Dentelle (28 page)

She roused and opened her eyes. A huge smile
broke out across her face. “Lexi! Yay! I’m so glad you’re finally here.”
Sitting up, she reached for me, and I engulfed her in a big bear hug.

“I’m here, Ava. And I’m not going anywhere.”

“I’m so glad,” she said, yawning loudly.
“There’s so much I want to tell you.”

“And I want to hear about it, sweetheart. But
not tonight. I want you to go back to sleep and back to your fantastic dreams.
You’ll have time to tell me everything in the morning.”

“Okay. Oh, did you bring my clothes? Uncle
Kieran said you would.”

“Umm…uhh…,” I stalled, trying to think up a
believable excuse. “S-somehow…the suitcase was misplaced by…by the airlines,” I
stuttered. “Sometimes that happens. I’m sorry,” I said.

“Oh, that’s okay. Uncle Kieran said he’d take us
shopping anyways. He must be super rich, huh?”

“Yeah, he is. I have a favor to ask you,” I
said, changing the subject.

She nodded and yawned again. “What’s that?”

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

She giggled. “Like a sleepover?”

“Exactly.”

“Of course you can. This bed is so big; we could
invite all of my friends.” She giggled but then frowned. “I have been kind of
lonely in here all by myself. And I’m super glad you’re here now.” She pointed
at the wall. “Isn’t the rainbow the coolest thing ever?”

“It is,” I said, smiling. “Okay, you lay back
down here.” I patted her pillow and then pulled up the covers and tucked her
in. “I need to brush my teeth, and then I’ll be back.”

“Okay, Lexi. Good-night. I love you.”

“I love you too, Ava.”

By the time I finished up in the bathroom and
returned to the bedroom, she was already sound asleep. Quietly, I crawled in
next to her. We might not be safe yet, but at least we were both alive and she
hadn’t been hurt in any way. I didn’t think Kieran would harm her unless I
broke one of his rules. And I had no intention of doing anything that would
endanger her. But make no mistake, I’d be watching and plotting. If an opportunity
for escape presented itself, and I thought it was worth the risk – for at least
getting Ava Rose to safety – I would take it. Snuggled up next to her, I
touched her short curls. For the first time in days, relief washed over me. A
few minutes later, I fell fast asleep.

I awoke early and smiled at the sound of Ava’s
soft snores. She was so darn cute. Deciding not to wake her just yet, I dressed
quickly and snuck out of the bedroom. Barefoot, I walked along the smooth
concrete floors. All was quiet, except for a soft “whish” of the cold air
blowing out of the ceiling vents. Once inside the immaculate living area, I
spotted Kieran out on the balcony. As if sensing my presence, he turned,
smiled, and beckoned me. What a way to ruin the morning – a conversation with a
Ray-pac.

As soon as I was seated, Kieran’s hand swept
over the table, which was filled with a surprising array of breakfast items.
“Help yourself to anything…and please, eat up. You’re too thin. And I don’t
like it.” I glared at him, but he just smiled and continued talking. “I imagine
you haven’t eaten much in the last few days – too worried about Ava Rose, I’m
sure. All the while, she’s been here, having the time of her life.” He actually
snickered. “But now you know she is happy and healthy, so you can start eating
again.” He leaned towards me. “What I’m saying is, your appetite
will
return.” It wasn’t hard to discern
this was a command not an opinion.

My stomach gurgled, and I realized just how famished
I really was. Oh, I’d eat. But not because he told me to. While helping myself
to strawberries, grapes, and a blueberry muffin, the slider opened, and a lady
in her forties stepped onto the balcony. It was obvious by her grey and white
dress and the way her black hair was pulled back in a tight bun that she was a
staff member.

Kieran leaned back in his chair. “Lexi, this is
Maya. She is my personal assistant, chef, housekeeper, and as of late,” he
chuckled, “nanny. She will be available to you should you need anything,
whether that be clean clothes or something to eat.” He drummed his hand against
the armrest and squinted. “It is important you understand that Maya does not
engage in chit chat. No personal conversations of any kind. So for her sake and
the longevity of her employment here,” his voice deepened and he gave me a
knowing look, “I suggest you respect these rules.”

Despite the balmy morning, I shivered and then
nodded. Maya’s expression never changed; it remained neutral, yet cordial.
“Would you like any coffee, tea, or juice this morning, ma’am?”

“Orange juice would be fine.”

“Mr. Black has informed me you would like an
omelet. What ingredients would you like? We have most everything.”

My eyebrows shot up. How fitting. His last name
was Black – the darkest of colors, resulting from the absence of light. My mind
went wild. Black. The color of mourning. Also associated with death and evil.
Rampantly, my thoughts ran through a list of words:
 
blackmail, blackballed, black Monday, black
sheep, black magic, black mark…

“Lexi. Maya is waiting.” Kieran snapped his
fingers in front of my face.

I jerked. Looking at Maya, I fumbled my words,
“Umm…I… how about peppers, onions, ham, and cheese. Please.” She nodded and
swished away.

“How do you like the view?” Kieran asked,
swiveling in his chair.

Small talk. Really? I slammed my fork down,
somewhat smashing the strawberry on the other end. “I want to know why I’m
here. And I want to know when you’re going to let Ava Rose go.”

Completely ignoring my outburst, he took a
swallow of his coffee and then pointed towards the city. “For the most part,
Oklahoma is a flat blanket of farmland. Even here, the skyline is set to see
more low- and mid-rise buildings, with the exception of our latest claim to
fame – the Devon Tower. A 52 story, three-sided glass tower with diamond-shaped
faces at the top. It’s just fascinating, isn’t it?”

Practically foaming at the mouth, I scowled. “I
don’t care about the damn tower.”

“You should.” Focused on the building in the
distance, he rubbed his chin with his thumb as if in awe. He might have cleaned
himself up like some wannabe salesman, but I noted he was still wearing the
absurd snake ring on his thumb and a vicious wolf tattoo marked his arm. He
cleared his throat. “A restaurant called Vast takes up the tower’s top two
floors. The views from there are incredible.”

I breathed heavily, refusing to comment.

He turned and looked at me. “You asked what I
want from you. Well, what I want is to take you there for our celebration.”

“Celebration of what?” I fumed.

His eyes flared nefariously. “Why, the
celebration we will have after the two of us link, of course.”

Having just taken a bite of blueberry muffin, I
choked and covered my mouth to prevent myself from spitting it out across the table.
Blurry-eyed and coughing, I patted my chest. He handed me a napkin, but I waved
it away. That’s what this was all about? Kieran thought he was going to link
with me? Well the joke was on him. When I finally made eye contact with him, I
said incredulously, “You’re kidding. Right?”

That must have pissed him off, because all of
sudden, I could sense he was about to strike me. Swiveling in my seat, I raised
my left arm, blocked his fist, and swiped his arm to the side. But just barely
in time. He was strong. Stronger than I remembered. In a flash, I was out of my
chair, launching a powerful kick towards his face, but I barely scraped his
chin because he ducked sideways and I hit the back of his chair. Springing to
his feet, he held his hands out in warning. Fearing how my actions might affect
Ava Rose, I froze.

A disturbing smile crawled slowly across his
face. “Stop, Lexi. While I find this very entertaining, I have no desire to
fight you. I only wanted to test you. So sit back down.”

I made no move from my defensive position. “Test
me why?”

Reclining into his chair, he chuckled. “Since
you have the unusual ability to hide your link, I needed to test your Flair –
just to make sure you were still linked.”

The ability to hide my link? That wasn’t exactly
true. I had no control over that. I bit my tongue and shrugged. It was just an
advantage of being a Dentelle.

“Why do you care if I’m linked?”

“Wanted to make sure nothing had changed with
you. In a few days’ time you and I will link. The ultimate bonding experience…between
a Ray-pac and a Dentelle.” A satisfied smile crossed his face. “And having our
link hidden from others will be an added bonus. Think of the places we will go
undetected.”

 
“Hey, Lexi. How was the flight? How’s your
uncle doing?”
Ash’s voice was crystal clear in my mind. There was no hint
of fuzziness. No indication we were separated by 2000 miles of terrain.

I dropped my fork, and it clattered onto my
plate. “What?” I said aloud, meaning to speak telepathically with Ash.

“Oh, good. You’re surprised. Well, you shouldn’t
be. I’ve done my research, Lexi,” Kieran said all smiles. “I knew you were an
Amethyst, but once you used your other abilities, I realized you were something
more. Something much, much more. Yes, I’ve been studying up. You see…” he
rambled on but I was interrupted by Ash again.

“Lexi, can
you hear me? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,
Ash. Just busy.”

“How about
your uncle?”

Kieran was talking about some journals he’d stolen
from a Guardian stronghold. That’s how he’d gained knowledge of Dentelles, but
he was curious as to why I’d survived the linking process when no one before me
ever had. I was having trouble listening to him while carrying on a
conversation with Ash.

In response to Ash, I said
, “He’s good.”

“Oh,
that’s great. Then you’ll be heading home –”

“No, I
mean he’s worse. And he’s in critical condition and was moved to ICU, so I
haven’t been allowed in to see him yet.”
I shifted in my chair, trying to
maintain eye contact with Kieran. I didn’t want to give away that I was
communicating with Ash. And I didn’t want him to stop talking because he was
finally imparting knowledge. Knowledge that might be valuable to me. If I had a
better understanding of what he did and didn’t know, I’d have a better chance
of taking him down.

“Oh,
that’s not good. You have to get to him, Lex. Your touch will make all the
difference.”

“I know.
I’m planning on sneaking into his room if I have to. Haven’t had a chance yet.”

“Okay,
good. Just go undercover. Be stealth and all. You know, like I did when…”

“I will. I
promise,”
I said hurriedly.

 
“You sound strange. Are you okay?”

“Yes, just
worried. Lots of family here and…and nurses all around.”

“Okay,
Well, no news on Ava Rose. But I’ll keep you posted. What about –”

Kieran was starting to frown, and I realized I
was cracking my knuckles
. “Gotta go, Ash.
The doctor is coming out,”
I lied
.
“Talk to ya later.”

“You and I linking? That’s not gonna happen,” I
said confidently to Kieran.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the
table. “Oh, yes it is, Lexi. It’s going to happen, or you will be responsible
for Ava Rose’s death.” His tone was rancorous, indicating he was not fooling
around. He cocked his head and stared at me pointedly.

“You can’t…” Wait a minute! Kieran obviously
didn’t know my link with Ash was permanent. There was no reason to tell him
either. This might be my only advantage against him.

As if reading my mind he said, “You are done
with Ash. I realize you may not want to link with me. But you will. It’s up to
you whether you do it willingly or I take you by force.” He reached over and
grabbed my orange juice. Raising it in the air, he tipped it slightly, and then
took a drink. “One thing has puzzled me, though. According to James, you tend
to spend equal amounts of time with Ash and Jason.” His voice was something
akin to a growl. “I can’t figure out why you’ve stayed with Ash. I really
thought you were partial to that pathetic Imitator.” He set the glass down. “I
should have finished him off that day in the woods,” he said, shaking his head.
Sliding his chair closer to mine, he looked me straight in the eye. “So, why
did you choose Ash? I’m curious?”

I didn’t answer right away. My mind was busy at
work, forming a plan with all this golden information. On the day of the next
full moon when Kieran expected to link with me, there would be a short window
when he wasn’t linked but I still was. That’s when I would have opportunity.
And that’s when I would destroy him. I gripped my fork a little tighter. Maybe,
I needed back-up for that. I could have Jason and Ash and the entire Bellingham
Circle arrive here the day before but not give them my location until…

“Lexi!” Kieran said impatiently. “Are you hiding
something from me?”

I leaned forward and got right in his face. Time
for a big lie. One I had to make believable. “Jason wanted to link with me,
just like you do,” I jeered, “but he’s not half the man Ash is. And you’re no
man at all.”

Kieran leaned his head back and laughed loudly.
Meanwhile, I waited with anticipation. Did he believe me? At least Jason and I
had kept our relationship under wraps for so long that not even Ava Rose knew
we were together. Finally, Kieran sat up straight and said, “My, my. Aren’t we
sensitive on the matter? I am impressed, though. I view Ash as a much more
worthy opponent than Jason. He is devious and smart. I just didn’t think he’d
be your type.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You leave Ash out of this.”

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He’ll be left behind
when you and I link in five days.” His voice took a tense edge, and his amber
eyes glowed with intensity. “If you alert him in any way, I will kill Ava Rose.
And I will make you watch. Do you understand me?”