Raini looked upward. “Oh, don’t start with that whole ‘my family is cursed’ thing again.”
“It’s true,” Khloé insisted. “My maternal line is cursed to live alone. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Raini folded her arms. “That makes sense to you? Really?”
Khloé tapped her foot. “I looked up my family’s history. My great-great-great-great grandmother Irene once pissed off a female incantor by fucking the woman’s mate. It’s only been since then that every female member of my mother’s line has grown old alone. None of them have taken mates; none have even found themselves in a long-term relationship. There must be a curse at work. And so, like my other maternal female relatives, I am doomed to grow old and die alone.”
“Or maybe there is no curse, and you’re just wacked,” said Devon.
Khloé scowled. “I can’t believe you’d even suggest that.”
Harper put a hand on her back. “I think you just have no faith in relationships. Why would you? Neither of your parents know a thing about healthy, functional relationships.”
“My dad and Meredith are doing okay,” Khloé pointed out.
“Yeah, he got there eventually.” The sphinx shrugged. “Maybe you will too, one day.”
“No, I’m too busy paying for Irene’s fuck-up, like the rest of my maternal relatives.”
“Is that what your fictional Aunt Mildred told you?” asked Devon.
“I can’t believe you don’t remember her.” Khloé planted her hands on her hips. “Come on, think back. She had a limp. Carried a cane everywhere. Always wore black. And she had that rash on her hands that—”
“Stop,” the hellcat burst out. “Just stop.”
“Fine.” Khloé pulled a dress of the rack. “Where’s the fitting room?”
CHAPTER FIVE
Friday morning, Keenan shoved open the door of his apartment building and strode outside, heading for the parking lot. He needed to collect Khloé and Raini and drive them to the airport, where his Primes’ private jet was waiting to fly them to the yacht.
He wasn’t looking forward to the trip. And yet he was.
Being in close proximity to Khloé for three whole days wouldn’t be easy—she could push his buttons like no one else, and he was sure she’d give him a stomach ulcer sooner or later. But she also made him feel more alive than anyone had in a very long time. Their verbal spars sometimes felt like foreplay.
He wondered if she’d yet begun to realize that she’d made a mistake in ignoring his insistence that he wasn’t an alcoholic. He could honestly say that he hadn’t once been tempted to reach for his flask. Especially since his reward would be a taste of what he’d been craving for years. A reward he could claim in just three days if he managed to hold out.
Feeding from her just once could be enough to weaken the chemistry that pulsed between them. He’d spent so long imagining how she tasted that he’d built it up in his head. The reality couldn’t possibly match the fantasy, could it? He’d for sure feel disappointed to some degree, and that would—
“Keenan?”
He froze. He knew that voice far too well. It brought back so many memories—some good, some bad. And it made his demon bare his teeth.
He slowly turned. A tall brunette stood a few feet away from him, her hand clasped around that of a small boy. Thea. He knew by the slight glow to their faces that they were currently wearing “glamor masks.” He couldn’t see the masks, due to his ability to see through glamor, so he couldn’t be sure what she’d look like to those who didn’t possess that ability.
She offered Keenan a shaky, tentative smile, clearly unsure of her welcome. She shouldn’t be unsure. He’d made it clear through Knox that he had no wish to talk to her. It wasn’t a complicated concept.
He didn’t hate Thea, though he’d tried to. He just didn’t want his past to invade his present. Nor did he like being reminded of his mistakes. Placing his trust in her had definitely been a mistake.
Her tongue darted out and nervously swiped over her lower lip. He’d kissed that mouth more times than he could count. She was still beautiful. But she didn’t hold the same appeal for him that she once had. Maybe because she’d stomped on his trust. Or maybe because another female occupied his thoughts these days.
His demon sniffed, unaffected by her beauty. It had slammed a mental door on her long ago, and it had no time or patience for her.
Rubbing her hand on her jean-clad thigh, Thea gestured at the little boy. “This is Lane. Lane, this is a friend of mine, Keenan Ripley. Say hello, Lane.”
Clutching a tablet tight to his chest with one arm, the boy looked at him, his eyes startlingly blank. “Hello.”
Keenan ground his teeth. She hadn’t just brought the boy along for sympathy, she’d done it because she knew Keenan wouldn’t cause a scene in front of him. “Good to meet you, Lane,” he said, unable to drum up a false smile.
“I left my lair,” Thea blurted out. “Lane and I are strays now.” She tilted her head. “You’re not asking why I left, so I’m guessing you know—” She cut herself off, her eyes darting to her son. “Some things,” she finished lamely.
Bending to Lane, she said, “Baby, put your earphones in; play on your tablet for a while.”
“Okay.” Obligingly, the kid switched on the tablet.
Only once Thea had put earbuds in his ears and seemed satisfied that he wouldn’t overhear her did she turn back to Keenan. “Gavril contacted Knox?”
Keenan nodded.
She licked her lower lip. “I didn’t kill my ex-mate. I swear, I didn’t. I was mad at him, yes, but he was Lane’s father. I wouldn’t have taken my son’s father from him. Gavril’s setting me up.”
Keenan felt his brows rise. “Why would he set you up?”
She bit her lip. “I can’t tell you. It’s not that I don’t want to, I just can’t.”
Well of course she couldn’t. Because there was nothing to tell—she was feeding him bullshit, just as she’d done many times before. “Why are you here?”
She flinched at his curt tone. “Look, Keenan, I can understand if I’m not your favorite person. I let you down so many times, I know that, and I’m so sorry for it.”
She meant it. He could see that. Her apology might have meant something to his demon once, but not now. Too much time had passed. “What do you want, Thea?”
“I need your help. I’ve been trying to contact you for days, because I knew Gavril was going to do something bad, and I didn’t know who else to turn to. The last thing I expected was for him to kill Lee-Roy and then make it look like I did it.”
Keenan squinted. “Gavril killed him?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She closed her eyes. “I can’t tell you that either. I know how that sounds. I know you have no reason to trust that I’m telling you the truth, but I am. I didn’t kill anyone, and I won’t be punished for something I didn’t do. I can’t go back there, and I have nowhere to go.”
“You want a place in my lair,” Keenan realized. At one time, that would have delighted him—he’d tried to convince her to join it for years. Now, it infuriated him, because she had some fucking nerve to request anything of him.
“Gavril won’t fight Knox for me,” she said, her words coming fast. “He fears him too much. But anyone else? He’d take them on, and what Prime would go to war with another to protect an accused killer? They’d just hand me and Lane over. I don’t deserve your help, but I’m asking for it anyway. For Lane’s sake, if nothing else.”
Keenan felt his nostrils flare. “I can’t grant you a place in my lair—I don’t have that kind of authority. Only Knox and his mate do. And if you’re not going to be straight with them about everything, they won’t even consider taking you in.”
Her eyes slid to the side. “Could you not ask them to give me and Lane a place as a personal favor to you?”
“It wouldn’t be a personal favor to me. I don’t want you in my lair.�
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She flinched. “Keenan, I’m so sorry that you’re still hurting after I—”
“Hurting?” he echoed. His demon laughed. “I’m not hurting, I’m just plain pissed. Mostly at myself for choosing to buy your lies and excuses over and over. I meant it when I said I was done, Thea.”
His gaze flicked to Lane. He was a cute kid. And he looked about as sober as Keenan had no doubt looked as a small child, when his mother had dragged him to the homes of “old friends,” looking for their help. They’d never helped Katherine, just as her parents hadn’t helped her. She’d been viewed as lower than dirt for having a child while unmarried—it was unthinkable in those days.
Keenan looked back at Thea. “But I won’t turn away a kid who needs protection—something you know perfectly well. And I don’t fucking appreciate that you’d use my past against me.”
“I’m not trying to manipulate you—”
“Yes, you are.”
“Okay, fine, maybe I am. But not to be cruel. I want my son safe, and I’ll do anything to make that happen. Lie. Cheat. Manipulate. Anything.” She closed her eyes. “Please, Keenan. Please help us.”
“I’ll relay your story to Knox and Harper. I can’t say whether they’ll choose to grant you a place in my lair. You’ll be contacted either way.” That was truly the best he could do. Had she been Keenan’s mate or anchor, his Primes would have granted her a place without question. But Thea was none of those things to him, so she’d be assessed in the same way anyone else would.
“I’m sorry for everything, Keenan. Really. Whatever you might think, I do care about you—I always have. And I-I missed you. A lot.”
Keenan laughed, and there was a bitter edge to it. “You took a mate, Thea. You had a child with him. You couldn’t have missed me that much.”
Annoyance in every stride, he crossed to his car, unlocked it with his key remote, and then yanked open the driver’s door. He honestly wasn’t sure what pissed him off more: that Thea would think it acceptable to ask a favor of him, or that she really thought he’d want to do her a favor.
It was like she had no self-awareness; no ability to look back on her actions and realize that, hey, she’d fucked up in a major way. It was one thing to know you’d done wrong. It was another to fully grasp the weight of said wrongdoing. She didn’t seem able to do that. Never had.
Although his peripheral vision told him she hadn’t moved an inch from where she stood near the building, he didn’t look at her as he smoothly reversed out of the parking space. Nor did he glance back at her as he drove through the parking lot and out onto the main road.
He wasn’t sure if he believed her story that Gavril had set her up to take the fall. Purely because she’d given him no reason to believe it was true. Why she thought Keenan would have taken her at her word when she’d proven in the past that her word meant shit, he had no clue.
Would Gavril frame someone for murder? Maybe. He didn’t seem to have a lot of scruples, from what Keenan had observed. But that wasn’t to say that he’d framed Thea, was it? What motive would he have to possibly do it? And why would she withhold said motive when it could prove her innocence?
Her story just didn’t make any sense.
Keenan couldn’t have turned her kid away, though. It would have made him no better than the many people who’d turned Keenan and his mother away all those centuries ago. Shit, he needed to shut down that line of thinking fast. Ruminating on his childhood only ever pissed him off. He hated that Thea had dredged it all back up again.
By the time he arrived at Raini’s address, he’d found some inner calm. After sticking her luggage in the trunk of his car, he ushered her into the rear seat and then drove to Khloé’s home. He beeped the horn and then slid out of the car.
Looking as high on life as always, the imp walked out of the house, swinging her travel bag. His gut clenched, and his dick twitched. Fuck if she didn’t work that outfit, especially those fuck-me heels.
Her tight white vest and skinny jeans clung to her like a second skin. The black lace shrug she wore trailed all the way down to her thighs, and he could just imagine her wearing that and nothing else. On second thought, she could keep the high heels as well.
Smoky-gray eyes took him in. “’Sup, Don Juan? You’ve missed me, I can tell.”
He wouldn’t smile. Nope. Sighing, he grabbed her bag. “Get in the car. I’ll put this in the trunk.”
“Works for me.”
Although she was sexy as hell, she was also pale and had dark smudges under her eyes. His demon didn’t like it at all. “You look like shit again.”
She tilted her head. “Brown and turd-shaped?”
He felt like pinching the bridge of his nose. “Just get in the car.”
Minutes later, they were driving en route to the airport. While the two women discussed their plans for the weekend, Keenan telepathically reached out to Knox and said, Thea was waiting for me outside my complex this morning.
The Prime’s mind touched his. I was clear that you had no wish to see her, he said, his voice hard.
Well, she didn’t let it sway her. Keenan quickly brought him up to speed. If it hadn’t been for the kid, I’d have turned her away.
Which she no doubt knew, so that’s probably why she took him along.
That would be my guess. I don’t have a clue how much of what she said was true. Hell, it could all have been lies. But I said you might agree to hear her out.
I’ll be honest with you, Keenan. Although I sympathize with her son, I don’t want her in our lair. Harper wouldn’t want her around either, given your history with Thea. If Thea gives me the full—and truthful—story of what happened with her ex-mate and I’m satisfied that she deserves sanctuary, I can talk to another Prime and see if they’d be willing to take in her and Lane.
Keenan slowed the car as he reached a red light. She said she believes our lair is the best choice because Gavril wouldn’t dare fuck with you.
There are other Primes he wouldn’t think to challenge, particularly Raul. On another note, how far are you from the airport?
Not far. Which is good, because Khloé is currently acting deranged, convinced there’s a bee in the car and that it’s going to sting her.
A vibe of amusement brushed the edges of Keenan’s mind. Well, bees do sting.
Keenan’s mouth tightened. There’s no bee, just like there’s no Aunt Mildred.
Who?
Nothing; forget it. Seeing that the light had turned green, he drove onward. We’ll be at the airport soon.
“Lower the windows so it can fly out!” Khloé urged, cowering against Raini.
God, the woman drove him insane. Humoring her just so the craziness would stop, Keenan lowered the electronic windows. “There,” he snapped. “Happy now?”
She breathed a sigh of relief and straightened. “Yes. It’s gone. Phew. That was a close call. I don’t know why bees hate me so much.”
He frowned, closing the windows. “Bees do not hate you.”
“Really? Then why do they always come at me like I fucked their mother or something?” she challenged.
The woman was honestly sent to test him. “What is wrong with you?”
“I’m sexually repressed,” she replied, deadpan.
He flexed his hands around the steering wheel. “Do you ever wonder how different things would be if you weren’t fucking demented?”
“Ooh, who shit on your Pop Tarts, Mr. ‘I’m an alcoholic in denial’?”
He ground his teeth, not sure what would bring him more pleasure—gripping her by the throat or fucking her within an inch of her life. “Personally, I think you should be heavily medicated for the safety of you and everyone around you,” he sniped.
She slapped a hand to her chest, as if hurt. “Scarred for life over here.”
“Just … be quiet. All right?”
“All right.” The “quiet” lasted all of six seconds. “Keenan, pull my finger.”
“No.”
<
br /> It wasn’t until much later that he realized she’d taken his mind completely off Thea and his childhood so effortlessly.
*
The ride on the swanky private jet had been fun enough for Khloé. But being on the sleek, white, four-decked mega-yacht had her doing happy dances in her head. Its level of luxuriousness blew her mind.
Everything seemed to glimmer and shine. The spacious interior was as bright and stylish as the yacht itself. It had everything from a gym to a home theater. Sunlight shone through the large windows, brightening the rooms and casting faint shadows here and there.
After giving them a quick tour and introducing them to the uniformed crew, Harper had shown Khloé and Raini to the guest cabins on the lower deck. Khloé couldn’t help but note that hers wasn’t too far from Keenan’s room. Devon, of course, was sleeping in Tanner’s cabin, which was on the same floor. Harper, Knox, and Asher, however, slept on the upper deck in their “stately room,” which was one heck of a bedroom suite.
Once they’d all changed into swimwear, they’d headed to the awesome sun deck. Sun sparkled off the water and the gleaming white fiberglass. Below the music that was playing were the sounds of the engine rumbling, seabirds cawing, and waves crashing against the hull. The potent smell of the ocean air almost drowned out those of beer, wood polish, and sunscreen.
For a while, all four girls had spent time in the pool with Asher—playing, laughing, swimming, and pushing him around in his inflatable car.
Later, Devon joined Tanner in the jacuzzi while Khloé, Harper, and Raini got some drinks from the wet bar and then claimed three rattan sun loungers. Keenan and Knox were now in the pool with Asher, who kicked up a fuss whenever anyone tried to get him out of the water.
The three guys were dressed in only swim shorts, so it was impossible not to objectify them for just a moment with their rock-hard abs and perfect physiques. Khloé was still a little tingly from watching Keenan emerge from the jacuzzi earlier, water pouring down his body. No one should be so damn enticing. It simply wasn’t fair.
Omens (The Dark in You Book 6) Page 7
