by Kelly Hall
Lulu’s eyes lit up. “Don’t mind if I do, but I warn you, I’m a heartbreaker and a toe-breaker.”
“Well, then, let’s break some toes.” Crest pulled her to her feet, and the two began moving in time with the music.
“I can do that,” said Ignis, getting to his feet. He walked around and offered Mace his hand. “Let’s show them how it’s done.”
She accepted, and then Randall and Frankie joined in.
Soon, everyone was laughing, even Canter. He got to his feet and grabbed Delilah. “If he’s not going to ask, I will.”
“It would be an honor,” said Delilah, who jumped up before Jarreth could put his cup down.
“Hey, that’s my girl!”
“Gotta act faster than that, son.” Brock chuckled and took a long pull from his cup.
“Only faster than you.” Jarreth sprang up from his seat. “Rebekah?”
She couldn’t refuse him and knew if she didn’t take the lesser of the two evil Barnes men, she’d end up with the other. “Well, it’s about time someone asked me.” She threw a glance at Brock as he pulled her to her feet.
She danced around the fire and laughed with the others, and while it felt amazing, she couldn’t seem to loosen up. The threats were real, and with everything that was coming against her, the weight was too heavy.
Soon, she found her seat, and the others settled in to tell stories. Mace, who had danced with several of the men from the rogue camp, sat between Hemp and Kyle, though she showed no favorites.
Frankie yawned, and Timms put his arm around her to pull her in closer. Rebekah looked up to see Brock staring, but she wasn’t going to hang around and get him wound up. Even though she’d made him promise he would give the possibility of anything between them a rest, he had a hopeful look in his eyes.
As Lulu told a story, Rebekah leaned in close to Ignis. “I’m going in for a hot bath and to get this campfire smell out of my hair. You know how I hate it.”
“The modern ages have spoiled you, Bexy,” he said with a laugh. “You used to smell like that all the time. It was your battle perfume.”
She hadn’t seen it quite that way. The smell reminded her too much of Ethan and how he had come in from a night of carousing and entertaining the whores who used to hang around the camps. He’d crawl into bed and expect her attention come morning, but that was long after her heart wasn’t in it. After a while, the smell of smoke had turned her stomach, and she didn’t like how the memories made her feel either.
She damned sure wasn’t carrying it to her bed. She stood and looked around the fire at the happy faces and the smiles of her friends. Even Canter smiled. It would take a long time for him to heal, but he was on his way toward feeling better.
She hoped his purpose would find him well.
As the others watched Brock and Jarreth arm wrestle, she slipped off by herself across the courtyard to her home tower, where the house was eerily quiet. She hadn’t been in the place all alone in ages, and as she climbed the stairs, she wondered how long the others would stay outside. They had just gotten wound up, and she would definitely have some peace and quiet to let the world fade away in a hot bath.
She entered her private bathing suite that was just off of her bedroom at the top of the tower. Inside, she had installed a large crystal tub that had been carved from a huge single slab of rose quartz, the heart stone of love and beauty. She didn’t use it often, but at times like this, she was glad she’d splurged.
She took off her weapons and laid them on the vanity seat across the room. Then Rebekah undressed and fastened her hair high upon her head before she stepped onto the quartz steps that led into the tub. The cold stone felt good on her tired feet, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such peace and quiet.
She sat in the water, its depth covering her breasts, and poured a little rose oil in with her before she laid back and closed her eyes.
When she finally opened them, she wasn’t alone.
Chapter 23
One minute, Rebekah lounged peacefully in her tub, the gentle heat from the water soothing her tired body and mind. The next, there were soft footsteps in the adjoining bedroom.
“Ignis?” she asked, thinking that he had come to say goodnight. “I’m not decent, Ignis.”
When there was no witty remark or rude comeback, she knew that something was off. Surely, it wasn’t Brock. Even the rogue knew better than to enter a woman’s bedroom unannounced, especially a woman as deadly as her.
Rising from the water would only cause a splash, an obvious sound that might tip off her suspicion. So, she reached up with her foot to turn on the water. As the sound filled the room, she stealthily rose. Her naked body, supple from the hot soak, was covered with goosebumps as she found her robe.
After cutting off the water and raking her hand through it just to sound like she was still enjoying her bath, she tiptoed across the room. Then she heard another step and another. She had enough time to grab Stella before she heard more, and when she turned around, she could feel the presence of her visitor, her instincts kicking into high gear.
Vampire.
It was not Kayne, but the smell of the vamp was familiar all the same. She moved forward toward the doorway that connected the rooms and wondered how and when someone had gotten into the castle. No doubt while she danced around the fire unaware.
With everyone in the courtyard and the main entrance visible, the intruder had to know another way in.
Rebekah entered her room, checking her blind spots, and found the vampire standing in front of her floor-length mirror.
Now dressed in a suit with his hair perfectly smoothed back as if he’d aged ten years, the boy looked at her through the reflection.
“I can’t get used to this new look,” said Liam. “I guess it doesn’t matter though. I’m still getting the ladies, although I have to say they just don’t hold up that well. Tasty, though. I find I like brunettes. Like you.”
She had a feeling the redhead wasn’t far behind with her strange mothering instincts. “Why have you come here, Liam? It’s a bad idea to mess with me.”
“Yeah, well, so far it seems I can’t do anything right,” he said with a shrug, turning from the mirror. “What else is new?” He looked her up and down. “Care to let me peek inside that robe?”
“No. And don’t be vulgar. It looks ridiculous on you.”
“Yeah, I’m sure Kayne won’t like it too. Well, the thing is, I really don’t care what he likes. Fiona is the one taking care of me. She bought me new clothes and gives me pretty girls. It’s really more than anyone’s ever done for me. Even my mother couldn’t let her addiction go to care for me. I understand that now. It’s like everything inside of me is crystal clear.”
Rebekah was content to let him talk, to let him say his piece. Then maybe he would leave. But if he was there for more violent reasons, she would have to take care of the situation in a way she didn’t want to.
“You were never going to make me a hunter, were you? You had all of those silly rules and conditions in place, not because of my age but because you thought I wasn’t good enough.”
“That’s not true. I believed you needed to grow up first. I still think that.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter now, does it? It’s not like I’ll ever age.”
“It’s maturity I speak of. I never age either, you know, but I have wisdom well beyond my apparent age. I imagine and hope that through the years to come, should you not do anything stupid, you could mature too. But I’d suggest that you turn around and leave here before you do anything to prevent that.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He snapped his finger and turned back like he’d just had a thought. “Did you know that King Fang has a liking for brunettes too? I mean, like all of his feeders are brunettes. And not only brunettes, but they bear a striking resemblance to you.”
He was trying to get at her, but she wasn’t going to let him. She had already figured out the lengths Ka
yne would go. It was no shock.
Liam grinned and continued. “I bet that he dreams of it being you each time he bites them. I bet he does more with them too, hoping it’s you. I wonder what the others would think if I told them just what you and the Father of the Dead do when you’re alone. That was a pretty hot kiss you shared. I didn’t know he had it in him.”
If Liam thought he could go down to the fire to tell them anything, he was delusional. Brock and his men would kill him without hesitation.
“Are you here to try and shock me, threaten me, what? What do you stand to gain from this little visit? Other than pissing off Kayne and boring me.” She kept her hand on her blade, knowing she could take him out faster than Liam could blink. He was inexperienced dealing with his own kind, much less hers.
“I thought I’d come for a taste of revenge. I hear it’s sweet. I bet it tastes just as good as your royal blood. Aren’t you, like, a queen?”
“You don’t want to make threats, Liam. I’m sure you know what could happen if you do.”
He chuckled. “Are you going to kill me? Finally, put me out of my misery like you should have all along. You never asked my opinion.”
“There was no way of knowing what you’d want. And while I usually don’t lend my numbers to the enemy, I cared about you.”
He smiled like a snake, and Rebekah barely recognized him with his fangs protruding and his eyes dark. He was stalking his prey, ready to strike. “Past tense, right? You forget I was a good student. I’m smart.”
“So, save it,” called another voice from across the room, as if taking the words from Liam’s lips.
Rebekah turned and found Fiona, the redhead, standing behind her. “I wondered when you’d make your grand entrance. I didn’t think you’d go far from your little abomination. But surely, you don’t want to do anything stupid either. Considering what it could mean.”
“I’ve been with Kayne a lot longer than you’ve been around, little girl. I’ve been through a lot with him. You might be his latest infatuation, but I understand him better than anyone. And I know what he needs. It isn’t you.”
Rebekah shrugged. “I think he’d have a different opinion. As a matter of a fact, I know it, so it’s clear you don’t know him as well as you think you do.”
“That’s enough talk. I’ve come to let my dear boy have some fun. You should know that you don’t have a chance to be a part of Kayne’s life. You couldn’t handle his darkness. He would eat you alive.”
“That’s why we’re going to save you the trouble,” said Liam. “And besides, I want to know what it’s like to watch you bleed.”
Rebekah moved to her fighting stance, and Liam wasted no time coming at her.
Rebekah was too quick for him. Having moved out of the way, she spun and swung her dagger at him, barely slicing his flesh.
“Ow!” he cried. “I’ll kill you!”
The wound began to heal immediately, and all Rebekah could think about, other than her next move, was how pissed off everyone was going to be when she killed the young vampire.
She hated that it had come to this. “I really thought you’d be better than them. All of the pain they caused you, and now you’re no better? You are the worst of them, from what I’ve seen, turning your back on your friends.” Rebekah hoped that her words would catch him off guard.
“Shut up!” he cried, and he leapt at her again.
This time, Rebekah swung out her dagger and sliced it across his cheek.
Fiona’s expression grew wilder, and Rebekah knew that sooner or later, the older vampire would join in the fight.
“Let’s get this over with before someone comes!” Fiona leapt across the bed, planting one foot on the mattress, and then suddenly, Rebekah was between them. She moved to put herself closer to the bathroom door and looked back and forth at the two. Liam stood in front of the window, his eyes wild with anger, an ugly gash healing on his cheek.
“You have to do better than that,” he said. “I know what I’m capable of. Fiona has taught me well.”
“Indeed, I did. And I’ve learned from the best myself.” Fiona cackled and took off her belt, which Rebekah soon realized was a razor whip. “This is getting fun.” She moved closer. “I’m going to remove that pretty head of yours, and then maybe we’ll kick it around the courtyard.”
While the two played games, Rebekah assessed the situation. She was going to have to take them both out fairly quickly, if not in one fell swoop. She was well beyond sympathy for the damned, and while she would always hate the way things went down with Liam, she was going to have to take him out. And she would not hesitate.
Suddenly, Fiona struck out her whip, and while it licked Rebekah’s robe she missed hitting her directly. Rebekah took a deep breath and ducked another swing as she held Stella’s blade up. She caught the whip as it wound around the dagger, and then she jerked it free of Fiona’s hand, the handle flying through the air toward Rebekah, who caught it.
“I’ve always wanted one of these,” she said. Then with one quick motion, she pulled Stella free and darted into the bathroom as Fiona charged at her. She tossed the whip into the tub as she ran up the side of it, flipping off the steps and kicking Fiona in the face in the process.
As she landed, the woman charged again, this time with the aid of the fuzzy bathroom rug. She pushed Rebekah back against the wall, knocking Stella out of her hand. Fiona left it, knowing better than to touch it.
Rebekah and Fiona locked arms, and Fiona reached up to pull Rebekah’s hair, giving it a hard yank.
“Hair pulling?” asked Rebekah, who threw her head forward, butting it against the vampire’s.
Fiona stumbled back, keeping her fingers gripped on Rebekah’s locks, and Rebekah used the length of her hair for enough leeway to reach for Stella and bring the dagger up to Fiona’s ribs. As she struck, barely nicking a bone, Liam was on her again, the boy finally giving up his voyeurism to act.
Rebekah fought him off and found her footing. She darted back into the bedroom, and the two vamps followed. Suddenly, the wind blew in the window from the seaside of the castle, moving everything not nailed down as the salt air licked Rebekah’s face.
While Fiona was pushed against the wall, Liam was thrown to the floor as a dark mass appeared.
Rebekah was nearly knocked off her feet, but thankfully, her fighting stance gave her enough strength to remain upright, and while she tried to see the source, it was hard to open her eyes. She knew that energy. She knew it all too well.
When it finally stopped, Liam quickly jumped to his feet, but he didn’t know that Kayne was behind him.
Fiona turned, and her eyes widened as she backed away.
Kayne reached out and gripped the boy by the neck. “I see you’ve disobeyed me again.”
“We had a score to settle,” hissed Fiona, with a little less venom. “It wasn’t anything personal against you.”
Kayne shook his head. “This is the last time, Fiona.” He didn’t even seem to notice Rebekah in the room.
“Fine, it’s the last time. Can’t we just go home now? We’ve had our fun.” She stepped toward Liam, holding out her hand as if to take him from Kayne’s control, but with a swift motion, the boy’s body fell limp in her arms, though his head was still in Kayne’s grip.
Fiona was so busy scrambling to catch him that she didn’t realize at first. She looked down at what she held and screamed. Then she pushed the body away from her and dropped to her knees. “Why?”
“Like I said, it was the last time, Fiona. And your last time too.”
He took a step forward, and Fiona wasted no time darting out the window as if she’d vanished into thin air.
“Please tell me she can’t fly,” said Rebekah, wishing the vampire could fall to her death. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy.
“She’ll land on her feet, that one. She’s been courting danger for years, where I’m concerned. She won’t get far. If I know her at all, she’ll come dragging back up
to the house to ask forgiveness.” He hoped she was that stupid. His tolerance had gone on long enough.
He glanced down at the severed head and dropped it onto the floor with the body. “Fucking waste.”
Rebekah took a step back. “I was going to kill him.”
“And I saved you the trouble,” said Kayne. “You’re welcome.”
“Why are you here?”
“I noticed they were gone and that you were in distress. I figured they’d come. I saw the party out there and figured you could use a hand.”
“I was holding my own.” She rubbed the tender spot where Fiona had pulled her hair.
“You were, and you would have killed them both, but then you would’ve had to face the others.”
“I don’t need you to soften my blows. I could have stood up to them just fine. Any one of them would have killed Liam under those circumstances. I’ve already told them what happened with him.”
“Well, I suppose now you don’t have to tell them anything. I’ll take the body with me, and it will be like we were never here.”
Rebekah knew the truth would come out. Eventually, it always did, but she wasn’t going to offer up any details about this visit. The others obviously hadn’t heard a thing across the courtyard, and their singing and laughing, along with the flow of alcohol, was still a sign they were distracted.
“Do you want a thank you?”
His expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. “You have been angry with me. Is this still about my capturing Ignis?”
“No, it’s not about that. But I have to say, the more I learn from our past, the harder it is to like you.”
“Is that supposed to hurt? Because I should tell you, my constant torment numbs me.”
“You’re such an asshole. You want me to think you care so I’ll give you what you want, but you’ve already shown me that’s not the case.”
“How so? If there’s something you need to say to me, say it. Otherwise, I’d suggest you stop trying to make problems between us.”
“Me? Make problems between us? Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound? We’re enemies.”
