time. Her night stalker lover just seems oblivious as to why anyone cares.

  Karma walks away, following Dice as he storms off.

  Deciding not to waste my breath any longer, I disappear and reappear outside beside Zee’s car just as he tosses Leah’s bag in the back.

  After tossing mine in with it, I drop to the backseat while taking out my phone. I pull up the info on this kid, seeing what facts have been made public so far.

  “Anyone you know that could figure this out and come after you?” I ask as Zee sits down.

  “No one knew. Only Leah. And obviously she had nothing to do with it,” Zee says quietly. “Thank you for coming to help me.”

  “No worries,” I tell him grimly, no longer feeling as though I’ll ever be accepted.

  Zee lied about the person he was before he became a night stalker. They’re all hurt and pissed.

  I can only imagine if they learn I’ve been lying about everything I am.

  I’ll lose everyone.

  Kya was terrified of me, so I know she’s probably already told Slade what I am by now. It’s just a matter of time, and the countdown has begun.

  My phone chimes with a text as Zee drives us away from Pine Shore, and I look down to read it.

  UNKNOWN: Until we’ve dealt with the Master... I’ll keep your secret. You made valid points that I can’t logically object to. We don’t need the distraction.

  It’s like she knew I was on the verge of panicking.

  Relief settles over me as I save her number to my phone. Just typing in her name for my contacts has my dick stirring in my pants.

  Fucking wayward appendage. I was terrifying her and holding her down when arousal hit me like a menace with bad timing. I felt like an animal who couldn’t control my body.

  Her damn cleavage was in full view, and her fear turned me on... It called to the sick side of me that craved that fear. It’s rare I see fear, since I’m projecting one of the least offensive beings there are. Dusters aren’t feared; they’re mocked.

  It’s always been my own private joke. Until Kya...

  Just thinking about how good she smelled as that sickly sweet scent of fear rolled off her has my cock turning to stone. Groaning, I text her back, hoping to put her out of my mind.

  ME: Until then... Thanks.

  She doesn’t message back, and I put my phone away, determined to lock her out of my thoughts. It’s been too long since I had someone under me like that. That’s all it was, surely.

  I’m portraying a duster, so it’s not like women are clamoring for my attention. They prefer the stronger magical creatures over the weak little duster.

  A dark smile curves my lips.

  If they only knew.

  Chapter 3

  KYA

  “Ah!” Simone shouts as I lay her out on her ass.

  She hisses at me and leaps back to her feet, but I slam my knee into her torso, efficiently ending the fight when she collapses and heaves for air while crying out in pain.

  “You’re fighting pissed,” Slade says as I walk away, angrily tearing the tape from my hands.

  “I’m always pissed,” I point out, not daring to let him know that it’s not anger, but frustration I’m struggling with.

  I have no idea why my head can’t get away from the fake duster, but he starred in my dreams last night. It wasn’t a nightmare either. I wish it had been a nightmare instead of what it was.

  Instead, I woke up turned on and haunted by visions of him taking my body over and over and over... With no release on my side.

  Okay, so maybe it was a nightmare. Just not in the regard I expected.

  “You’re a different kind of pissed today. It’s a weakness to show so much emotion, Kya. You’re supposed to be able to channel all that by now,” he goes on, his cold demeanor in place as he stays at my sid
e, walking with me to where the others are training on the backside of our makeshift home.

  Home... I don’t even remember the last time that word was relevant. Not that it matters. This is survival. There’s no time for things as trivial as a home.

  “You’re ignoring me,” Slade states flatly. “You can’t possibly still be upset over the Aquarius thing.”

  Knowing that I myself wanted to kill an innocent girl after seeing the stains of torment from his past, it’s hard to be mad at him any longer.

  “No,” I tell him honestly. “I’m irritated with the lack of knowledge we have on the Master. We’ve raided countless archives, and still we don’t have a name to go with the person who has run those rings for centuries.”

  “I have a theory on that,” he tells me as he looks over the twenty people who are sparring in the back.

  “Does your theory include more than twenty people against a possible army?” I muse.

  “Quality instead of quantity,” he chides dismissively.

  “What’s your theory?”

  He cuts his eyes toward me, and I take a step back. No matter how many times I see the silver glowing there, it doesn’t stop the small tremor that rides up my spine.

  It’s as though he gets colder each time his eyes flash silver, and he rarely allows them to shift to any other color, including his natural.

  “We know it wasn’t one person to run the rings from start to finish,” he informs me. “Several of us remember the power exchange that happened too many moons ago.”

  “I remember this conversation,” I tell him. “But what’s your theory?”

  “Well, whoever is in charge now isn’t the same person who started the rings, as we know. It has been several people to take over, in fact. Each person has their own reasons for wanting that sort of control or power at their fingertips. And with the stars aligned as they are... I think the one who was last running the rings wants to open a portal.”

  “You mean a gate to a different plane?” I ask, still ignoring the coldness in his gaze.

  “No. I mean a portal to a different dimension.”